Economy blamed for quiet deadline day in NBA
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 21, 2009 00:00
PHOENIX - Shaquille O'Neal and all the other big names stayed put on NBA trade deadline day, with owners apparently scared of making moves in an uncertain economic climate.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were among the suitors that reportedly contacted the Phoenix Suns to inquire about O'Neal, but they couldn't close a deal for him or any other big man they sought to strengthen their title bid. Amare Stoudemire and Vince Carter headlined the stars on the rumor mill but went nowhere, with teams having to balance a player's impact on the court with his effect on the wallet.
"If anybody hasn't figured out that the economy is hitting every company in the country and in the world, they're not very bright," Dallas owner Mark Cuban said Wednesday. "Of course it's hitting everybody and everybody has to be considerate of it."
The Suns were believed to be one of the teams considering moves but after consecutive wins under replacement coach Alvin Gentry, owner Robert Sarver gave the go-ahead to keep the team together.
"We could have made moves to save money and, given the economy and our payroll, that would have been understandable," general manager Steve Kerr said, "but he stepped up and allowed us to move forward with what we have."
The only top contender to make an upgrade was Orlando, which landed Rafer Alston from Houston.
Most deals were based on money, a trend that figures to resume this summer.
"The economic situation is definitely a factor right now in the NBA. It's not just the NBA, it's the country. It's the world," Philadelphia 76ers president Ed Stefanski said. "We'll have to see how this all works out. It definitely had a factor in the trade deadline. We'll see what happens in the summer and free agency."
Days after NBA commissioner David Stern said that upcoming salary caps would decrease because of the financial crisis, the NBA sent a memo to its teams this week with specific warnings. The league said expectations for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 caps would be lower than this season's $58.68 million.
That could threaten teams who want to be players in the summer of 2010, when Cleveland's LeBron James is expected to lead a stellar free agent class. Before the markets collapsed, the salary cap for 2010-11 was expected to be about $63.1 million.
Now, the league predicted, it could drop to $56.5 million. That set up a trade market in which there were more sellers than buyers.
"If anybody hasn't figured out that the economy is hitting every company in the country and in the world, they're not very bright," Dallas owner Mark Cuban said Wednesday. "Of course it's hitting everybody and everybody has to be considerate of it."
The Suns were believed to be one of the teams considering moves but after consecutive wins under replacement coach Alvin Gentry, owner Robert Sarver gave the go-ahead to keep the team together.
"We could have made moves to save money and, given the economy and our payroll, that would have been understandable," general manager Steve Kerr said, "but he stepped up and allowed us to move forward with what we have."
The only top contender to make an upgrade was Orlando, which landed Rafer Alston from Houston.
Most deals were based on money, a trend that figures to resume this summer.
"The economic situation is definitely a factor right now in the NBA. It's not just the NBA, it's the country. It's the world," Philadelphia 76ers president Ed Stefanski said. "We'll have to see how this all works out. It definitely had a factor in the trade deadline. We'll see what happens in the summer and free agency."
Days after NBA commissioner David Stern said that upcoming salary caps would decrease because of the financial crisis, the NBA sent a memo to its teams this week with specific warnings. The league said expectations for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 caps would be lower than this season's $58.68 million.
That could threaten teams who want to be players in the summer of 2010, when Cleveland's LeBron James is expected to lead a stellar free agent class. Before the markets collapsed, the salary cap for 2010-11 was expected to be about $63.1 million.
Now, the league predicted, it could drop to $56.5 million. That set up a trade market in which there were more sellers than buyers.