Larry Sanders doesn't want to play basketball anymore

[Nash]

Gery Woelfel ‏@GeryWoelfel

Sources tell me that Bucks center Larry Sanders recently told some Bucks officials that he doesn't want to play basketball anymore.

:biggums: :biggums:

[lilteapot]

He's finally part of a competent basketball team and now he wants to stop playing

[NustABut]

Shame.

Got the big money and is quitting. What a loser

[Myth]

He can become buddies with Andrew Bynum now.

[Velocirap31]

I don't understand this. What would be better than being a professional athlete?

[Done_And_Done]

At first blush, It does seem strange given that he's making a very handsome living, doing something the average person can only dream to do. But life is all about doing what makes YOU happy. If being a basketball player has the opposite affect, then he should just take his ball and go.

[Meticode]

I don't understand this. What would be better than being a professional athlete?
People's assumptions it's just a great life for everyone when it isn't.

[Meticode]

At first blush, It does seem strange given that he's making a very handsome living, doing something the average person can only dream to do. But life is all about doing what makes YOU happy. If being a basketball player has the opposite affect, then he should just take his ball and go.
Done and done. Great point.

[TheMarkMadsen]

I don't understand this. What would be better than being a professional athlete?

Being jobless and sitting on the porch collecting unemployment from the NBA.

[Nash]

surely he's not getting paidthe full 44m contract he signed if he decides he wants to stop playing?

[TheMarkMadsen]

At first blush, It does seem strange given that he's making a very handsome living, doing something the average person can only dream to do. But life is all about doing what makes YOU happy. If being a basketball player has the opposite affect, then he should just take his ball and go.

What kind of hippie shit is this? This is the real world, he's being paid 40 million dollars to do a fcking job.

And guess what? His money is guranteeed, he can quit and still get paid. How fair is that..

If the contract wasnt guranteed then fine, leave and go do what you want. But don't take advantage of this luxury called a guranteed contract you're given that most athletes/people will never see.

He can't play out the next few years and retire with his 50 mil at 28? Plenty of time to do what he wants after that. Hopefully the bucks dont have to keep paying him.

[chocolatethunder]

I don't understand this. What would be better than being a professional athlete?
Lots of things. It depends on what you want out of life. People think that my job is cool and I personally think that it sucks. I'd rather do anything other than this but the money is good. I'm not happy and I'm tired of it. I've been doing it for 22 years and I'm just over it. Lots of people who know me can't believe I would say that. But I don't love my job and would gladly take on a new challenge if I thought that I could make a decent living off of it. I do tattoos btw. I'm a professional musician also but that work is just here and there anymore (mores because I don't pursue it). While I love music and love being a musician, I'm in my 40s now and don't really want to tour anymore as a means to make money. I would take more than $250K to get me to go on the road for a year. It's just not where my head's at anymore.

[MP.Trey]

:oldlol:

[chocolatethunder]

What kind of hippie shit is this? This is the real world, he's being paid 40 million dollars to do a fcking job.

And guess what? His money is guranteeed, he can quit and still get paid. How fair is that..

If the contract wasnt guranteed then fine, leave and go do what you want. But don't take advantage of this luxury called a guranteed contract you're given that most athletes/people will never see.

He can't play out the next few years and retire with his 50 mil at 28? Plenty of time to do what he wants after that. Hopefully the bucks dont have to keep paying him.
That translates to $25mil after taxes and agents etc.

[duskovujosevic]

take the money and piss on whole bucks organization.

[Kblaze8855]

surely he's not getting paidthe full 44m contract he signed if he decides he wants to stop playing?

Yes. He does. Once its filed with the league he gets it. He could have quit the next morning....its still going to him.

[HurricaneKid]

Gary Woelfel is a joke. There is no source on this. He has come out and said no one told him this but that there have been "whispers". He has put out hit pieces on Sanders on numerous occasions and the folks on the Bucks board are mercilous on his "stories". He is a horrid reporter than doesn't appear to have any sources inside the new Bucks FO and has repeatedly embarrassed himself.

