kassad shared his views on the CS professional scene, picking out the "deadweight five" and one "honorable mention"—the top five "paycheck earners" in current CS2. I like some of these players. I respect the achievements of some. But if your salary says you're a superstar and your performance says otherwise, I'm going to call it out. Five players + one honorable mention.
In his opinion, the "paycheck brigade" from five to one are—NAF, Laoba, tabseN, Dianzigog, and Diandian, with an honorary mention for Huqi. These five players did not meet the expected performance value reflected in their salaries.
BIG's CEO chose to speak for tabseN:
I disagree with @kassad's take here (though I respect his critical perspective on many other topics, and I knew him personally back in 2016 when I played for MOUZ). I've worked with @tabseNcs for nearly 10 years. Johannes has always been one of the first to step up when BIG faced difficult times. Over the years, he could have joined other major organizations multiple times, where he likely would have earned many times his current salary. But he always refused. With Johannes, it has always been a direct dialogue between him and us, with no agent involved. He would rather lower his own salary to help facilitate a transfer or a new signing, simply because he wants BIG to succeed. Aside from everyone else at BIG, he is one of the main reasons BIG still exists today. And I want to make this clear: he is absolutely not the kind of person who takes a paycheck without contribution. For him, the team and the club always come first. Having a player like him in the club is a gift, not a burden. And after 10 years, he is still a very important player on our roster. So, if there were a list of the most loyal players in global CS2, @tabseNcs would definitely be on it. Thank you, Johannes, for everything you’ve done for us at BIG. You are one of the reasons we are still here today. 🫡 @HLTVorg
tabseN states: