HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – We knew better than to believe there was any substance behind those Thursday night smiles that had us all believing that this thing was anywhere close to over.
From the moment the NBA lockout began July 1, one of our most trusted sources has been reminding us that we would not have NBA basketball to be thankful for at Thanksgiving. And we foolishly ignored that warning. The jovial back and forth between NBA Commissioner David Stern and union executive director Billy Hunter after Thursday night’s session threw us off just long enough for us to dream a little.
Well, we’re done dreaming here at the hideout.
The game face is back and there will be no more sugar-coating the smoldering hot mess that this labor impasse has become. No one has to worry about our hopes getting too high that a deal will be done in due time because we’re done with hope. The time has passed. The first month of the season went up in smoke officially Friday night, along with any chance the two sides had of preserving whatever ounce of goodwill remained amongst the basketball loving masses.
We know now that being “close” on system issues means nothing if the BRI gulf remains the same, that a smile for the cameras one night could easily be a frown for the same cameras the next.
No doubt, someone will reach out over this weekend or early next week and rekindle the talks and eventually everyone will come back to the table ready to play this game again. Just leave us out of this time. Save us the posturing, public sparring and those hollow smiles that make the best cliffhangers in the latest episode of As The Lockout Turns …
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: Just when this was starting to get fun, just when it was starting to get done, we all got snookered. That was the word Billy Hunter used Friday after negotiations to end the 120-day lockout went kablooey for the second time in a week and third time this month. That was what Hunter said David Stern did to him when the commissioner said Thursday night he was going into Friday’s seemingly promising bargaining session “ready to negotiate everything.” Only he wasn’t. Neither was Hunter. The two men who were supposed to be in position to finally close this deal did not have the authority to do so. That’s the only logical explanation when failing to get a deal this weekend results in approximately $800 million of economic carnage — the total cost to both sides of a month of lost games — when the distance between the two sides is $80 million. ”Absurdity,” one person on the management side of the NBA business said Friday night. Oh, no. It’s worse than that. Altogether now: It’s ass-hattery. But you knew that already. I’d brought two bananas to Friday’s bargaining session — mostly for sustenance during these mentally debilitating hours spent waiting for grown men to finish staring at each other, but also as props. You may recall the banana-in-the-tailpipe column in which I detailed the blowout victory the owners were seeking in these negotiations. On Friday, we all fell for the banana in the tailpipe again. And we didn’t even have a late supper — shrimp salad sandwiches, say — to show for it. On top of that, I left my grocery bag with the bananas in the lobby, and by the time the predictable, double-talk-laden news conferences were over, two perfectly good bananas were gone. The latest casualties of the dumbest lockout ever.
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Chris Sheridan of Sheridanhoops.com: If commissioner David Stern is to be taken at his word, all hopes for a full 82-game NBA season are now gone after negotiations to end the lockout broke off Friday over the issue of how to divide the financial pie. “Billy (Hunter) said the players were not willing to go a penny lower than 52 percent, he said had been getting a lot of calls from agents, and he picked up his book and walked out of the room,” Stern said, adding that “under no circumstances” could there now be a full 82-game season. Stern also said the sides had resolved all but three issues: The split of basketball related income, the question of whether tax-paying teams would be allowed to use the mid-level exception, and whether tax-paying teams could engage in sign-and-trade transactions. Agreements were reached, Stern said, on a more punitive luxury tax rate, full payments of contracts for the upcoming season, on the maximum length of contracts (the owners acquiesced on that and agreed to the union’s demand of five-year contracts for Bird free agents, four years for others) and on several other system issues that had taken up the majority of the sides’ time as they met for nearly 30 hours over the past three days. But then they decided to talk about the infamous “elephant in the room,” and Stern told the players the owners were willing to do a 50/50 split. That was not what the players were expecting to hear, especially after Stern had said the previous night that everything was negotiable, and it was the moment that killed the talks. If Stern had said 51, which would have represented a $40 million move on his part, they’d probably still be in the conference room finishing off this deal. Instead, they climbed into their limousines and went their separate ways, leaving everyone guessing what the next step will be to put an end to this madness, and when that next step might be taken. They are now a mere $80 million per season apart. Their sport generates $4.2 billion in annual revenues. The players have given back $200 million per season over 10 years, a total of $2 billion, which is still not enough. So the village shall be burned in order to save it. Yes, this is as strange as it is sad and stupid.
