From: kompella@cs.ucsd.edu (Vachaspathi Kompella)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro
Subject: Is Magic greedy/selfish?
Date: 4 Oct 92 02:00:14 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: CSE Dept., UC San Diego


Somehow everybody out there is blaming the Lakers for doing this.  I'm sure there
are many smart cookies out there in NBA-land who figured that this loophole exists,
if it really is a loophole.  But trust the Laker-bashers to say that the Lakers are
sneaky bastards for doing this.  Incidentally, are the Lakers the richest franchise
in the league?  Or rather, are they the only ones with enough moolah to pull this off?

I don't imagine anyone thinks Magic is a saint, but I think he has been awfully decent
to the Laker franchise for never kicking up a fuss because he was not paid as well as
the best paid rookies in the league.  Or for not coming up with "I should be at least
the 5th best paid point guard/shooting guard/center/small forward/power forward in the
league" clauses.  In this sense, I get the feeling that Magic is pretty naive.  He
just expects that if he works hard, one day someone will reward him.

If the Laker org. feels like rewarding Magic for all he has done for them over the 12
years, hey, that's their money.  The cap has nothing to do with this.  Magic is under
contract with the Lakers, and no-one can take him away.  It's not like they are buying
him away from some other team that can't afford to match their price, fer cryin' out loud!

Back to the issue of whether Magic should play.  I am not sure if he is doing the right
thing, as far as his health is concerned.  But for folks to say that he's doing it because
he is greedy is ridiculous.  The poor guy loves the game, he's been playing the game
for the last 25+ years of his life.  This is what he wanted.  He's not coming back for
money.  Unlike Kareem, Magic has invested more wisely.  So can that shit.  He's not
coming back because he's selfish.  He just misses the game.  For all you who want to
say that Magic is beyond his prime and that this return is degrading to him, let me tell
you what.  How about you pick something that you love to do, something that you have done
all the last 15-20 years of your life, something that's brought on one adrenalin rush after
another, and at the unripe young age of 32, decide that, though you can still do that
THING, you'll just stop doing it.  Yeah, just stop it cold.  Can you do it?  Could those
zillions of movie stars do it?  Or those other athletes that you so easily pass judgment
on, yeah, even Bjorn Borg?

I don't know that I'm strong enough to do something like that.  Heck, the other day I
met this guy who's got Carpal Tunnel on both wrists, and his doc says that's it for life.
I'm shit scared of that.  Why, consider your own Dad/Mom.  Most folks who have lived
a life doing even the most boring job can't get it into their own heads that 65 years old
spells retirement.

So dry up your guys and get real.

-Vach
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Jerry:  It's only 14.5, Magic.
Magic:  I couldn't take it, Jerry.
Jerry:  Sorry, Magic you should have read the fine print.
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