No one knows what is going on with Larry. The team has maintained absolute secrecy whatever is going on. And it does appear to be significant. I am not even saying this report is inaccurate. What I'm saying is that the next time Woeful breaks a story will be the first time he breaks a story.

He has missed the last 6 games. He hasn't played since a 50 minute player's only meeting that appears to have gone awry.

[HurricaneKid]

Yes. He does. Once its filed with the league he gets it. He could have quit the next morning....its still going to him.

If he retires he doesn't get another penny. He isn't retiring. Sooooo...

[Droid101]

That translates to $25mil after taxes and agents etc.
I'd retire instantly if I got 25 million after taxes.

[chips93]

What kind of hippie shit is this? This is the real world, he's being paid 40 million dollars to do a fcking job.

And guess what? His money is guranteeed, he can quit and still get paid. How fair is that..

If the contract wasnt guranteed then fine, leave and go do what you want. But don't take advantage of this luxury called a guranteed contract you're given that most athletes/people will never see.

He can't play out the next few years and retire with his 50 mil at 28? Plenty of time to do what he wants after that. Hopefully the bucks dont have to keep paying him.

what are you talking about?

you dont keep getting paid if you retire

[chocolatethunder]

Yes. He does. Once its filed with the league he gets it. He could have quit the next morning....its still going to him.
Are you sure about that? Because when stories about Nash and Garnett possibly retiring were circulating, I thought that they would each have to forego the final year/years on their respective contracts. I always thought that injury=get paid, if you wanna quit/retire before your contract is up, you're not getting paid. Pretty sure that's how it goes. You can't sign a deal and decide to never play again because you don't like it anymore and still get paid.

[chocolatethunder]

I'd retire instantly if I got 25 million after taxes.
You have to play to get the money. You don't sign a contract and a) get the money up front b) get the money if you quit. Not how it works.

[Velocirap31]

Well, if he decides he's done playing basketball and still wants the money (obviously), then he should just break his leg or something. I'd break my leg right now for 25 million. Hell, both and legs and arms.

[Fudge]

At first blush, It does seem strange given that he's making a very handsome living, doing something the average person can only dream to do. But life is all about doing what makes YOU happy. If being a basketball player has the opposite affect, then he should just take his ball and go.
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--4Hm4qhOj--/18heur1z2xqvogif.gif

Larry approves your post.

[Droid101]

You have to play to get the money. You don't sign a contract and a) get the money up front b) get the money if you quit. Not how it works.
Man, I meant in real life where I am not a pro athlete.

In the basketball world, he can take the guaranteed contract and give a half assed effort to get benched, then spend 4 years on the bench collecting money for nothing.

[Rake2204]

I don't understand this. What would be better than being a professional athlete?Tough to say, but I do think the lifestyle is often glorified a little bit (i.e. play a little ball, make millions and be comfortable). Clearly, to 99.4% of players who make it to the League, the lifestyle is more than fine enough - at least to convince them to hang on as long as possible and rake in the heavy dough.

However, I'd imagine the NBA is very physically demanding hard work, followed by seemingly endless business travel and constant derision while being in the spotlight.

Not to mention, for the larger sized players in particular, it doesn't always blow my mind when it's revealed they're not passionate about playing basketball. When you're one of the biggest humans in the entire world - and you've developed some impressive athleticism - that already puts you on the fast track for a possible professional basketball career. I imagine some have even been backed into it, begrudgingly developing themselves as a ballplayer because they've been told they have a chance.

Still, again, for the vast majority - even the non-passionate - the perks of NBA life have eclipsed the downfalls. But that doesn't mean it's an open and shut case for everyone.

[chocolatethunder]

Man, I meant in real life where I am not a pro athlete.