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Howard Beck of the New York Times: That bitter ending to the lockout’s 120th day stood in stark contrast to the smiles and quips and cautious optimism that both sides offered a night earlier. They had been making steady progress on the noneconomic issues, leading both Hunter and Stern to suggest that a resolution was in sight. The N.B.A. even began advising arena officials across the country to hold dates in late April, to extend the regular season and complete an 82-game schedule. “We held out that joint hope together,” Stern said, “but in light of the breakdown of talks, there will not be a full N.B.A. season under any circumstances. And I say that with apologies to the municipalities in which we play our games, to the workers who earn their living in our buildings, and from businesses around the buildings.” The month of canceled games represents about $400 million lost to the players and a roughly equal amount for the owners. About $200 million was forfeited when the preseason was canceled. The players will miss their first paychecks around Nov. 16. Without an 82-game season, the N.B.A.’s projected revenue will decline from the projected $4 billion. Thus, there will be less for everyone to split when a deal is eventually reached. That reality could affect the negotiations, with the league possibly reducing its offer and backing away from tentative agreements on the system issues. “We’re going to have to recalculate how bad the damage is,” Stern said, predicting that the league’s next offer “will reflect the extraordinary losses that are starting to pile up now.”
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Henry Abbott of ESPN.com: Here’s the worst-case scenario: The players would genuinely rather lose the season than accept less than 52 percent of BRI, and the owners would really rather lose the season than pay more than 50 percent of BRI. It could be so. And if it is so, this season is toast already, and it’s time to start worrying about next year. The last time players were very vocal in the process was when stars like Kevin Garnett made clear that they would not accept less than 53 percent. A certain religion developed around that number, with players who had never previously shown an interest in the process vocalizing the importance of holding firm there. Perhaps this would be a stand players would take for reasons of history, of race, and of asserting their supremacy as not just participants, but the epicenter of this sport. Maybe it was time to show the owners who’s boss, and maybe the split of BRI was the chance to say “enough already” to overreaching owners. That was the feeling a month ago, and you can still detect some of that in Billy Hunter’s talk, saying the owners’ “eyes got bigger and they wanted more and more and more. Finally you just had to shut it down and say it can’t be.” But what if over the last month players have lost their zeal? Weeks ago Hunter said his players were more strident than him. What if, now, Hunter is more strident than them? David Stern swears that Friday’s talks ended when Hunter stormed out. And before Hunter did that, Stern says “he said his phone and pager are ringing off the hook with agents.” Stern’s point: Agents? You’re listening to agents? It’s tough to make a case that Hunter represents their interests. In some cases it’s tough to make a case that agents and Hunter are even allies — if there’s a threat to Hunter’s leadership, it’s from those same men. For instance, agents can earn back lost revenue over however many decades they want to keep working. Players, though, play for just a few years, and may never earn it back. Stern said the word “agents” with notable disdain, and to highlight that the most strident voices in Hunter’s ear don’t belong to players.
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Ric Bucher of ESPN The Magazine: The six-game, four-continent World All-Star Classic exhibition tour featuring two squads of All-Star NBA players is on hold, with Sunday’s scheduled game in San Juan, Puerto Rico, postponed indefinitely. The other five games on the tour, scheduled for London, Macau and Australia, already had been pushed back until late November. There was hope the game in San Juan could be salvaged and serve as proof to the other venues and investors that Atlanta businessman Cal Darden and his son, Cal Jr., were capable of pulling off the event. Cal Darden Sr. could not be reached for comment. A spokeswoman told The Associated Press a new date for the San Juan game will be announced by Nov. 3. Sources close to the organizers said that as of October 23, contracts had been signed with 18 of the league’s biggest names, including Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony,LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade. Players were promised anywhere from six figures to $1 million to participate, sources told ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard. Rose and Westbrook withdrew on Tuesday, Rose citing a conflict with the USO Tour he participated in along with his offseason training schedule. James, Anthony and Paul later decided not to take part, sources with knowledge of the situation told Broussard. The players want to use the lockout to spend more time with their families, and Paul wanted to be available for labor meetings with the NBA’s owners, sources said. By Thursday, sources said there were also questions about whether Durant and Bryant planned to participate.
