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We had this argument when Lebron walked right past New York to go to Miami.
It's the digital age, it's no longer guys with press badges rushing to pay phones after the game to report it to the media.
WINNING and personality produces endorsements and I don't see anything that links that to being in a big market like LA since 99.9% of the fans watch it on TV or the internet anyway it doesn't matter where the team is playing.
P.S. Durant is already up to 11mil and he plays in the middle of nowhere. However I see his commercials a lot more than Kobes.
Thats retarded. Obviously if he were dominating and the Lakers winning he would make more in California. He would have a far higher profile and command more endorsements as a Laker.
Exploit you, what does that mean?!
Kobe only has 19mil in endorsement income this year.
For all the rings and awards etc. he has, that's actually pretty small.
Gasol with onlly about 2.5mil a year in endorsements is almost laughable considering the breadth of his career and a championship not THAT long ago.
Here are the salary comparisons, thanks to HOOPSWORLD’s Eric Pincus:
Approximate Yearly Salary with the Lakers:
Year 1: $20,513,178.00
Year 2: $22,051,666.35
Year 3: $23,590,154.70
Year 4: $25,128,643.05
Year 5: $26,667,131.40
TOTAL: $117,950,773.50
Approximate Yearly Salary with the Rockets (or any other team):
$20,513,178.00
$21,436,271.01
$22,359,364.02
$23,282,457.03
TOTAL: $87,591,270.06
Yes, when looking at the numbers alone, the Lakers clearly have the advantage over any other team looking to lure him away. In the case of a Texas team like Houston, however, there are some significant factors that have to be considered. Texas has no state income tax, and for someone making better than $20 million a year, that’s a huge consideration. Just look at how the California income tax breaks down over the first four years of the contract:
Year 1: $1,075,666.03
Year 2: $1,156,340.98
Year 3: 1,237,015.93
Year 4: 1,317,690.88
If we look at the first four years of the contract, Howard would make $3,692,371.44 more with the Lakers than he would with the Rockets. Adjusting that number for California’s state income tax, however, Howard would actually make $1,094, 342.38 more as a Rocket playing the majority of his games in a state with no income tax because he would save $4,786,713.82 in taxes.
As for the fifth year, the Lakers certainly have an advantage in being able to offer Dwight more long-term security, but unless he suffers a career-ending injury he is going to sign a contract after this one, meaning he will get paid for that fifth year wherever he plays. He would most likely have an opt-out, anyway, meaning the fifth year is not really a major bargaining point, again, barring injury. For what it’s worth, Howard would pay $1,398,365.83 in state income tax in California if he were to play out the end of that deal.
There are many things someone who is rich can do to offset the effect that taxes has on one's income, such as donations to charities and tax-exempt retirement accounts. Assuming that Howard would be better off in Houston because of taxes is absolutely absurd. As a Lakers fan, I wouldn't mind seeing him go to Houston simply because I think he's vastly overrated as a player, and I don't care to see him in a Laker uniform. He has a very limited game, is not a smart, intelligent player, and is a significant step down from the type of center the Lakers are used to having when they make serious runs at the championship (Bynum excluded).
Here's hoping Howard makes the move and leaves the Lakers. Houston is as good a place as any.
Here's hoping Howard makes the move and leaves the Lakers. Houston is as good a place as any.
If he does this though, the Lakers are arguably staring at a bottom 5 season next year followed by a multi-year rebuild.
To say they might be out of the playoffs for 4-5 years isn't crazy talk IMO.
How do you see things with the Lakers if Dwight leaves? Are you happier to start from scratch instead of trying to build off of what you see as a flawed player? I suspect you think that they might be able to rebuild faster than is likely.
I'm absolutely not dogging you here, me personally I'd rather clean house than build off a bad foundation, we just disagree about Dwight in that regard.
Having suffered through a decade or so of the Bulls trying to rebuild, just warning you that it can be a longer, more trying process than you might think.
There are many things someone who is rich can do to offset the effect that taxes has on one's income, such as donations to charities and tax-exempt retirement accounts. Assuming that Howard would be better off in Houston because of taxes is absolutely absurd. As a Lakers fan, I wouldn't mind seeing him go to Houston simply because I think he's vastly overrated as a player, and I don't care to see him in a Laker uniform. He has a very limited game, is not a smart, intelligent player, and is a significant step down from the type of center the Lakers are used to having when they make serious runs at the championship (Bynum excluded).
Here's hoping Howard makes the move and leaves the Lakers. Houston is as good a place as any.
i find this argument to be silly. so instead of paying taxes at ridiculous rates howard could just take his money and give it to charity? either way he will be giving up a substantial portion of his salary. where it goes is semantics really. in texas nearly ALL tax rates are lower then california, plus no state income tax. cost of living is lower in every way. i was in LA a couple months ago, gas was over $4 everywhere we looked, we are barely paying over $3 here in houston. just one example, sales tax in harris county (houston area) is 6.75%, in las angeles 9%. living in california is silly really.
If he does this though, the Lakers are arguably staring at a bottom 5 season next year followed by a multi-year rebuild.
