In Reply to: I agree, as almost alway, ej's post is very fair. posted by Cachorro on April 20, 2025 at 11:47:42
good pointe, well stated.
I probably didn't present everything the best way - posts here in my mind are just a discussion among friends. (I don't tend to respond if I don't feel that way.) So no worries - but communication - being specific about what you're saying and all the things you are NOT intending to say - gets too long and too dry.
By 'agreement' I didn't mean to imply there was a formal Agreement or anything of that sort. But there wasn't any expressed animosity and the staff clearly and firmly believed Mara would be returning.
I remember Cronin quoting his father about 'big men take longer to mature' and no to rush him too fast. Early this past season. Something clearly changed because it went from working out the final details to a relationship that was completely broken upon his return from home.
Reportage on the Mara camp's "demands" may certainly have twisted things one way or another but the young man himself has talked about wanting to spend more time at home and has touched on some of those same areas.
I think Aday will be very good. I'm sorry he won't be here to play. He seems a nice young man.
My own belief is that this whole area is without experience, without structure and without guard rails. In negotiations a lot depends on the parties' perceptions of strength of their own bargaining positions. Football players - and their agents and "posse" members - see what basketball stars are earning and they want theirs.
UCLA as usual is right at the heart of all this - in basketball there's the case of Mara. Whatever level of dissatisfaction there was with his PT - a very complicated subject - his camp clearly believed they had the leverage to take a much tougher stance in talking with UCLA but their approach, clearly different from before he went home (Cronin not really prioritizing a starting center in portal recruiting is another bit of evidence of that) and that ran up against the head coach's firm limits in terms of his being able to coach his team as he believes is best. So he said, "No" and the talks completely collapsed.
And then, on the football side, we were the beneficiaries of a different situation in which the side of a star young QB decided they had more leverage than they actually did and they too ran smack dab up against the limits of their employer.
This whole Wild West situation is crazy. That's why the pro leagues, dealing with unions which force the employees to band together to accept a single bargaining position and strategy. and agree with the unions on accepted ranges of pay especially for players starting out on their careers.
(This collective strategy among the players empowers all but in every group there are outliers, individuals who believe the collective stance is too soft and will wind up leaving lots or important things on the table and others who believe the stance being taken is too aggressive and could result in big losse. (You figure to lose about 1/2 of 1 % for every day you are out on strike so if you strike for a month for reasonable amount of additional compensation, the economics are going to hurt and to hurt some badly because the short term losses can be quite heavy and the long term may not balance all that out for some years.)
In any event, with no oversight and inflation rocketing up NIL pay at this point, especially in basketball (smaller squads, fewer individuals to play), this is going to continue to happen. Remember Ben Howland - a terrific coach - had his "star" system - trust the team's dominant player. to keep discipline in the ranks. One bad choice, made and maintained, in doing that cost Ben his job. Players have to decide what they will and won't do but so do coaches. And this is all new ground in terms of the negotiations (above the table, anyway).
Interesting discussions - but Aday has moved on and Mick has moved ahead. Will Booker do what Mara might have done for us? Maybe not. But Mara being gone and the bulk of the money going to bring in Dent and bring back the guys he is bringing back again, it simply is what it is now.
Still watching and waiting - on both Cronin and Close - hoping for more