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Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: The discussions ended yesterday when, depending on your perspective, the league once again refused to move from a 50-50 split of defined revenues or when union executive director Billy Hunter announced he would take no less than 52.5 percent and left the room. The sides have no plan to resume talks, but there is significant pressure on both to return to the table in the coming days. “We’re hopeful that soon enough we can get back at this and try to close this out,” Players Association president Derek Fisher said. “Today wasn’t the day.” Asked if the league had reached its bottom lines, Stern said, “I don’t know. We always agree to meet. We made an offer, and that was our offer. And because that offer was less than 52 percent, Billy Hunter said, ‘That’s it,’ and he left. And I’m not going to project future negotiations or even negotiate with Billy through you or the media.” As to why the sides aren’t still talking, considering what’s at stake, the commissioner said simply, “Billy left the room.” According to Hunter, the owners are pushing too far. The players have moved from the 57 percent they received in the last CBA to an offer to accept 52.5 percent. They have also surrendered on a number of tax and contract considerations the owners hope will act as a drag on salaries. “We made a lot of concessions, and unfortunately at this time it’s not enough,” he said. “And we’re not prepared at this time to move any further. “We think we gave more than enough. We constantly said to them, ‘What you said you needed, we did it.’ Then every time we do it, it’s like their eyes got bigger and they wanted more and more and more. So finally we just had to shut it down and say, ‘It can’t be.’ ”
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Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: NBA players trust their leaders. They don’t trust Stern. This will be part of Stern’s legacy. He will have presided over two work stoppages to gash the season in a span of 12 years. He created a system that he now considers horribly flawed. He could drive a hard bargain, but when the deal was close, he could not get the deal done. If the players could have a secret vote, they likely would accept a version of the deal of the table, maybe even the exact deal that led Hunter, according to Stern, to close his books and walk out. Hunter and Derek Fisher are looking out for the interests of the players and the interests of future players, but they likely have stayed at the table too long. Eventually, the house always wins. Stern and the NBA are the house. The players might get a better deal in some ways than the one they turned down on Friday, but they will not get back all they will lose. They waited for Stern to blink. He didn’t and he stopped laughing, too. No one is laughing now. Fisher had said on Thursday that the toughest steps to take would be the last ones and he was right. The sides really are not far apart on most issues, but they are dug in, entirely unwilling to move toward one another no matter how great the costs. Worse, the next movement might be in opposite directions.
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Zach Lowe of SI.com: The players believe they drive the league’s popularity, and they would prefer the revenue split reflect that. It’s fair to ask if the union is ignoring the wishes of middle- and lower-class players — the fringe guys who might sign up for 50-50 today if it meant earning their full 2011-12 salaries. But the union isn’t necessarily wrong to fight. And the exceptions for taxpaying teams matter in the sense that without them, it would be difficult for the glamour teams to be players on the free-agent market every summer. They could manage it by loading up on nonguaranteed deals that could be cut anytime, but the union knows how much that would hurt those same middle- and lower-class veterans. “We cannot take taxpaying teams off the market for free agents,” union president Derek Fisher told reporters Friday. The league, for its part, says it needs a larger share of revenue so that all 30 teams can turn a profit. It wants to take the mid-level exception from taxpayers in the (totally unproven) name of competitive balance, so that the Lakers and Mavericks and Knicks cannot sign ring-chasing veterans on the cheap — a harder cap, if not a truly hard one. Yes, these remaining issues matter. But they do not matter enough to jeopardize a full season, to blow $4 billion in revenue, huge ratings, good will around the world and a ton of momentum heading into a new TV deal in 2016 that will (or would) blow away the current one. The two sides are closer than they’ve ever been, and you get the feeling that if the league did just a bit more bending — real bending, not phony bending via “concessions” from an initial offer that was laughably harsh — the union could shake hands and move on. We’re not there yet, and the danger now is that the gap may widen as the sides dig in to make up for lost money with canceled games. How real is that danger? We’ll find out soon.