In the basketball world, he can take the guaranteed contract and give a half assed effort to get benched, then spend 4 years on the bench collecting money for nothing.
Can't argue with that:cheers:

[Milbuck]

This makes no sense to me. I know he's been a complete retard in the past but nothing so far this year suggested this would happen. Dude was buying the team expensive gifts, taking the young players and rooks out to dinner, taking on an individual mentorship role with Giannis...went to the Summer League games to work out with and support the players who wouldn't even crack the roster and gave them advice, sticks up for all our guys when he's on court like a big brother...just makes no sense to me. And the worst part is we don't even suck, we finally have something promising going on..quality young coach who is making serious progress in changing the culture around the team, smart new owners, great young talent, and a roster full of guys who seem to genuinely like each other and want to work hard..just...what the ****?
Gary Woelfel is a joke. There is no source on this. He has come out and said no one told him this but that there have been "whispers". He has put out hit pieces on Sanders on numerous occasions and the folks on the Bucks board are mercilous on his "stories". He is a horrid reporter than doesn't appear to have any sources inside the new Bucks FO and has repeatedly embarrassed himself.

No one knows what is going on with Larry. The team has maintained absolute secrecy whatever is going on. And it does appear to be significant. I am not even saying this report is inaccurate. What I'm saying is that the next time Woeful breaks a story will be the first time he breaks a story.

He has missed the last 6 games. He hasn't played since a 50 minute player's only meeting that appears to have gone awry.
This is very true. Gery is the absolute worst person to trust with this stuff, the amount of times he's been wrong is staggering. I would take anything and everything he says with something as uncertain and as secretive as this with a grain of salt. That's not to say there's no way he's right this time around, but I'd wait for better sources...

[Brokenbeat]

Lots of things. It depends on what you want out of life. People think that my job is cool and I personally think that it sucks. I'd rather do anything other than this but the money is good. I'm not happy and I'm tired of it. I've been doing it for 22 years and I'm just over it. Lots of people who know me can't believe I would say that. But I don't love my job and would gladly take on a new challenge if I thought that I could make a decent living off of it. I do tattoos btw. I'm a professional musician also but that work is just here and there anymore (mores because I don't pursue it). While I love music and love being a musician, I'm in my 40s now and don't really want to tour anymore as a means to make money. I would take more than $250K to get me to go on the road for a year. It's just not where my head's at anymore.

In a similar situation here, lol. Nothing glamorous about living out of a suitcase and dealing with airports on the regular. :banghead:

[ukballer]

Tough to say, but I do think the lifestyle is often glorified a little bit (i.e. play a little ball, make millions and be comfortable). Clearly, to 99.4% of players who make it to the League, the lifestyle is more than fine enough - at least to convince them to hang on as long as possible and rake in the heavy dough.

However, I'd imagine the NBA is very physically demanding hard work, followed by seemingly endless business travel and constant derision while being in the spotlight.

Not to mention, for the larger sized players in particular, it doesn't always blow my mind when it's revealed they're not passionate about playing basketball. When you're one of the biggest humans in the entire world - and you've developed some impressive athleticism - that already puts you on the fast track for a possible professional basketball career. I imagine some have even been backed into it, begrudgingly developing themselves as a ballplayer because they've been told they have a chance.

Still, again, for the vast majority - even the non-passionate - the perks of NBA life have eclipsed the downfalls. But that doesn't mean it's an open and shut case for everyone.

Good post. Same applies to a Football/Soccer player called Benoit Assou-Ekotto has been very frank about the fact he plays purely for the money, and doesn't have a passion for the game, he just happened to be pretty good at it when he tried it.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2010/may/01/benoit-assou-ekotto-tottenham-hotspur

[QuebecBaller]

http://t.qkme.me/3q3qsh.jpg

[Milbuck]

Gary Woelfel is a joke. There is no source on this. He has come out and said no one told him this but that there have been "whispers". He has put out hit pieces on Sanders on numerous occasions and the folks on the Bucks board are mercilous on his "stories". He is a horrid reporter than doesn't appear to have any sources inside the new Bucks FO and has repeatedly embarrassed himself.

