2018-2019 Around The NBA thread

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

That whole situation is going to be a massive issue this entire season. China makes up a huge chunk of the NBA's viewership and revenue. China drew 800 million viewers over the course of the season last year, and that's not counting merchandise sales or the fact that a large quantity of the merchandise is produced in China.

No idea how those contracts might be worded, but China's the type of country that can and will instantly shut off access to anything NBA related if they so choose.

Now I can't find the quote, but it really summed up China's stance on "Free Speech."

It was something to the effect of "We support the right to free speech unless it concerns national sovereignty or political issues."

So basically, you can say whatever you want, as long as you aren't criticizing the government or the way we treat our people.

Do you think it will affect future salary cap and player contracts? it potentially can have major repercussions.

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

Do you think it will affect future salary cap and player contracts? it potentially can have major repercussions.

Absolutely. The Chinese market is massive to say the least and is still growing. The biggest proponent of growing salaries over the past 20 years has been the spread of the global game, which has injected eyes, sponsorship, merchandise, and marketing dollars into the league. Without China, the NBA would be a shell of what itis today.

This article lays some of this out pretty well:

Upozornění na přesměrování

www.google.com

"The response from China came quickly. Chinese state television, CCTV, suspended its plans to broadcast the NBA pre-season in China and condemned Silver’s remarks. Smartphone maker Vivo, which was set to sponsor upcoming exhibition games, has halted cooperation with the NBA, as has Tencent, the Chinese internet giant that serves as the NBA’s digital media partner in China."


Ahhh...heres the quote from China CCTV.


The Chinese dont play with this stuff. NBA China is valued at $4 billion, and that doesnt countall of the other sponsorships, advertising, and money genereted through merchandise and apparel.

I’d imagine the Chinese government also has the power to force every Chinese business to sell any ownership stake they might have.

I dont necessarily think it’ll get to that point, but if there’s one country I’d bet on doing it it’d be China.

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

Absolutely. The Chinese market is massive to say the least and is still growing. The biggest proponent of growing salaries over the past 20 years has been the spread of the global game, which has injected eyes, sponsorship, merchandise, and marketing dollars into the league. Without China, the NBA would be a shell of what itis today.

This article lays some of this out pretty well:

Upozornění na přesměrování

www.google.com

"The response from China came quickly. Chinese state television, CCTV, suspended its plans to broadcast the NBA pre-season in China and condemned Silver’s remarks. Smartphone maker Vivo, which was set to sponsor upcoming exhibition games, has halted cooperation with the NBA, as has Tencent, the Chinese internet giant that serves as the NBA’s digital media partner in China."


Ahhh...heres the quote from China CCTV.


The Chinese dont play with this stuff. NBA China is valued at $4 billion, and that doesnt countall of the other sponsorships, advertising, and money genereted through merchandise and apparel.

I’d imagine the Chinese government also has the power to force every Chinese business to sell any ownership stake they might have.

I dont necessarily think it’ll get to that point, but if there’s one country I’d bet on doing it it’d be China.

Shit...

China can go to hell, but I hope they fix this shit for the sake of the NBA.

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

Shit...

China can go to hell, but I hope they fix this shit for the sake of the NBA.

Yeah, I'm having trouble seeing how it actually gets resolved in a positive financial way for the NBA. China just doesn't play with social issues, especially from outsiders. There's a long history of that.

I'm not a fan of Silver, but he's in a no-win situation at this point.

If he doesn't support Morey, players/fans are going to turn on him.
If he supports Morey, long-term it will cost the NBA and the individual players money.

Having a hard time finding a middle-ground here.

 

[6.19.2016]

Do you think it will affect future salary cap and player contracts? it potentially can have major repercussions.

Of all the fallout to date, this Orwellian ultimatum still might be worst:

Internal Memo: ESPN Forbids Discussion Of Chinese Politics When Discussing Daryl Morey's Tweet About Chinese Politics

If you paid attention to ESPN channels yesterday, you saw the network repeatedly attempt to grapple with the story of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey creating an international incident after tweeting and then deleting his support for pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong. You heard...

deadspin.com

Again, if Morey has to "spend more time with his family" after this, once his own fallout ends would gladly back-channel a plan to bring him home and then fire Koby.

 

[NIkeL]

Shit...

China can go to hell, but I hope they fix this shit for the sake of the NBA.

