Andrei Kirelinko goes to nets

[Jims_Doors]

This deal reeks of shadiness.


Zach Lowe ‏@ZachLowe_NBA [ame="[MEDIA=twitter]355470171902717954[/MEDIA]"]14h[/ame]

 

[OregonDucks]

hmmmmm.

 

[Jims_Doors]

Owners are pissed:


"Only this time, the rest of the NBA believes the Nets have gone too far, delivering the league into an unfiltered rage. The signing of Russian free agent Andrei Kirilenko – a $10 million-a-year player last season – for Brooklyn's $3.1 mini-midlevel exception has transformed rival owners and front office executives into an angry mob of disbelievers.

The insinuations are unmistakable: Around the NBA, there are calls for the commissioner's office to investigate the possibilities of side deals and Russian rubles ruling the day – for now, unfounded charges based on circumstance and appearances.

Within the NBA, there had long been those promising that deals would start popping up involving Prokhorov that made no fiscal sense, theorizing that high-end players could take less within the constraints of the salary cap and still make up the difference in clandestine pacts.

Once the Russian billionaire convinced a superb Russian player to take $7 million less to be a backup to Pierce, the rest of the NBA's reaction was instant and uproarious. For the first time now, the Nets have truly arrived as a contending franchise. They're good, with a chance to be great, and the rest of the NBA wants an investigation.

"Brazen," one Western Conference GM told Yahoo! Sports.

"Let's see if the league has any credibility," one NBA owner told Yahoo! Sports. "It's not about stopping it. It's about punishing them if they're doing it."

Another Eastern Conference GM: "There should be a probe. How obvious is it?"

It is easy to make the accusations, but harder to prove that Prokhorov and his management did anything but a solid sales job after the free-agent market had dried up on Kirilenko. When it comes to uninhibited spending and free-agent coups, the modern NBA has a long list of targets. Understand something else, too: Plenty of American-born owners, running respected franchises, have come under these suspicions, too. Charges of side deals didn't start with Prokhorov and won't end with him.
Nevertheless, this is the second time there's been questions about the Nets' signing of a foreign free agent below market value.

A year ago, Brooklyn agreed on a full midlevel-exception deal with Euro forward Mirza Teletovic on a three-year, $15.7 million contract. Shortly after the agreement, Brooklyn realized it needed to alter the exception slot to still keep open the chance for cutting a trade for Dwight Howard. Without re-entering the market, Teletovic accepted a three-year, $9 million deal at the mini midlevel.

Part of all this is the mystery surrounding Prokhorov, the distrust that comes with how he amassed his fortune, and his bold predictions of an NBA title within five years of purchasing the franchise

Y! SPORTS

 

[piss-tons]

GREAT pickup but yea it is kind of shady. I understand why owners would be angry, Prohorov is giving the finger to the CBA and the notion of competitive balance.

 

[BOTSLAYER]

Since I am rooting for the Nets I am kind of like...meh

I am trying to think how would I feel if I did not like them or their billionaire owner. It is hard not to like someone willing to do whatever it takes to win though.

Also what if AK was just sick of playing for gringo owners and wanted someone he could speak Russian too and share some vodka?

Obviously it looks fishy but unless they are really dumb about this it will be very hard for them to get caught.

 

[BOTSLAYER]

@piss-tons the CBA can go fuck itself imo.

They say it is for competitive balance but it only hand cuffs small market teams even more. The Lakers, Nets, Heat, Knicks and Boston's are still going to be able to pay those luxury taxes. It will suck more but they will have the option if they want to.

Indy and OKC are the ones truly taking the shaft here.

It will be a long time before a team not in the luxury tax wins it all meaning that only the teams that can afford it will be winning it all anyways.

 

[LogicMan]

This is not just fishy, its a clear issue. But, the deal probably involves promises that will take place at a later date, most likely not traceable in the USA either.

Foreign ownership of NBA teams when involving overseas players at bargain prices.

Well, I want Paul to get another ring, but this really looks wrong guys

 

[jayviabay]

@piss-tons the CBA can go fuck itself imo.

They say it is for competitive balance but it only hand cuffs small market teams even more. The Lakers, Nets, Heat, Knicks and Boston's are still going to be able to pay those luxury taxes. It will suck more but they will have the option if they want to.

Indy and OKC are the ones truly taking the shaft here.