No one knows what is going on with Larry. The team has maintained absolute secrecy whatever is going on. And it does appear to be significant. I am not even saying this report is inaccurate. What I'm saying is that the next time Woeful breaks a story will be the first time he breaks a story.

He has missed the last 6 games. He hasn't played since a 50 minute player's only meeting that appears to have gone awry.

This is very true. Gery is the absolute worst person to trust with this stuff, the amount of times he's been wrong is staggering. I would take anything and everything he says with something as uncertain and as secretive as this with a grain of salt. That's not to say there's no way he's right this time around, but I'd wait for better sources...To add to this...

Steve Kyler ✔ @stevekylerNBA
Follow
Not trying to dispute anyone's reporting, but the idea that Larry Sanders told anyone he didn't want to play any more was news to Larry.
3:55 PM - 5 Jan 2015
Steve Kyler ✔ @stevekylerNBA
Follow
Larry was out with the flu, has been dealing with some personal issues and is planning to re-join the team in the next couple of days.
3:55 PM - 5 Jan 2015Gery has a history of hating Larry. He's just a shit reporter that needs to retire this second.

[HurricaneKid]

Tough to say, but I do think the lifestyle is often glorified a little bit (i.e. play a little ball, make millions and be comfortable). Clearly, to 99.4% of players who make it to the League, the lifestyle is more than fine enough - at least to convince them to hang on as long as possible and rake in the heavy dough.

However, I'd imagine the NBA is very physically demanding hard work, followed by seemingly endless business travel and constant derision while being in the spotlight.

Not to mention, for the larger sized players in particular, it doesn't always blow my mind when it's revealed they're not passionate about playing basketball. When you're one of the biggest humans in the entire world - and you've developed some impressive athleticism - that already puts you on the fast track for a possible professional basketball career. I imagine some have even been backed into it, begrudgingly developing themselves as a ballplayer because they've been told they have a chance.

Still, again, for the vast majority - even the non-passionate - the perks of NBA life have eclipsed the downfalls. But that doesn't mean it's an open and shut case for everyone.

Its not just that. Once you sign a major contract (4/44mm) you inherently lose some motivation to play. For motor guys its not uncommon to lose a little steam. And for guys like Larry/Manimal thats what makes them really good players.

How many people here would show up for work tomorrow if you hit the Powerball for $44 Million? Why do you find it so strange for someone to lose passion for their profession when they do?

[Kblaze8855]

Are you sure about that? Because when stories about Nash and Garnett possibly retiring were circulating, I thought that they would each have to forego the final year/years on their respective contracts. I always thought that injury=get paid, if you wanna quit/retire before your contract is up, you're not getting paid. Pretty sure that's how it goes. You can't sign a deal and decide to never play again because you don't like it anymore and still get paid.

Having looked into it there seem to be a number of variables. Especially when it comes to injury. Some retirements...guy still gets paid but doesnt count against the cap. Some injury related ones insurance covers the salary and he doesnt count against the cap. Sometimes they get paid...and hurt your cap.

It gets really tricky when its a guy who retires because hes "injured" who could still play...but not at a level he wishes. So its not an injury...but they file it that way. And then you have Bynum situations....

There are various ways to file the paperwork to still get paid...and many contracts are setup to have the guy paid long after we assume.

It seems Kevin Garnett has a deal paying him 35 million...in the 7 years AFTER he retires. But it doesnt count against the cap. It counted against the cap while he played...but the pay was defferred.

I see now that it isnt as simple as...dont pay...still get paid. But there are a LOT of guys who...dont pay...but get paid. And they arent even injured.

Josh Smith got cut. If he didnt want to play for a few years and keep that money...he could. Hes choosing to earn it...but he doesnt have to.

So I guess it would come down to how he and the Bucks worked it out.

I remember years ago reading of a "medical" retirement that was pretty much...stress. It was the team using the rules to get insurance to pay the guy and get him off the cap.

Then you have Darius Miles..who was listed by the Blazers as an injury related retirement...so insurance covered his huge deal...except he said he wasnt injured. He came back for the Celtics and the Blazers went ballistic because if he played 10 games...they were then on the hook for his deal and the salary cap hit.

They tried to blackball him out of the league...but he played the 10 games...stayed on their cap and they had to pay him.

Long story short....it comes down to how they choose to play it.

[gts]

What kind of hippie shit is this? This is the real world, he's being paid 40 million dollars to do a fcking job.

And guess what? His money is guranteeed, he can quit and still get paid. How fair is that..

If the contract wasnt guranteed then fine, leave and go do what you want. But don't take advantage of this luxury called a guranteed contract you're given that most athletes/people will never see.

He can't play out the next few years and retire with his 50 mil at 28? Plenty of time to do what he wants after that. Hopefully the bucks dont have to keep paying him.

no he wouldn't because he wouldn't be performing his end of the contract... it's only guaranteed if he gets benched, traded waived or has a injury but if he retires and is healthy enough to play the checks stop coming in

[chocolatethunder]

Having looked into it there seem to be a number of variables. Especially when it comes to injury. Some retirements...guy still gets paid but doesnt count against the cap. Some injury related ones insurance covers the salary and he doesnt count against the cap. Sometimes they get paid...and hurt your cap.

It gets really tricky when its a guy who retires because hes "injured" who could still play...but not at a level he wishes. So its not an injury...but they file it that way. And then you have Bynum situations....

There are various ways to file the paperwork to still get paid...and many contracts are setup to have the guy paid long after we assume.

It seems Kevin Garnett has a deal paying him 35 million...in the 7 years AFTER he retires. But it doesnt count against the cap. It counted against the cap while he played...but the pay was defferred.

I see now that it isnt as simple as...dont pay...still get paid. But there are a LOT of guys who...dont pay...but get paid. And they arent even injured.

Josh Smith got cut. If he didnt want to play for a few years and keep that money...he could. Hes choosing to earn it...but he doesnt have to.

So I guess it would come down to how he and the Bucks worked it out.

I remember years ago reading of a "medical" retirement that was pretty much...stress. It was the team using the rules to get insurance to pay the guy and get him fof the cap.

Then you have Darius Miles..who was listed by the Blazers as an injury related retirement...so insurance covered his huge deal...except he said he wasnt injured. He came back for the Celtics and the Blazers went ballistic because if he played 10 games...they were then on the hook for his deal and the salary cap hit.

They tried to blackball him out of the league...but he played the 10 games...stayed on their cap and they had to pay him.

Long story short....it comes down to how they choose to play it.


It doesn't really come down to how they choose to play it. That's just it. If someone wants to outright quit for a non medical reason, they aren't getting paid. If someone said that they didn't want to play basketball anymore, they're not going to get paid. Theres not really any ambiguity in that. All of what you're mentioning above is different that what has been "reported" about Sanders.

[Rake2204]

Its not just that. Once you sign a major contract (4/44mm) you inherently lose some motivation to play. For motor guys its not uncommon to lose a little steam. And for guys like Larry/Manimal thats what makes them really good players.

How many people here would show up for work tomorrow if you hit the Powerball for $44 Million? Why do you find it so strange for someone to lose passion for their profession when they do?True stuff. I've maintained that train of thought for a while as well. I've figured that if we all knew a shot at becoming a sure multi-millionaire just took a few years of real-deal grinding on the basketball court - we might chase that with vigor, particularly if we were from a low socio-economic background.

But after those tens of millions of dollars have been placed in my hand, even if I wanted to continue pushing, I'd have to wonder if all that hunger would still be there.

[Kblaze8855]

The rules on retiring healthy are interesting...and a bit complicated.

Glance at this:



According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Kidd agreed to forgo his remaining salary and as a result, the Knicks can wipe the $3.09 million due to him for each of the next two seasons off of their books.

