No disrespect intended, but there is some serious flaws in your comment. First of all, you contradicted yourself when you said you don’t believe players spend foolishly, then turn around and admit they blow through money. Secondly, Yes a house can cost $200,000 and a car can cost up to $50,000. However, they don’t or shouldn’t be paying for all of that at once. Payments are generally spread out over the course of 3-5 years for vehicles and 20-30 years for houses. So unless a player is buying a house or car a year, it doesn’t really add up. Finally, let’s evaluate the league minimum. A rookie starts off with $457,588 (by 2009-2010 numbers). It increases by $457,588 going up every year until 10th year where it the minimum is $1,306,455. Even if a player had a baby mama, two cars and a $400,00 house, he can still live a comfortable life. Don’t make excuses for grown adults who spend more on their image than they do on their future.

Don’t get me wrong here, in this instance, I’d side with the owners. but the union rift, if there is one, has more to do with the fact that 0% of players, while rich, aren’t mega-millionaires. I’m sure James/Bryant/Howard/Durant/Paul etc would be willing to sit until they get their deal. But will the last 7 guys on the roster be willing to do the same?