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Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer: I couldn’t wait to get back to my computer because I knew my most recent post was still up, still blaring my naivety and optimism: a deal could be reached! Get ready! Stay tuned! Go ahead and read it here: Silly Optimism! I needed to rip that down as quickly as possible and post the reality: the NBA is a mess. The league’s latest negotiations have turned sour, and the two sides have not scheduled their next session. When we finally finished listening to NBA commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver, we returned to the lobby of this swanky New York City hotel to find its overnight guests dressed in Halloween garb. This seemed somehow appropriate given the horror of this latest bargaining session: 30-plus hours, a deal on the horizon, collapse, and now more canceled games. Stern has announced the cancelation of NBA games through Nov. 30. He also said “there will not be a full NBA season under any circumstance.” More cancelations are right around the corner. And then even more cancelations are around the corner after that. Because Stern made it clear that today’s offer of a 50-50 split in BRI and what he called “concessions” on other system issues (keeping guaranteed contracts, contract lengths, etc) would likely be the best offer the union sees in a while. ”The NBA’s next offer will reflect the losses that are starting to pile up,” Stern said. Just like they did during last week’s meltdown, the two sides played another game of he-said, he-said. NBA Player’s Association chief Billy Hunter explained that once Stern announced the NBA had “come up from 47 to 50″ on their offer of BRI split, the union was frustrated. The union, it seemed, had assumed that if certain concessions were made on system issues, the NBA would come up from its offer of a 50-50 split. The NBA didn’t. Hunter said a 52-48 split was the union’s number — they weren’t willing to go any lower. “We did what [Stern] said [he] needed and it was like their eyes got bigger,” Hunter said, referring to the concessions the union made on system issues. “They just wanted more and more.”
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Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com: Friday night, though, [Heat owner Micky] Arison hit some new heights in apparently blowing off some steam after a long week. Even billionaires do that on Friday nights. In a series of tweets that he actually later seemed to regret a tad and might even get him fined by Stern, Arison continued to be himself while offering a valuable window into the cloudy world that’s currently obscuring the league. When one fan asked: “How’s it feel to be apart of ruining the best game in the world? NBA owners/players don’t give a damn about fans … and guess what? Fans provide all the money you’re fighting over … you greedy (expletive) pigs.” Arison’s reply might upset some people but, again, at least it seemed to come from a rare honest place: “You are barking at the wrong owner.” That one, which certainly seemed to confirm the union’s long-standing contention that there’s discord within the ownership ranks, Arison deleted a short time later. But not before plenty of people saw it as fellow owners, league executives and players zipped it around cyberspace and added their own, more private, commentary. When another fan asked Arison what he thought about Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling, he replied with a simple “lol.” Just refreshing truth. Everyone has always suspected Sterling’s peers laughed at him. Though as Sterling would probably point out if he owned the same type of Twitter honest Arison should be getting credit for, he’s always run his team at a profit and has done plenty of laughing back at them. But that’s another topic. When one fan suggested that competitive balance among “all 32 teams” was an “unrealistic and stupid idea,” Arison re-tweeted it with a smiley face. Of course the only owner who currently has three All-Stars in his starting lineup plus the city of Miami on his side in future free agency would feel this way, everyone already knew that. But it was nice for Arison to verify it. He deleted that tweet, too, perhaps at an employee’s suggestion. Though later he clarified the smile was for the 32 teams mistake (there’s 30), not the competitive balance principle. It may have been the first bending of the truth Arison’s been guilty of on Twitter.