To say they might be out of the playoffs for 4-5 years isn't crazy talk IMO.
The Lakers rebounded much quicker than any of the other dynasties of the past 25 years. Boston and Chicago were futile for years after their respective dynasties ended. LA managed to remain fairly competitive, if not elite, after Magic's premature retirement in 1991, through some good drafting and personnel pickups until they managed to land Shaq and trade for a rookie Kobe Bryant. Even after Shaq left in 2004, Kobe was able to keep them adrift as first round roadkill until they were able to land Gasol.
The Lakers front office will, IMO, find a way to keep this team competitive as they transition from the Kobe era over the next couple of years, simply due to the attraction of playing in LA and wearing that uniform. It will likely come as a major signing( or two) since they don't have much in trade-able assets to net a game changer that way( I'm saying that on the assumption Howard bolts), but I think they'll keep afloat through it all. Kobe alone eats up 30 million of the player payroll, once he's off the books they'll be in line to secure some top level free agent talent.
The Lakers rebounded much quicker than any of the other dynasties of the past 25 years. Boston and Chicago were futile for years after their respective dynasties ended. LA managed to remain fairly competitive, if not elite, after Magic's premature retirement in 1991, through some good drafting and personnel pickups until they managed to land Shaq and trade for a rookie Kobe Bryant. Even after Shaq left in 2004, Kobe was able to keep them adrift as first round roadkill until they were able to land Gasol.
The Lakers front office will, IMO, find a way to keep this team competitive as they transition from the Kobe era over the next couple of years, simply due to the attraction of playing in LA and wearing that uniform. It will likely come as a major signing( or two) since they don't have much in trade-able assets to net a game changer that way( I'm saying that on the assumption Howard bolts), but I think they'll keep afloat through it all. Kobe alone eats up 30 million of the player payroll, once he's off the books they'll be in line to secure some top level free agent talent.
THey landed Shaq though back when you didn't have the caps like today, they don't have the bigger wallet advantage anymore. Kobe worked out wayyyy better than anyone could have ever imagined there was some luck there.
I've long said that the Lakers are one of the best run franchises and that they'd rebuild fine.
However, they can't hit the free agent market until 2015 earliest and the pickings in free agency can be hit or miss a lot of years.
I think we have to recognize that at least some of the Lakers success was due to past advantages they no longer have along with a pinch of luck. What if they get the next "Kobe" and he goes out with an ACL like Rose? Len Bias? Just cautioning that it's harder than the Lakers have made it look.
Heck, look at the Spurs. But for a David Robinson leg break.....no Tim Duncan.
THey landed Shaq though back when you didn't have the caps like today, they don't have the bigger wallet advantage anymore. Kobe worked out wayyyy better than anyone could have ever imagined there was some luck there.
I've long said that the Lakers are one of the best run franchises and that they'd rebuild fine.
However, they can't hit the free agent market until 2015 earliest and the pickings in free agency can be hit or miss a lot of years.
I think we have to recognize that at least some of the Lakers success was due to past advantages they no longer have along with a pinch of luck. What if they get the next "Kobe" and he goes out with an ACL like Rose? Len Bias? Just cautioning that it's harder than the Lakers have made it look.
Heck, look at the Spurs. But for a David Robinson leg break.....no Tim Duncan.
the lakers are run very well, and they have the "mystique" that surrounds them that helps with trades imo. they have not been a very good team on draft night, going back to 2000, how many players drafted by the lakers are A still in the league, B still a laker, C even 6th man material?
bynum sad to say is the best pick the lakers have made since? vlade maybe? if the yare going to do anything its going to need to be via trade/free agency, and the new cap is going to prove to be a tough thing to work around.
If I were Dwight I'd sign & trade to Houston .... economics would at worse be a wash, play with a young core with a "star" that doesn't crave spotlight ..... also a media market that would be fine with his personality and a coach who has tremendous experience working with the post
THey landed Shaq though back when you didn't have the caps like today, they don't have the bigger wallet advantage anymore. Kobe worked out wayyyy better than anyone could have ever imagined there was some luck there.
I've long said that the Lakers are one of the best run franchises and that they'd rebuild fine.
However, they can't hit the free agent market until 2015 earliest and the pickings in free agency can be hit or miss a lot of years.
I think we have to recognize that at least some of the Lakers success was due to past advantages they no longer have along with a pinch of luck. What if they get the next "Kobe" and he goes out with an ACL like Rose? Len Bias? Just cautioning that it's harder than the Lakers have made it look.
Heck, look at the Spurs. But for a David Robinson leg break.....no Tim Duncan.
Granted they did luck out with Kobe; noone could have predicted he'd be 'that' good( similarly Jordan back in 1984 was projectd as a potential allstar but certainly not the player he would become).
There's a number of note-worthy free agents becoming available in 2014 and 2015. Kobe possibly retires in 2015 (cant see him playing beyond that), Gasols 19 million salary is up in 2014 and I doubt they keep him, dont see Howard sticking around, I can see them being in position in a few years to land a couple of big name talents. I don't envision a scenario where they go several years of not making the playoffs.
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