It will be a long time before a team not in the luxury tax wins it all meaning that only the teams that can afford it will be winning it all anyways.

The spurs were a game six collapse away from winning it all and they are not in the luxury tax and i dont recall them being in the luxury tax during their 4 titles either.

 

[geneh_33]

Nets are building a team to be reckoned with next year, no doubt. Is it legal? Probably not.

But in this country a man is innocent until/unless proven guilty.

 

[jayviabay]

Nets are building a team to be reckoned with next year, no doubt. Is it legal? Probably not.

But in this country a man is innocent until/unless proven guilty.

poor guy, you probably really believe this...huh?

 

[Hambombs]

They are probably paying him under the table. But I honestly don't care. It's not like this guy is a superstar or that great either

 

[Hambombs]

Nets are building a team to be reckoned with next year, no doubt. Is it legal? Probably not.

But in this country a man is innocent until/unless proven guilty.

Still no defensive stopper. And 3 of the 5 starters are under average defensively

 

[BOTSLAYER]

The spurs were a game six collapse away from winning it all and they are not in the luxury tax and i dont recall them being in the luxury tax during their 4 titles either.

3 of their titles were before the luxury tax was instituted.

also there salary last year was 83m, pretty sure that puts them in the luxury tax.

I am not going to bother looking at 2007, it is more annoying to google this than you would think.

 

[geneh_33]

poor guy, you probably really believe this...huh?

Well, without proof you are not going to stop Kirelinko from playing in Brooklyn, which was my point.

 

[jayviabay]

3 of their titles were before the luxury tax was instituted.

also there salary last year was 83m, pretty sure that puts them in the luxury tax.

I am not going to bother looking at 2007, it is more annoying to google this than you would think.

Im pretty sure they released players to get under the cap if im not mistaken? stephen jackson and someone else? when the list of teams came out who owe the luxury tax, the spurs were not mentioned

 

[jayviabay]

Well, without proof you are not going to stop Kirelinko from playing in Brooklyn, which was my point.

i know, i was just teasing gene!

 

[geneh_33]

i know, i was just teasing gene!

Sorry, I get carried away by some of the jerks on here. Some of these guys have no tact at all. We're cool.

 

[BOTSLAYER]

Im pretty sure they released players to get under the cap if im not mistaken? stephen jackson and someone else? when the list of teams came out who owe the luxury tax, the spurs were not mentioned

I do not know if they will need to pay it or know exactly how it works but their salary was $83m last year and the Heats was $88m according to this:

San Antonio Spurs Team Payroll | Basketball-Reference.com


I also found conflicting reports here from a source I have never used before:

ShamSports.com: San Antonio Spurs salary information

Lot's of conflicting reports.

Also on Wikipedia they do not say anything about the luxury tax before 2005-06 season so I assumed that is when they instituted it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_salary_cap


but then here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxury_tax_(sports)

here is would say that it started in 2002-03 where several teams paid luxury tax and the Spurs did not until 2006-07.


All that being said I will amend my prediction to: it will be the teams paying the players that are most likely to be winning the titles. A team like the Spurs would be a team to do it, but we have to see them rebuild with an aging Pop and with tougher restraints.

 

[jayviabay]

I do not know if they will need to pay it or know exactly how it works but their salary was $83m last year and the Heats was $88m according to this:

San Antonio Spurs Team Payroll | Basketball-Reference.com


I also found conflicting reports here from a source I have never used before:

ShamSports.com: San Antonio Spurs salary information

Lot's of conflicting reports.

Also on Wikipedia they do not say anything about the luxury tax before 2005-06 season so I assumed that is when they instituted it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_salary_cap


but then here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxury_tax_(sports)

here is would say that it started in 2002-03 where several teams paid luxury tax and the Spurs did not until 2006-07.


All that being said I will amend my prediction to: it will be the teams paying the players that are most likely to be winning the titles. A team like the Spurs would be a team to do it, but we have to see them rebuild with an aging Pop and with tougher restraints.

that first report is interesting as it has Horry, Van Exel, Coach J Vaughn, Stoudamire , still on the pay roll. I think the second report is more accurate?

I agree, on your amended prediction

 

[OregonDucks]

Owners shouldn't have even said anything. Kept it on the down low and start doing this shit themselves. Open up Caribbean bank accounts and give players access to them. Sign LeBron for 8 million and let him use the 25 million from your foreign bank accounts. Easy as that.