the rest, only noise

Chapter 1203 Super Luxury Tax

"...From the very beginning of the season, the outcome was set and we all knew the championship would be between New York, Miami and Portland."

What Louis said completely reached Stern's heart.

The wise president suddenly felt that if Louis could turn into an administrator of the league after retiring, he might be able to bring more changes to professional basketball.

But now, he is still the president and coach of the Lakers. This is his background. If Stern wants to get his support, he has to give him benefits.

Now that Louis knows what the problem is, there must be a solution.

Stern asked: "Coach Lu, you are so right. This has always been something we have tried to avoid. No one wants to see a professional league with no suspense from the first day of the season. But the status quo is that those teams are still in their heyday, and this situation will remain the same for the next few years..."

Stern wanted Louie to offer advice, but Louie had never been the master of the rabbit.

"Is there anything the league can do about it?"

Louie kicked the ball back, and he wasn't going to help the league until Stern made a substantial verbal commitment.

Stern could only share with Louis some of the ideas raised within the league: "We discussed the possibility of a short-term salary cap."

"Short-term salary cap?"

This word sounds mysterious, but isn't that a replica of the hard salary cap?

Stern explained: "The salary cap for next season is $3000 million, and we plan to set a temporary cap that requires that the total salary of any team not exceed 250% of the salary cap."

"Then Miami must have surpassed it?"

"Yes."

"That is to say, starting from next season, they won't be able to keep any players?"

"If it passes."

Louis thought for a while, what is the probability that this proposal will be accepted and passed by the players union?

A temporary salary cap, meaning it increases every season with the league's salary cap, theoretically leaves players unaffected, but puts a shackles on superteams.

Can unions understand this?

Still, 250 percent of the salary cap is high enough for a superteam to operate.

In general, it is still a temporary solution, not a permanent cure.

"250% salary cap is too much, if there is a limit, how about 200%?"

"You can try..." Stern looked at Louis, "However, during the annual meeting, we must first pass this proposal internally. Only when all parties reach a consensus can the implementation of various new policies be possible."

"That's right, I believe the teams will be sensible." Louis brought Stern back to the original place with one sentence, "As long as they support, I will support it."

Stern narrowed his eyes, this coach Lu is really not good at anything.

If he didn't take the lead in supporting him, why would he go to such lengths to ask him to meet in advance?

"Coach Lu, people don't speak secretly, this matter needs your support."

Louis smiled: "I really want to support you, Mr. President, but I don't see any benefit to us in passing this policy."

"The Lakers are rebuilding. Wouldn't it be good for them to weaken the super team?"

"Is there a possibility that in a few years, the Lakers will become a super team under my hands, so wouldn't I be shooting myself in the foot?"

Stern has nothing to do with Louis.

He knew Louis' weight.

What Louis has is not the decision-making power of the Lakers family. With his connections that have been rooted in the league for many years, as long as he raises his arms, he will have countless followers.

Those who tried to oppose him have almost turned into the dust of history.

To get his support and help, it is not enough to just expect the other party to love the league. If no real benefits are given, Louis will always stand aside and watch the league and the teams get entangled.

Thinking of the condition Louis offered Garcia Lynn—the No. [-] lottery next year—Stern felt very uncomfortable.

He personally hates the alliance's decision to control the ownership of lottery picks, but, hate it, hate it, the league does have such an ability.

Is there any difference between signing next year's No. [-] pick to the Lakers and creating a super team in situ?

Perhaps the difference is that the Lakers need to wait a few more years to reach the top?
At that time, who can stop a team with Wilson, Garnett, and Duncan?
Stern struggled only for a moment.

Compared with the league's long-term plan, the ownership of the 1997 No. [-] pick is only a small part.

Moreover, as long as Louis can help limit the super team, how many years can the Lakers maintain this lineup?It is destined to be short-lived, and it is impossible to dominate the league for a long time like the Knicks.

Stern said softly: "Coach Lu, I won't get your support for nothing, and I won't let you help for nothing. Besides, I know that expensive things are always hard to get, but every item has its price, so I decided to do what you want."

As soon as Stern finished speaking, the loud noise that exploded in Louis' heart was indescribable.

The opponent's statement means that the Lakers got the No. 1997 pick in [-].

This means that Louis already has the conditions to assemble the NBA version of the Miracle Generation. He only needs to wait until next year for Duncan to return to his position. At that time, the Lakers will have an extremely luxurious historical lineup centered on Wilson, Garnett, Duncan, Kobe, and Nash.

While not everyone can reach their personal peak before 2000, Louie has the confidence to make this team the first perfect offense ever to find "Zihuatanejo" before then.

Louis asked seriously: "Can I trust you, David?"

"I'm a devout New Yorker and I can't afford to cheat the Messiah," Stern quipped.

Louie felt that he could trust Stern.

While their relationship isn't that great, they know each other as trustworthy.

Because of this, Stern simply agreed to Louis' request, because he knew that Louis could help.

And Louis also knows that the No. 1997 pick in [-] may be an important draft pick that can rewrite team history for some teams, but if the problem is expanded to the scale of this league, Tim Duncan's ownership is not important.

"Now that my requirements have been met, I have no reason to be indifferent to the phenomenon that super teams are increasingly ravaging the league." Louis said that he is a loyal minister of the league. "Actually, setting a salary cap can only restrain the expansion of super teams to a certain extent, but cannot fundamentally destroy them. To really limit them, what we need to do is not to limit them, but to increase the cost of operating super teams."

Stern listened carefully: "Coach Lu, I know you must have a way."

"Yes, I thought of a way."

With a smile on his face, Louis introduced the concept of luxury tax to Stern with high spirits, as well as the super luxury tax that is specially used to torture "the man has a lot of money, and he is not afraid of spending it".

It only took a short time for David Stern's face to change from shock, to excitement, and then to excitement.

This is really a forward-looking, terrific policy.

For local tycoons like the New York Knicks, the super luxury tax may not be such a terrible thing, because they are the most profitable team in the league and have seven consecutive championships. The high-level willingness to invest money is very strong, but other teams are different.

Like the Portland Trail Blazers, their boss Paul Allen is equally wealthy, but he hasn't collected any grains for many years and hasn't won anything. Faced with the terrible super luxury tax, do they have the determination to play to the end?
In the same way, the Heat are in a similar situation. They won the championship, but the team did not make much money. Maintaining the status quo can strengthen the brand image, but if the cost and price paid are going to multiply, then their bosses must definitely think about it seriously.

The same goes for the Lakers.

Don’t look at Old Bath’s high spirits in the 80s, but with the influx of capital, the Bath family, which started out with real estate, can only be regarded as second-class rich in the league. Facing the super luxury tax that may break through the sky, they will also feel that they have more than enough energy.

This is the scary thing about the super luxury tax.

Except for the Knicks, almost no team can withstand it.

However, being able to withstand it, whether you are willing to pay the price is two different things.

(End of this chapter)