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I knew David Sterns’s fake smile was too good too be true ! Fact that the players were willing to come down to 52% shows they’re really trying to get a deal done, unlike the owners who seem to not want to try on the the BRI , its a 50-50 take it or get out of the room ! Shame in you owners !
Come down to 52 from a 57 that was killing the league and thus was a non-starter for the next CBA. So I disagree – I don’t think they’re compromised anywhere near enough. 52 should maybe have been their realistic starting point. If they think they have compromised, show me the proof that the figures the owners have come out from the very beginning are wrong. They are simply trying to run a profitable business, whereas the players simply have an “us first” mentality.
I don`t think you are following this closely. The league started at 43, and the players at 57. The league moved to 50. The players moved to 52. The fact is, that the league has moved 2 points more than the players. That simple. And I have to say, I am with the NBA on this one. No matter what doubts the players raise on the numbers, the league really is losing money. If the players want to have a succesful league, they gotta let the owners have their profits. And going by Stern’s comments last night, because of the way the players are negotiating, a lot of people will lose their jobs in order to make a 50/50 split work. As always, the players are just worried about their millions which is kinda silly. No matter what any player says, I can’t agree with their stance.
I don’t think the league started at 43. It was not a realistic starting point and so i find the premise to be fake.
Also, for the people watching this, you gotta read between the lines. The owners know given last year’s numbers + the concessions made they can make a profit from what the players have already offered. The reason the owners want more is because they want to make up for what they lost during the last CBA. That doesn’t seem right because when owners agreed on the last CBA, they should have known what they were getting themselves into as businessmen.
Now these businessmen are trying to make it so that even if they fail to uphold their businesses well, they’ll STILL make a profit by taking from the players’ share, who earn it because they do their job well.
I have seen many fans (mostly seemingly international) say that in other basketball leagues players aren’t paid as much as NBA players, and that NBA players are “spoiled”. Well, I am an international fan and I can tell you there’s a reason other basketball leagues aren’t as popular as the NBA, and that’s because NBA players are THE BEST.
Most international basketball players with big dreams aim for the NBA, but only few make it. That just comes to show you how good NBA players are, and that they deserve their share for making the NBA great.
Owners don’t make the NBA what it is. The players make it what it is. Owners can be replaced by a bank.
I totally agree with Imad akel on this one. The players skill level is why the NBA thrives compared to any other league on this planet. That is why Stern needs to get off his high horse and accept the 52.
why players has BRI share?i thougt if you are an employee in a company you only have incentives.bonus,13th month pay and SALARY.if you are a good player you can get many endorsement and sponsor,that is your own income and goes to your own pocket.company has share in your endorsement?
Most worrying for me is this talk about luxury tax teams being able to use the mid-level exception and deal in sign-and-trades. This is nowhere near enough of a hard cap system that I think most fans would like to see. I think there is genuine potential for any imminent deal to be seen much further down the line as the death knell for the league if we move into a situation where teams like the Bucks and Kings simply lose the ability to compete. This isn’t what makes the NFL so great as a competitive entity and brings millions of fans back year after year and creates constantly spiralling TV deals. Lakers, Knicks, Bulls, Mavericks and a small number of others will always be in the tax and thus always in the box seat. The winners will be the players (in the short-term) but the losers the fans of all but those few elite teams. The league could then easily wane quickly after a few years of dull lopsided big market-dominance and everyone ultimately lose.
To some extent I am relieved to see the current talks stall as I felt the players were gaining too much ground on what was a much better proposal for the league from a fan’s perspective (ie the owners’ original offer). The only deal I want to see is one where the players union come back cap in hand, admit their overbearing arrogance and selfishness from day one and get on with doing their jobs – playing basketball (and being astonishingly well paid for doing so) whilst leaving more astute business brains to determine what the league needs in order to thrive and grow.
Yeah, I have to agree with this. Until this happens, I can’t restore my opinions on the players. At the moment, they look like the most selfish ones in this thing.
