Why is there even an NBA Salary Cap?

After sifting through the hubbub surrounding NHL free agency last week, and now being faced with the LeBron James show tonight on ESPN, I realized something.

The NBA SUCKS. The NHL is AWESOME.

This isn't coming from a Pittsburgh-homer perspective, just a sports fans. I love both hockey and basketball (particularly college). Both sports are by nature physical, fast-paced and flat out fun.

But when it comes to the way these leagues are run, it's not even close.

The NHL has a salary cap. PERIOD. There's no getting around it. Free agency in the NHL is more about doing the salary cap dance and signing the best players with your available money. The NBA? Forget it. The salary cap is just a number, not a law. Here's the breakdown:

2010-11 NBA "Salary Cap" = $58 million.

At first glance, you think, "Oh, well that's right where the NHL salary cap is! But wait, why are there so many $20+ million/year contracts in basketball?" Well, readers, here's why.

The NBA has a "luxury tax line", which is really just an excuse for teams to be able to spend more money. The 2010-11 Luxury Tax Line = $70 million.

And THEN, NBA rules state that teams have to pay an additional tax if they go over the luxury tax line, of $1 for every $1 they spend. To use an example, last year, the champion LA Lakers went $21.4 MILLION over the luxury tax line. Which means while the NBA "salary cap" was at $56 million last year, the "champion" LA Lakers spent a grand total of:

$90 million

Not to place the blame solely on one team. 11 of the 30 NBA teams went over the luxury tax line. To make things even more screwy, each team that doesn't go over the luxury tax line receives a $3.7 million rebate. That's not a typo. By not going $12 million OVER the salary cap, NBA owners make $3.7 million.

With the recent craze over where LeBron goes, and now that indicators are pointing to Miami, where Chris Bosh yesterday signed a monster deal, and Dwayne Wade is about to as well. Throw LeBron and his $20 million plus deal into the mix, and you've got a team that's turned the NBA salary cap into a Dane Cook joke (all show, no substance).

People can complain about the way the NHL has addressed the head shot issue, the fact that Gary Bettman looks like a troll, whatever.



The facts are that the NHL gets the basics right. They have rules that must be abided by, no loopholes, no exemptions. The NBA is anarchic, the rulebook serving only as a paperweight to $25 million contracts. It's why the appeal of the NBA is on the decline, and the NHL is on the rise. The general populous can relate to hockey players, they have an air of humanity about them. The mega-deal NBA fosters no such connection.

So ESPN, you can spare me the details. I will not be watching your LeBron James Contract Special. For as much of a joke as the NBA is, it should probably be broadcast on Comedy Central.

NHL Free Agency Update Post

Will use this post for all pertinent Penguins Free Agency updates. Keep checking.


12:20 PM: First and maybe biggest news of the day. Gonchar to Ottawa Senators. 3 years at about $5.5 mil/per. Who wouldn't go for that raise. We'll miss you, Gonch.



1:20 PM: Pens sign D Zybnek Michalek to a 5 year, $20 million deal. Less than what Hamhuis, Gonchar, Volchenkov have/will go for, so a good sign for Shero and the Pens



2:40 PM: Conflicting reports on whether or not D Paul Martin is a Penguin. ESPN says yes, Rob Rossi says not yet. Wait and see.

2:45 PM: Looks like ESPN was right. 5 years at $5 million per year. Shero leaving very little cap room here. Quite a surprise after the Michalek signing.

NHL Free Agency. Bring it.

Today, we will begin to get a far better picture of what the Penguins will look like come October. As of 10AM, it appears that Gonchar, Hamhuis, Eaton, Guerin, Ponikarovsky, Fedotenko, McKee and Leopold will all test the open market. Not that we ever truly expected one of the last four names I mentioned to sign. I would have to believe that Shero is trying valiently to ink Hamhuis before noon eastern. Probably not going to happen.

There are a bunch of names that can be thrown around, especially when it comes to defensemen, which are undoubtedly Shero's first priority. I'm not going to waste my time espousing any particular theories I have as to who the Pens will sign. The only thing that I do know is that Shero is not going to overpay for anyone, which is just fine.

If Shero is able to get a d-man to sign on the dotted line, he'll probably go hot after a mid-range winger (Colby Armstrong? Eh, maybe!). All I know is that it promises to be an eventful few days.

Here's a guy who thankfully isn't going anywhere. It seems like so long ago that this feat of awesome happened. Enjoy.

