Hoops

Bogut talking to Adelaide, Sydney and Perth

Bogut on Twitter today:

"Season launch announcements have nothing to do with me. Rumours that I have signed are false false false! Still at least a week away I think"

I heard the same on the grapevine today...

I say don't worry about him to be honest. We are not going to be able to afford him and if we did pay that kind of money out I really don't see the consortium regaining it which effectively could put them in a very bad position financially. If there was ever a concern that signing him would put us in financial uncertainty then don't do it! That is a ridiculous amount of money to be paying for insurance and something I don't see us recouping. Unless he was guaranteed for a whole season, why would a sponsor get on board? We are averaging around 4k people a game, you add Bogut and we will only get an extra 3500. Will that cover his wage???

Trevor, the insurance company gets the money. Its just like when people pay for health insurance on a monthly basis to ensure their costs are covered if you have to enter hospital.

If it is Ballinger ; - a months injury waiver is better than rushing back.
He's on $20,000 a month , roughly.
Injury insurance may help with that.
We could do Bogut here for a month
$200,000 insurance and $20,000 salary.
You'd get that back in that month.

The more biz you give an Insurance Co
the better the deal you get.
This would be in the States with a company
that's insured NBA players
via the players agents.
If there's NBA players now requiring covers
on a monthly basis, for about $200,000 a month.
Then it can be done.
Minimum amount to take it on = one (1) month.

Also, as a rough guide 1 NBL player point
equals $20,000 NBL salary.
Roughly as a guide.

Thanks LC. One concerning thing in that article though, is what Sengstock says near the end:

"We're not expecting him to get paid $13 million a year, but he will be a 10-point (maximum) player and, in accordance with that, there's a salary that we attribute to that sort of player."

The salary bit is what I'm worried about. It sounds like Sengstock is saying the NBL aren't going to accept a club 'only' paying say $100k in salary to Bogut, which is what I was envisaging with all this talk of Bogut not expecting much other than the payment of his insurance costs.

If the Sixers had to fork out a few hundred thousand on insurance and then another 200+ in salary, I think we can kiss any chance of Bogut coming to SA goodbye. That is just too much when you consider that the Sixers would also essentially have to place Balls on extended injury waivers or something to fit Bogut in under both caps!

I would like to see Bogut in Melbourne with the Tigers. He and Mills together would be great to see.

I only support one team in the ANBL.
But to be honest, I really couldn't care if anyone of the other teams went over the salary cap to sign a big time player.
At the end of the day its good for the league, and I would love watching some big names play.

Do you reckon the NBL should have upped the salary cap this year to $1.5m + ?

Then the league would have the potential to really target guys like Wes Matthews.

Would be fantastic to see both Mills and Bogut in the NBL...and possible a guy like Wes Matthews if he backs up his tweets!

I reckon if we drew up a list of pros and cons for why they should or should not play in ther NBL and what impact it may have if they take their "bat and ball" and go back to the NBA when the lockout is over, I would still probably be leaning more to the pro side of the argument.

Bogut in Sydney would be a great result. Would also do his chances of increasing sponsorship revenue no harm being based in that city compared to Adelaide for example ;)

The opposite side of the coin Paul is NBL guys actually competing and scoring on NBA guys and showing that the NBL isn't a joke and that these guys can actually play entertaining Basketball.

I can't see any reason why insurance would be counted within the salary cap. It is not a payment to a player or something for which the player derives any direct benefit. It is merely an overhead of running a basketball team.

I am looking forward to seeing top NBL guys going at NBA guys, couldn't care if it's only 3 games or 10

Several teams Marks has played for have said that you cannot measure what Sean brings to Practice and the Locker Room, he is the guy chest banging his team mates when they hit a big shot and patting them on the back enthusiastically every game even though he will be lucky to get anytime on the court.
I do agree with Macdub's comments that here is a Number1 draft pick bending over backwards to give something back (not the first time Bogut has put his hand up and helped either) to the country that helped him to realise his dream and Sean Marks (I will concede that their situations are much different) is standing back in the shadows from a fans perspective.

Without jumping to conclusions, Bogut is doing all the right moves. Good on him so far, it is a sacrifice that not many NBA players would be willing to make (Essentially playing for no salary).

As a NZer, it does make me wonder just how limited Sean Mark's loyalty to NZ/Breakers must be.
He has been relunctant to come back and play, even though he has been offered money, and whatsmore he is nowhere near the type of player Bogut is.

I hope this eventuates; would be absolutely awesome.