I actually think they shouldn't fix it. There are more important things than money and if the NBA has a stance on the issue, they shouldn't apologize just because that means they'll get more money. Where do you draw the line? Should you accept money from a terrorist organization? What about money from a dictatorship led country? If China cuts all ties with the NBA because someone has an opinion, then fuck them.

 

[Surge]

I actually think they shouldn't fix it. There are more important things than money and if the NBA has a stance on the issue, they shouldn't apologize just because that means they'll get more money. Where do you draw the line? Should you accept money from a terrorist organization? What about money from a dictatorship led country? If China cuts all ties with the NBA because someone has an opinion, then fuck them.

I completely agree but I think Adam Silver and the billionaire owners will do anything to keep the money coming in.

 

[Cavatt]

I completely agree but I think Adam Silver and the billionaire owners will do anything to keep the money coming in.

This is what everyone expects from American businesspeople. I think it is crazy that we all accept it and that it is the basis of our foreign policy. Money Trumps human rights abuses. Official policy of the NBA and the United States.

 

[NIkeL]

This is what everyone expects from American businesspeople. I think it is crazy that we all accept it and that it is the basis of our foreign policy. Money Trumps human rights abuses. Official policy of the NBA and the United States.

I see what you did there

 

[macbdog]

So if the Lakers preseason win over the Clippers was a 'statement', then what exactly was the Lakers loss to a Nets team that played Kyrie for a minute?

 

[macbdog]

Will gain massive respect for NBA if they stand their ground and defend their employees here. It won't happen, but I would hope people back them up.

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

Will gain massive respect for NBA if they stand their ground and defend their employees here. It won't happen, but I would hope people back them up.

I don't think the NBA has a choice at this point. You can't stand up for social issues only when it's convenient and only when it makes you money. If they don't back Morey on a legitimate issue, where do they draw the line?

If they don't back Morey, there will be protests outside of arenas as well as people making a scene in the arenas.

 

[Man Called X]

I don't think the NBA has a choice at this point. You can't stand up for social issues only when it's convenient and only when it makes you money. If they don't back Morey on a legitimate issue, where do they draw the line?

If they don't back Morey, there will be protests outside of arenas as well as people making a scene in the arenas.

The NBA doesn't give a fuck about US fans. It cares only about the Chinese market.

Is it any shock that NBA League Pass is still a joke in the US and only works half the time, while the Asian market works flawlessly with chat rooms, stats, etc? Hell, I'm pretty sure they're going to be doing broadcasts in VR pretty soon.

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

The NBA doesn't give a fuck about US fans. It cares only about the Chinese market.

Is it any shock that NBA League Pass is still a joke in the US and only works half the time, while the Asian market works flawlessly with chat rooms, stats, etc? Hell, I'm pretty sure they're going to be doing broadcasts in VR pretty soon.

Tencent handles League Pass in China. That's why it's so different and actually works. It's a different system and different provider. Turner Broadcasting operates it domestically. Tencent is just significantly better than Turner when it comes to technology.

This is where it gets tricky for Silver as I mentioned above. He has to stand up for Morey's right to freedom of speech, particularly on social issues. If he silences him now, does he then silence players, coaches, etc. if they speak out on domestic issues such as police brutality? He hasn't done it in the past and the players certainly would stand for that.

If he caves into China's demands, what greater message is he sending to the rest of the NBA? I won't support the right to use your voice?

Like I said, he's in a shitty spot.

 

[Man Called X]

Tencent handles League Pass in China. That's why it's so different and actually works. It's a different system and different provider. Turner Broadcasting operates it domestically. Tencent is just significantly better than Turner when it comes to technology.

This is where it gets tricky for Silver as I mentioned above. He has to stand up for Morey's right to freedom of speech, particularly on social issues. If he silences him now, does he then silence players, coaches, etc. if they speak out on domestic issues such as police brutality? He hasn't done it in the past and the players certainly would stand for that.

If he caves into China's demands, what greater message is he sending to the rest of the NBA? I won't support the right to use your voice?

Like I said, he's in a shitty spot.

They already caved when they opened that "training center" in the heart of all the concentration camps. Hell, I'd say they caved back in the Stern era when the NBA started getting the influx of that chinese money when Yao was playing. A good chunk of the increase in revenue has come solely from the asian market.

It's okay for players, coaches etc to criticize the US. Criticize China and you're going to be blackballed.

I would expect for Morey to lose his job something around all star break and then he's out of the league for good.