Have you ever wondered why National Basketball Association owners pay a 21 year-old college student twenty million dollars to play professional basketball? James Mitchum IV, owner of the Houston Tornadoes, wondered about that very same thing. While sitting in his office, he knew that a plan needed to be devised to change the system. Why is he cutting a check to a guy who hasn’t even played a game? Why is he paying a player for potential? What if that player doesn’t live up to that potential, can he get his money back? The answer to his dilemma is buried somewhere between the pages of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. After reading that document from stem to stern, he finds his answer, and he devises a plan to change the pay structure for the NBA players. The players won’t like it, but so what?