This pretty much settles it, I will not attend a single game this year or buy any NBA related products. Stern and the players are both out of touch with this economy and how normal people live. F-em!
f@$k the nba…………………………………
In my opinion the players have made many concessions. The signing of Bird players along with other free agents has gone down in both total years and dollars. The mid-level exception is down and the luxury tax is increased. Further, they have already given back 200 million a year. The fact that the NBA wants another 100 million (a total increase from 2 Billion given back over the life of the contract to 3 Billion) is to me not negotiating in good faith. The NBA should at least have offered 51 percent as a mechanism to see what the players were willing to do. As it stands, it’s become clear to me that neither side cares about the fans, and the NBA itself couldn’t care less for a 2011-12 season. Ultimately, only the fans really lose with a full season gone.
Why do players need a share of the profitts. they are making millions already. How much more do they really need.
Because every player isnt getting money elswhere….out of 300 (roughly) players….how many have deals with Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and Jordan?’ Most basketball players get paid from basketball…not a shoe company.
Let’s put all the endorsement money in the pool. That’s Basketball related income! Come on players quit being greedy. Only a few of you can’t be replaced!!!!
The players are trying to act tough by holding their ground. They want to prove they can beat the owners and show the people how powerful and knowledgeble they are. Instead they are showing everyone how selfish, and arrogant they trully are. They cant see that the world is going through a depression, becuase they live in a bubble seperated from the true world. A 50/50 split is fair for both sides since it gives the same to both sides, but noooo the players want 52 it is just pathetic.
The union and the NBA are amateurs they are already given Houses cars Luxury items to buy, yet they still want to be able to purchase a diamond ring for 10 million dollars and eventually that leads to giving up the houses cars luxury items because of the diamond ring.. greddy people
I think Derek Fisher is already overpaid. Are all the NBA players really behind him ? Aren’t most of them ready to play for 50/50 ?
The players shot themselves in the foot by indicating, almost at the very onset, their willingness to accept 54 percent.
Then they shot themselves again, in the other foot, by cowering to 52.5 percent.
Now they have put themselves on the run … trying to negotiate from a position of weakness.
It is akin to offering the mugger your watch if he doesn’t take your wallet … “Wait, wait. I have got some money in my socks that I will give you if you don’t take my wallet”.
What do you think he will take ? All three !
Every failed negotiation essentially erases everything that transpired till then, Stern confirmed that much in his response to Mr. Aldridge’s question, which brings me to BEG the union to erase their error, get to a position of strength and negotiate from there … 57 percent + damages !
You don’t try to pacify wolves and sharks … especially ‘land sharks’.
what a fool!!
owners are going back & forth in EVERY meeting, David Stern and Adam Sylver duo are not pushing owners to close a deal,even when 5 owners propposed it more than a week ago. Come on guys,this is simple: no respect for fans,for players,for employees, even for themself. These OWNERS and COMMSSIONERS are laughing on our faces,are lying openly on our faces.
Palyers came down to 52 from 57(40 million for every point = 200 millons less per season = less money for all & each of the 450′s players….is it giving up?….In the other side you have the owners, going from 43 to 50 ( 7 points more over previous contract, 2 points more than players)..is it giving up?…and BRI is what keeps this lockout,NOTHING ELSE,.Every time the have progress and get to this point ( BRI ) everything turns down. My question is, WHO IS REALLY GIVING UP. Be honest, don’t aswer with your heart or desire to the season to start, just be honest.
The Owners need to have more profit as well as control, they own the players and employee them not the other way around. Even if you have a star player that doesnt make a team, i understand without the players their wouldnt be a team but the money for Owners is needed for operations etc, people have plenty of jobs for the organizations and these players are just fighting for their wallet, 50/50 is more than fair, where have you worked at where you get what the owner of the business gets? Im sure there are a very few that have had that before if at all especially in this economy, players need to understand this is a business, you dont want to take a bigger cut but you are willing to go play across seas for less money and or play for free in exhibition games? That doesnt make any sense what so ever.
Alright…so if you have a job….your employer OWNS you? How dumb can you be?
