The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Ben Cohen writes in the "curious economy" of today's NBA, the result of the last three summers of team spending is that the "sheer monetary values of players are connected less than ever before to their ability." The annual salary of any NBA player is "more likely to be a reflection of something far more arbitrary." It helps to look back to '16, when free agency "turned into a spending bonanza with lasting effects that are still being felt today." But the market "cooled last year and remained chilly this year." The total spend in free agency dropped to about $2.4B last year and roughly $1.7B this year. The majority of this year's free agents "agreed to deals earlier than usual to grab whatever money was available before it disappeared" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/1).
APPLES & ORANGES: SPORTSNET.ca's Mike Johnston noted NBAers "tend to be more outspoken" than NHLers. Predators D P.K. Subban "thinks it has more to do with money than anything else." Subban said, "You look at the NBA and the reality is the top players make more money off the court than they do on the court, so they can be more frank, they can be more straightforward in terms of the decisions they make and what decisions they make off the court. Especially in basketball, the players have more of an influence because they make more money." Subban added, "You look at what players are making in the NBA, look at what the hockey players are making and there's a big, big difference in money and I think that's a huge influence on what players are comfortable doing and what they're not comfortable doing" (SPORTSNET.ca, 7/31).
BETTER THAN EVER: In Houston, Jenny Dial Creech wrote the WNBA is "better than it's ever been." From "record-setting performances to emerging stars to veterans being strong role models, the league is in the spotlight this summer." It is "easy to point to the stats, the ratings and the sales" to show that the WNBA is "better this year." But it is "more than that." The women in the league are also "speaking up on social issues, fighting for better wages and setting examples across the board on how to have it all." The WNBA has "featured quality basketball for years," but this summer, the league "seems to have elevated" (HOUSTONCHRONICLE.com, 7/30).
WHAT OFFSEASON? USA TODAY's Dan Wolken wrote The Basketball Tournament "might have started down the path toward becoming the preeminent hoops event of the summer." The event has "undeniably grown," with games aired on ESPN and a $2M purse for the winning team that "adds a level of desperation to each game" in its single-elimination format. It is "not the NBA, but it's not a bad appetizer" (USA TODAY, 7/29).