That was not a forgone conclusion, though, as many media accounts have incorrectly intimated that a retiring player’s salary automatically comes off of his team’s books. That is simply not true.

Herein lies a thorough explanation of how a retiring player’s salary is treated, and more importantly, how Kidd’s retiring and forgoing of his salary affects the Knicks salary cap situation.

The most immediate answer is “not very much.”

But as always, the Devil is in the details.


Quid Pro Quo

The relationship between an NBA player and his team is quid pro quo. The player agrees to render himself and his body for the benefit of the team. The team is allowed to exploit the player’s talents, require him to make himself physically available for certain activities, and perform when requested to.

So, although the player’s salary is fully guaranteed, it’s not as though a retiring player can simply sign a three-year deal with a team, play one year and then say “Ah, I don’t want to play anymore, but I still want my money.”

Unless a player suffers a career ending injury, in a way, he needs the blessing of his team in order to enjoy a peaceful retirement that results in him getting paid. Why? Because if his team objects to his retirement, it can make a complaint with the league and do all in its power to force the player to continue to perform under the terms of the contract.

Again, the relationship is a quid pro quo one, so when a player decides he wants to retire, he and his team need to come to an agreement as to how the remaining years and money due to him will be settled. Typically, a retiring player agrees to take less money than he is guaranteed, and in exchange, he gets his freedom, so long as the team agrees to not contest his retirement. His team would not contest his retirement only if they are satisfied that the player is making a suitable financial concession to them.

Technically, when a player retires from the NBA, he and his team negotiate a buyout and the player is then waived.

Kidd’s Remaining Guarantee

As it relates specifically to Kidd, he had two fully guaranteed years remaining on his deal with the Knicks and simply retiring does not give the Knicks any relief from the salary owed to him.

The two parties (Kidd and the Knicks) needed to come to an agreement. In this case, it was easy because Kidd decided to forgo the money.

As a result, the Knicks can wipe Kidd’s $3.09 million off of their cap figure for the next two years.

But in case the Knicks eventually find themselves in a similar predicament with another player in the future, let’s explain how this usually works since, again, a player agreeing to forgo his remaining salary is not the norm.

Under normal circumstances, a retiring player who has years and salary left would negotiate a buyout with his team and then the retiring player would be formally waived.


And a glance through the CBA....

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm




Are contracts always guaranteed?

There are only a few specific types of contracts that must be guaranteed. All other guarantees are a matter of individual negotiation between the player and team. In practice, the majority of NBA contracts (especially for established veterans) are fully guaranteed. Non-guaranteed salary is most often used for fringe players (either at the beginning or end of their careers) or for the later years of long-term contracts (often in conjunction with benchmarks that allow the salary to become fully guaranteed over time).

Only a player's base salary can be guaranteed -- not bonuses or incentives. The percentage of base salary that is guaranteed cannot increase from one year to the next (e.g., if 50% of a player's salary is guaranteed one season, then no more than 50% can be guaranteed in any subsequent season of the contract).

There are actually several types of guarantees:

Lack of skill: A "catch-all" that means the player cannot play well enough to justify remaining on the team.

Death: The player dies while under contract.

Basketball-related injury: The player cannot render his playing services as a direct result of an injury sustained while playing or practicing for the team.

Injury/illness: The player cannot render his playing services as a direct result of any illness or injury, whether or not it was basketball related.

Mental disability: The player cannot render his playing services as a direct result of a mental disability.

Each type of guarantee is independently negotiated, so, for example, a contract might be fully guaranteed for injury or illness, but not for mental disability. Players do not qualify if their condition was caused by participation in a prohibited activity (for example, skydiving), suicide, alcohol or substance abuse.

Some salaries are only partially guaranteed, and/or the guaranteed amount can change based on certain conditions. For example, the salary in the final season of a player's contract might be unprotected for lack of skill, with the protection changing to full if the team has not requested waivers on the player (see question number 65) prior to the team's first regular season game of that season1. The protection can even be tied to performance benchmarks -- for example a player's guaranteed amount might increase if he played 1,600 minutes the previous season. However, in practice these types of performance-based guarantees are rare.

