Fox amongst group of players concerned about potential injuries

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#2
MOD NOTE: I changed the title of the thread to more properly reflect Fox's concerns. As usual, James Ham did less than a stellar job of presenting the facts.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#3
injuries can happen at any point at any given time during a season or off season so the fact that these five players of Fox, Mitchell, Tatum and company are asking for insurance policies I find it unnecessary. The players haven't had access to basketball facilities, trainers, doctors for several months which does not automatically mean the end result is injuries after not playing for four months. I don't see players in the Bundesliga or La Liga doing this, take a note from them and proceed without all the entitlement.
 
#4
injuries can happen at any point at any given time during a season or off season so the fact that these five players of Fox, Mitchell, Tatum and company are asking for insurance policies I find it unnecessary. The players haven't had access to basketball facilities, trainers, doctors for several months which does not automatically mean the end result is injuries after not playing for four months. I don't see players in the Bundesliga or La Liga doing this, take a note from them and proceed without all the entitlement.
Well, I think it's interesting and important to consider why this particular group of players is so concerned. Each is at a point in their careers where, having had their salary limited to the rookie scale, they are on the brink of cashing in on their first potential max contract extension. The bargain has essentially been: "yes, you may need to earn less than your market value for the first few years in the league, but you'll be taken care of afterward." Now, they're going back to basketball after a long layoff, so they are especially worried about jeopardizing that opportunity that they've been waiting for. I'm not familiar with the particular salary mechanics of Bundesliga or La Liga -- are there similar constraints at work there that limit a player's earning power when they first enter the league?

I'm not saying the NBA funding their insurance is the right answer, I just see why they have particular concern more than the average athlete.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#5
Well, I think it's interesting and important to consider why this particular group of players is so concerned. Each is at a point in their careers where, having had their salary limited to the rookie scale, they are on the brink of cashing in on their first potential max contract extension. The bargain has essentially been: "yes, you may need to earn less than your market value for the first few years in the league, but you'll be taken care of afterward." Now, they're going back to basketball after a long layoff, so they are especially worried about jeopardizing that opportunity that they've been waiting for. I'm not familiar with the particular salary mechanics of Bundesliga or La Liga -- are there similar constraints at work there that limit a player's earning power when they first enter the league?

I'm not saying the NBA funding their insurance is the right answer, I just see why they have particular concern more than the average athlete.
I understand the logic behind it but in that case they should just not play in these remaining 8 games and just sit it out until the 2020-2021 season is underway. Either way, I don't think the NBA should budge and give in to only a small handful of players

To answer your Bundesliga/La Liga question, young players have the ability to earn large amounts of money even if they don't start and they get bought by a large club. I don't know the full details behind the contracts and the numbers but the players in those leagues are taken care of from a young age.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#6
I understand the logic behind it but in that case they should just not play in these remaining 8 games and just sit it out until the 2020-2021 season is underway. Either way, I don't think the NBA should budge and give in to only a small handful of players
Maybe it's time the NBA did away with the arbitrary rookie contracts. That handful of players is bringing in a ****load of revenue to the teams and the league. I don't see it as at all unreasonable for them to want to have some assurance that their chances of securing a real contract will not be taken away because of an injury that might happen because of the long lay-off, etc. If they don't get insured, there's no payoff so what's the problem?
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#7
Maybe it's time the NBA did away with the arbitrary rookie contracts. That handful of players is bringing in a ****load of revenue to the teams and the league. I don't see it as at all unreasonable for them to want to have some assurance that their chances of securing a real contract will not be taken away because of an injury that might happen because of the long lay-off, etc. If they don't get insured, there's no payoff so what's the problem?
The problem is that this will set the stage for the rest of the league and future players to all ask for insurance policies during any point in their playing career. The layoff period isn't as long as some of us make it out to be. It's 3-4 months. In the mean time, I'd like to think that multi million dollar players can still find a way to stay in shape through cardio and bodyweight training. Look at Nikola Jokic and Harden just as the two latest examples of players who have lost significant weight during this span.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#8
The problem is that this will set the stage for the rest of the league and future players to all ask for insurance policies during any point in their playing career. The layoff period isn't as long as some of us make it out to be. It's 3-4 months. In the mean time, I'd like to think that multi million dollar players can still find a way to stay in shape through cardio and bodyweight training. Look at Nikola Jokic and Harden just as the two latest examples of players who have lost significant weight during this span.
And that's a problem why exactly?
 
#10
injuries can happen at any point at any given time during a season or off season so the fact that these five players of Fox, Mitchell, Tatum and company are asking for insurance policies I find it unnecessary. The players haven't had access to basketball facilities, trainers, doctors for several months which does not automatically mean the end result is injuries after not playing for four months. I don't see players in the Bundesliga or La Liga doing this, take a note from them and proceed without all the entitlement.

Uhh, that's exactly why they're looking into insurance. All these guys (Fox, Bam Tatum, Mitchell, etc) are going to be in line for max extensions and very likely another one or 2 max contracts after. You can get injured doing anything, but the NBA is asking them to come back well outside the norm of an NBA basketball schedule.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#11
Uhh, that's exactly why they're looking into insurance. All these guys (Fox, Bam Tatum, Mitchell, etc) are going to be in line for max extensions and very likely another one or 2 max contracts after. You can get injured doing anything, but the NBA is asking them to come back well outside the norm of an NBA basketball schedule.
It's not a long time off for starters. These players have more than enough resources available to stay in shape so I don't buy this excuse. Go and watch the Soccer leagues around the world, where they run non stop for nearly an hour and a half and they haven't missed much of a beat. You don't change the rules and add a insurance because 4 or 5 NBA players that are looking for big pay days are asking for it, the NBA is bigger and better than that.
 
#12
It's not a long time off for starters. These players have more than enough resources available to stay in shape so I don't buy this excuse. Go and watch the Soccer leagues around the world, where they run non stop for nearly an hour and a half and they haven't missed much of a beat. You don't change the rules and add a insurance because 4 or 5 NBA players that are looking for big pay days are asking for it, the NBA is bigger and better than that.
Again, COVID makes this a fairly unique situation. It's not like the league isn't "changing the rules" in other aspects to make it work!

In fact, more reporting I saw today makes the insurance issue seem like a reasonable, straightforward request. Apparently, the players (at least Tatum and Mitchell, the blurb I see doesn't mention Fox) already have insurance, but the policies run through the traditional end of the NBA calendar, June 30. Since the league is extending the season beyond that date, it is unclear whether the policies would still apply, and the players are asking the league to step in and cover them.

Link here: https://basketball.realgm.com/wiret...Insurance-Policies-That-Run-Through-June-30th