Sports: Basketball USA (NBA): Who's gonna' get contract extensions this round?

There's a game played by team owners in the National Basketball Association, big league, that has created the phenom of "contract extensions" whereby the team strategists purportedly ensure the retention of certain players — those they can't afford to let go, either by making them free agents or by firing them outright for reasons than misbehaviour or crime.  It just doesn't play well with the public, who are watching, and the sports journos who are watching too.  In the item below, preparatory to the journo's 15 part series (mostly short items), we get one rationale for keeping or free-agenting players by selecting them out from their teams, and awarding them contract extensions to hold onto them.  This has to do with the strategists estimates of what they will need in the way of experienced team-familiar players up to the period when the contract extension ends.

— Sportikos, refWrite Backpage sports newspotter, analyst, columnist

Basketball 'contract extension' — 

how that game is played by team owners

"Top 15 players who deserve a contract extension"
by Nick Claussen

RantSports (Jan17,2k13)

Does Andrew Bynum deserve a contract extension after this year? What about Dwight Howard? What about players like Nikola Pekovic, who are key role players but not household names?

The NBA is filled with players who have the talent and ability to put up big numbers on different nights, but not all of them are players that teams can build around. One of the biggest challenges that owners and general managers face is deciding which players to offer contract extensions to in order to keep them, and which players they should let test the waters in free agency.

Once again this week, no NBA owners called me about taking over as the general manager for their teams (is my phone not working?), but I already have a list of players ready to go for contract extensions. In order to put together this list, I looked at players whose contracts are up after this season, as well as those who have one or even two more years left on their deals.

Feel free to disagree with any of my choices, just know that you will be wrong.

Before I get started, too, I’ve got to say that right now I don’t think Bynum is deserving of a contract extension. Just about two weeks ago, I was one of the people calling for the Philadelphia 76ers to offer Bynum a new deal in order to lock him up for the next few seasons. I love Bynum’s size and ability, and I know that he can be a star and franchise player if he is healthy.

After he hurt himself bowling, though, and after hearing plenty of rumors about Bynum’s health issues and attitude, I don’t think Philadelphia should offer him an extension at this time. If Bynum can get healthy and contribute this season, and if he can show management that he is responsible enough to handle a big contract, then I think the 76ers should try to lock him up. They need to wait a few months to figure this out, though, so Bynum is not on this list.