UK's 'One-and-Dones' could be done for a year as an NBA lockout looms in 2011
By Paul Jordan
Expect an NBA lockout in 2011.
That’s the word doing around basketball outlets and the word is very serious.
It isn’t yet known, or certain that anything will happen simply because the Collective Bargaining Agreements haven’t begun yet, but the likely forecast is that owners and players are quickly turning against each other.
A big concern is with player contracts, which contain a ton of minute details that in essence allow a player to get paid millions of dollars for years.
The biggest in the NBA right now is Kobe Bryant’s at $136 million at just under $20 million a year.
The Indiana Pacer’s gave Jermaine O’Neal a $126 million contract that runs out at the end of 2010. Kevin Garnett ($20 million), Rashard Lewis ($21 million), Tim Duncan ($17 million), an
d Shaquille O’Neal ($20 million) all garnered some of the largest contracts in all of sports.
The problem team owners are facing is paying too much to just one player.
This isn’t the only problem obviously, but gives you an idea of how tough these talks are going to be. Some players have contracts that are justified, but on the other hand, some don’t; Shaq getting paid $20 million a year?
Not justified.
All of this could lead to an NBA lockout in 2011 and that would certainly affect some of the newest Kentucky Wildcats recruits that would look to enter the NBA Draft after only one year in Lexington.
Players like Enes Kanter, Brandon Knight, and even Doron Lamb must now weigh options as the final decision looms between owners and the player union at the beginning of the 2011-2012 seasons. All three are potential one-and-done’s would greatly affect the future success of Calipari’s Wildcats teams, but may be greatly affected in an adverse way if they decided to enter the NBA Draft at that point.
One contention is going to be rookie contracts and Kanter, Knight, and Lamb would most definitely see different kind of numbers in terms of their rookie salaries compared to say former UK players John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins who will reap the benefits of one last year of huge rookie contracts.
The flipside for Kentucky fans is that guys like Kanter, Knight, and Lamb may decide to stay another year due to the ramifications of an NBA lockout thus giving the Wildcats a huge opportunity at an 8th National Championship with a 2011 recruiting class that is already in the ‘best of all-time’ discussion.
Whatever the outcome, there is going to be a lot of things to sort out for the 2010 recruiting class if they want to enter the 2011 NBA Draft possibly risking the chance at playing basketball that year.
Stay tuned.
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