TO JOSH…… what part are you mssing here, YES the owners need these genetically giffted players to full their pockets. These whatever you wanna call players have sething called TALENT and can perform at a level few can. This is not about a Mac Donald job position that can be filled with even you.
this is a disgrace, it’s just sad, players should think about the fans, not about their wallets
players are so selfish the owners is suppose to earn more money from the start, thats is the fact in every business, they made a mistake allowing the players to earn more on the issue of BRI before and they are just trying to correct that mistake right now by having a fair deal a 50/50 split BRI what is wrong with that players, if you became owners you will understand what are the owners are trying to accomplish here. If you players are still saying that this is not about that 52 % you are fighting for its about what you give already its about your pride and principle, just think it that way that you will help a lot of people that earn their living in NBA if you agree on what the majority of the fans think that you are in a wrong position here 50/50 is a fair deal already. On my point of view players are the one who is selfish & greedy here.
would you buy a shirt or poster of David Stern,Micky Arison or Mark Cuban?…would you paid for a out of court event to see the owners…does the tv channels use the owners for commercials,advertisements etc….would you pay a penny for a ticket to see a college player rather than Koby Bryant or Leron James?…well, that’s what BRI means,that’s what the ironically called greedy players help to produce. Owners are not stupid,they know that without these players they are dead,they are just proving they are stronger.
If you’re ideology is correct, then companies that sell posters and calendars of puppies and kittens owe A LOT of money to their models. Fact is you are an employee, no matter how much revenue you generate for your business, it still is their revenue, Why is it so? well the owners are the ones who invest their capital, in order to provide the employee with a place of work, travel expenses, food, training need I go on? after you take these into consideration, even if the players accept these lesser terms, they have it pretty darn good. You don’t see a Brain surgeon asking for top money to perform to a mediocre standard, just because the NBPA has players with high talent levels, it doesn’t exemplify them from standard business operations.
ok let us put it this way let the players run their own NBA and let their talent decide about their contract. my principle in life is as simple as this to understand someone just put yourself on their situation then you may see their point clearly.
NBA system was created to be profit, players were given the chance to make millions,owners had the chance to make billions. Players ended been smartes than owners,there is nothing wrong with that.Now owners want to squeeze players and make them pay for thier mistakes and bad managing of finaces.
PLAYERS= READY TO PLAY
OWNERS= CHANGING DEALS IN EVERY MEETING= DONT CARE….SHAME ON OWNERS
Most sporting leagues throughout the world currently make losses, waly. Owners don’t buy sports teams to make money, they’ve already made money and use them as a hobby or sometimes to give back to a community etc., often it’s just an ego trip. Generally they expect to lose a bit of cash out of the deal.
Still, owners are not queuing up to buy NBA teams right now and by all accounts the NBA loses more money than most leagues. 22 of 30 teams have lost money over a long period and the bulk of those owners paid much more for their teams than they are now worth. Is this just poor management on their part? Possibly. It seems more likely, though, that previous CBAs have simply been too generous to the players. Couple this with the general worldwide recession (which post-dates the last CBA) and you have a system that even the sharpest business minds in the world (which these owners generally are) cannot work with.
I would like to know on what basis the players think owners have managed their teams badly. And even if they’re right (which I doubt), surely they should still take a big hit given the overall poor health of the league. We all take pay cuts if our employer suddenly loses money, right? We can’t just say “It’s not my fault, I still want the same wage”. The players don’t seem to bear any responsibility whatsoever for this mess, which just strikes me as incredibly arrogant and naive.