The required guarantees are as follows:
For sign-and-trade contracts (see question number 91), the first season must be protected for lack of skill.

For rookie "scale" contracts (see question number 49), all seasons must be protected for lack of skill and injury/illness for at least 80% of the rookie scale amount.

Qualifying offers to restricted free agents (see question number 91) must be protected for lack of skill and injury/illness.

If an offer sheet to a restricted free agent is subject to the Gilbert Arenas provision (see question number 45), all seasons must be protected for lack of skill and injury/illness.

In addition, on January 102 the base salary in all contracts becomes guaranteed for the remainder of that season (except for one case -- see question 67). A player must clear waivers before this date, so teams have to waive players by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on January 7th in order to have them off their rosters before January 10.

Also, if a player is waived prior to January 10 but is injured as a direct result of playing basketball with his team, then his salary is guaranteed until he is ready to play again or until the end of that season, whichever comes first. However, this does not apply to players whose contracts utilize Exhibit 9 of the Uniform Player Contract (see question number 70).

Due to the rules for the allocation of signing bonuses and the limits on raises, certain combinations of signing bonuses and non-guaranteed salary are incompatible. See question number 55 for more information. 1 A non-guaranteed season can be similar in function to a team option. Teams often prefer the additional flexibility provided by non-guaranteed salary -- the guarantee can change on a date of their choosing, they can guarantee partial amounts, and they can attach different conditions to the protection.


I believe the mental disability one is how the team I remember got away with listing a guy who just flat out didnt want to play....as a stress related medical retirement.



Anyone know just how guaranteed Sanders deal is?

Those details are rarely in the reports.

[BasedTom]

ricky williams plays for the bucks?

[Milbuck]

I totally get that line of thinking, that getting a huge contract like that has to rob you of some motivation. But there's a difference between losing motivation and not playing with full effort night in night out....and not wanting to play the game, period.

I also think there's a significant difference between a normal person winning the lottery, and an incredibly physically gifted basketball player in the NBA getting a big contract. They're not comparable situations at all imo. One lucked into the money and has no reason to continue to work for unneeded money...the other received the money working in a profession many would kill to be in, and owes it to the franchise who gave him the money to, at the very least, put in some level of effort to live up to the money.

The only way a lack of motivation this severe - if what that idiot Gery "reported" is true - should be acceptable, is if there are serious mental issues accompanying it, in that Larry mentally cannot handle the lifestyle of the NBA, both on and off the court. That would make sense, and considering Larry's history, actually doesn't seem all that unlikely. Otherwise...get on the court, play out your contract, and shut up. General disinterest and desire to do something else is all bullshit when you're getting paid the way you are.

[Kblaze8855]

I dont know if I believe players owe teams anything more than effort when they are able. If you want to quit...long as you do a reasonable buyout and walk away...**** it.

Id have more respect for someone leaving 30 million on the table because they dont feel they can give the proper effort than someone hanging around half assed and taking all the money for half the effort.

I wouldnt feel I owed a team anything. They arent giving it to me for nothing. They want something from me...we work out a deal for it. It isnt charity.

It kinda becomes charity...if id stick around playing half assed ball.

[HylianNightmare]

What a Jack ass. Bynum 2.0

[aboss4real24]

Feel bad 4 buck fans

[StephHamann]

Playing for the Bucks is making people depressed, i feel you Larry.

[Cocaine80s]

He just needs a change in environment. Come play for the King

[Burgz V2]

I don't understand this. What would be better than being a professional athlete?

what if he never wanted to be an athlete to begin with? What if he only went into it because he would be successful doing it? In truth, that doesn't always mean you'll be happy.

Bold choice if he actually pursues this and it turns out to be true. Might be extremely introverted by nature and hates how public his life has gotten amidst all the drama that has happened to him over the last couple of years.