Free Agency Looms; The Great Ham-bino's Decision Waits

Ray Shero is a beast. Somehow, he’s juggling talks with Dan Hamhuis and Sergei Gonchar, while also holding contract discussions with Mark Eaton and Bill Guerin. Still, the most likely scenario has Gonchar leaving town, as he likely won’t budge on his desire for a three year deal. Hamhuis would likely cost the Pens about $4-4.5 million per year for the duration of his deal. Even though the Pens main focus of the offseason has been on defense, they’re likely still in the market for a winger. They’ve got about $12 million to work with this year, but will probably leave $1 mil to play around with during the season.

In regards to the Hamhuis talks, as time goes on, it looks worse and worse. Hamhuis truly seems to want to play near his home (western Canada), and doesn’t seem overly interested in playing for the GM that drafted him. Today is the day however, and we all know that sometimes deals get done when it seems least likely.


In Rejean we trust.

Willie Colon tore his Achilles, making a bad offensive line even worse. The Steelers are exploring free agency, and yesterday brought in former Pro Bowler Flozell Adams for a workout.

Pro Bowler is an odd term. I want Jerome Bettis and his bowling skill to go pro, that way he’ll be the first Pro Bowler Pro Bowler. It’s weird where my mind will go when I let it.






The Buccos are on track for one of the worst months in the history of the franchise. It’s not shocking, but still upsetting as a fan. It always hurts to watch good people, which I think most fans would agree that the Pirates players are, go through hard times. Especially when they’re 110% constrained by management. The Pirates are so bad, that I think they should just let Andrew McCutchen go to a team that can actually utilize his massive amounts of talent. It will be very interesting to see what the Pirates will do before the trade deadline next month.

What a beautiful Wednesday in Pittsburgh. In honor of it, let’s have a look at (hopefully) a future Pens D-Man.




Edit: Sad news just coming out. The two year old son of former Eagles QB Randall Cunningham drowned in the family hot tub. Condolences go out to Randall and his family. It's a shame to see such tragedy befall a good person.

Chris Henry's Brain Offers Reprimand of NFL Complicity

Just over six months ago, tragedy struck the NFL when troubled Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was thrown from the back of a pickup truck and killed after an altercation with his fiancée. Friends and colleagues noted Henry’s sincere attempts to change his previous ways.

Today we understand more about Henry’s behaviors.

In a sensational article by the Post-Gazette’s Chuck Finder, we’re offered a look inside the brain of Chris Henry and a scathing critique of safety in the NFL.

It’s a lengthy and in-depth read, so you’re pressed for time, the article simply discusses how Henry likely suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), the same disease attributed to the depression and eventual deaths of former Steelers Mike Webster and Justin Strzelczyk. People who suffer from CTE have similar behaviors to those with Alzheimer’s or dementia. According to doctors, the tissue in Henry’s brain was very similar to someone eighty or ninety years old. According to Finder, Henry is the first active player to be diagnosed with CTE.

Taken alone, the article is disturbing enough. However, when all things are considered, it becomes shocking. Food for thought:

1. Henry was NEVER diagnosed with a concussion through high school, college or pro football.

2. Henry is by far the youngest football player (he was 26 at the time of his death) to ever be diagnosed with CTE. Mike Webster and Justin Strzelczyk were both long retired before experiencing serious troubles.

3. In comparison to Webster and Strzelczyk (both offensive lineman), Henry played a fairly docile position (wide receiver). While Webster and Strzelczyk were getting hit on every play, Henry was not.

When most people think about head injuries in the NFL, they think of the lineman or linebackers. Large men in the trenches putting their bodies on the line every single play. Outside of a kicker, the position of wide receiver is the least punishing. However, here is a wide receiver that was clearly suffering from severe trauma.

Let this situation serve as an indictment of the NFL’s lack of concern about the safety of their sport. I consider myself to be a typical football fan. What has always attracted me to the game is the passion and physical play. However, when that physicality begins to put people’s lives at risk; and Finder’s article DOES attribute many of Henry’s behaviors to the injuries he sustained, the NFL must re-evaluate its priorities. If a 26 year old wide receiver with no concussion history has the brain tissue of an 80 year old, something is drastically askew.

As players get bigger and stronger, the problem will get worse. Action needs to be taken now. If you have to outlaw head shots, do it. The sport and its fans will adapt. If they don’t, they were never fans to begin with.

Men like Chris Henry, Mike Webster, Justin Strzelczyk and many others cannot have died in vain. If this type of damage happened to Henry, it can happen to everybody and anybody in football.

In what has already been an extremely tumultuous offseason for the National Football League, this story will be overshadowed by the Roethlisberger situation, among others. Don’t be fooled. This is the most important thing that’s happened involving the NFL this year.

Don’t be afraid to stand up and hold the NFL responsible.


Note: I’ll update later tonight about the other happenings of the past weekend in sports. This was simply to important to skim over.