Actually I view this as setting and managing expectations. What you listed as presumably beyond the expectations of the job I think are simply the basic expectations for a person getting a million dollar salary. In my mind the simple basic expectation is for 205 hours per year to actually show up and give that 100% (82 games X 2.5 hours....yes actual playing time is less but let's at least expect them to be ready to play the entire duration of a game). If your boss wanted you to give 205 hours of top-notch effort would you consider that unreasonable? That is only 10% of a standard work year. Is that really such a terrible expectation?
In terms of those expectations, if you weren't at least meeting your employer's expectations you wouldn't be there any more. Some of us hold ourselves to higher standards in these terms and that is fine, but the key is still meeting your employer's expectations. In the case of NBA players I would think the expectation would be to actually play as you are required and asked to play. Standing around like quadraplegics on defense is probably not within the scope of the expectations for the job. I do not think it is too much to ask for a person with a multi-million dollar salary to get a hand in a shooters face or actually chase down a loose ball.
If I were not meeting my employer's expectations as far as my job were concerned I would expect to be disciplined or fired, or I would have to get my *** in gear and do what I was being paid to do. Why not expect that of NBA players too?