[Milbuck]

I dont know if I believe players owe teams anything more than effort when they are able. If you want to quit...long as you do a reasonable buyout and walk away...**** it.

Id have more respect for someone leaving 30 million on the table because they dont feel they can give the proper effort than someone hanging around half assed and taking all the money for half the effort.

I wouldnt feel I owed a team anything. They arent giving it to me for nothing. They want something from me...we work out a deal for it. It isnt charity.

It kinda becomes charity...if id stick around playing half assed ball.
Well yeah I would agree, they at least owe effort. In which case Sanders is still a highly valuable player to our team. Maybe not as the sick defensive player he was a couple seasons ago but even a 75% effort Sanders at the very least could be a solid 20 mpg big off the bench and not be a complete disaster of a contract.

Just the idea of Sanders not wanting to be an adult and doing his $44mil job is frustrating as hell, again unless he's dealing with genuine personal/mental issues, as it's being reported he might be. I guess a buyout doesn't sound so bad, although I'm not entirely sure how it works, iirc if the buyout happens and he clears waivers his contract is reduced or eliminated entirely from the Bucks salary?
Playing for the Bucks is making people depressed, i feel you Larry.
Stop. This is clearly a problem bigger than the Bucks, more to do with Sanders having legitimate issues. He's not gonna go to Miami and magically become KG with his passion, work ethic, whatever. And it's not like the rest of our team is remotely close to this..maybe it was in the past but right now our players like each other, work hard every day, are genuinely trying to build a winning culture..and we're making progress.

[senelcoolidge]

I don't know Sanders. I don't know if he's depressed or just a different sort of cat. Hey, let him do whatever he wants as long as it's not illegal. It's his life. I hope he's happy.

[Real14]

Damn the knicks could of used him:(

[gigantes]

maybe sanders wants a coach who lets him play me-first basketball, maybe jason kidd is not that coach, and maybe he has no real options other than to shape up, ride the pine, or retire.

[boozehound]

That translates to $25mil after taxes and agents etc.
right, which is the equivalent of a 50k job (and no taxes) for 500 years............

[#number6ix#]

Pulling a Ricky Williams... Lay off the pot Larry and get your dumb ass back on the court

[chocolatethunder]

right, which is the equivalent of a 50k job (and no taxes) for 500 years............
:cheers:

[T_L_P]

For the first time in his life, Gary Neal was right. :eek:

[Akrazotile]

Man, I meant in real life where I am not a pro athlete.

In the basketball world, he can take the guaranteed contract and give a half assed effort to get benched, then spend 4 years on the bench collecting money for nothing.


If he does this in an obvious fashion, ahead of the next collective bargaining agreement, players union gonna put a hit out on this dude :oldlol:

[Milbuck]

For the first time in his life, Gary Neal was right. :eek:
Not really, Neal was a high maintenance untalented chucking prick when he was here, without the strong culture and leadership around him that the Spurs had, or the system to make him look good. I'm glad the Spurs won without him. Sanders has had his share of retard moments but he's been fine this season aside from these reports. Bought the team expensive gifts, took the young guys out to dinner, watched their SL games and worked out with them/gave them advice, is personally mentoring Giannis, backs up everyone on the court..he's a good dude. He's not a cancer, he's just troubled.

[oarabbus]

Not trying to dispute anyone's reporting, but the idea that Larry Sanders told anyone he didn't want to play any more was news to Larry.

https://twitter.com/stevekylerNBA/status/552221782447763456?s=09

:roll: :roll: :roll: Gery Woefel is a hack

[KNOW1EDGE]

I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to be an average NBA player either.

Just give the Bucs back their money and start working on your rap album breh!

[masonanddixon]

I remember him saying he was into Eastern shit and neo-Buddhism and he was working on a (shitty) novel. Oh well. Just because he's big and 7 feet tall doesn't mean he needs to play basketball.