JAMES, I agree whit you in some points,but lets talk. First,if owners are doing this for a hobby,then why not to close a deal of 48/52 as players are willing to sign?,second,players are the ones giving in the BRI,not the owners if I am not wrong owners want to go from 43 to 50. Third, it was Keving Murphy,considered the greatest economist in USA who explained at the begining of this week who bad were the NBA (not the players) running their finances, even he explained it was a real issue he addressed two (2) years ago, but the group of NBA economists ignored. Fourth, you are talking about a poor league, which last season broke ALL RECORDS in rating in the history of the NBA. Fifth, players have nothing to hide,nothing at all, instead owners, directed by commissioner and deputy commissioner have done nothing more that hide info to the media, not telling us what is going on behind those doors. James,..do you remember when Derek Fisher cited public that deputy commissioner lied to the media?….my friend,from my point of view,and I am not been ironic, the shark wants to eat the nice and beautiful nemo…..
this is stupid. the league athletes are a bunch of spoiled criminals. they sign contracts, they should shut up and play. i hope the season gets cancelled. i don’t watch the nba, haven’t for about 15 years. and enough with the tattoos.
If the players who say in there twitter or facebook that they want to play, then they should sacrifice there salary for a 50-50 split. Playing basketball for a living is already great enough and they should just be thankful of what they have an opportunity to pursue there dreams.
I still don’t understad how every person that comments on these lockout pages seem to think that the players are the reason that there are no NBA games on tv. The owners began this lockout. The owners want the changes, if it were up to the players they’d keep everything the same. The players have conceded 2.1 Billion back to the owners who’ve claimed to have lost 300,000 this season. The economy crisis began in 2008, so even if the owners lost money for the next 3 seaons, their losses could only have amounted to less than 1 billion. The players are giving back double that and some.
People think the owners want more money to create a competitive balance between all the teams? These people are billionaires. If they wanted to spend more money on their team they would. I can understand that an owner wouldn’t want to continue investing money into a bussiness that has no chance of gain. But, if the reason they began this lockout was to reclaim losses made during the season. What would honestly make others believe that they’re only trying to end what they started. An attempt at a profitable bussiness.
What makes the NBA different from most organizations is the players. Other basketball leagues have super rich over-spending owners? Why aren’t they as popular? The players are the reason. These players have skills that most could never hope to achieve. The players have given their lives to aquire their talents and therefore should be paid according to their scarcity.
Greedy? Its not that Derek Fisher is asking for more money himself, or looking out for his checkbook. Its because he’s looking out for the players that aren’t having the careers they imagined. The ones that end their dream with that rookie contract. The ones you don’t see on those useless basketball cards.
Silly people blaming the closest person they can.
THANK YOU NATE…..thats been greatful to a bunch of guys that maybe at one point you wanted to kill when they lose a game, haha just kidding, but thank you. You proved your point, which is my point also, TALENT,TALENT,TALENT…what made Bill Gates who he is, what made Steve Lobs what he was and his legacy, and of course wat made Koby what he is, the best, no offense
Bottom line is this is not the players league. Owners are Owners.
Abolish the old NBA creates new ones without cba
OH thank god there will be games for December! That is at least good, there will be some basketball to watch. They are cancelling November games though. The Golden State Warriors will play in December thats GOOD.
listen, i became a huge fan of basketball when i went to the US for school from canada. before this time i was all about hockey and never even considered ball until i really gave it a chance when i was stateside. i realized what amazing athletes these guys (some of anyways) truly are and the opportunity that any size or strength of athlete can be offered in the nba. i cannot think of any sport that an athlete 5′ or 8′ can be a success in other than basketball.
the key word in this last sentence though is “opportunity”. it is the organization and system of the league & it’s owners of these teams that grants these opportunities. anyone who thinks differently, has their head stuck firmly in a sand pile. alas, no one can discredit the league or it’s owners if they wish not to lose money and if it’s the result of a silly system … so i give them the power to decide if they want to put these guys on ‘stage’ or not.
if anyone feels differently, particularly the players … go ahead join amare’s proposed league and see if his tone doesn’t change as well in 12 months time.
a 50/50 offer is ridiculously generous in my business mind and should be emphatically embraced by the union. the last cba was simple blasphemy.
You must remember that the owners take 600,000 off the top of the revenue pile to begin with. Thats the equivelent of 14 percentage points of the BRI. The only reason 57 – 43 was able to be negotiated in the first place.
Usually in bussinesses where the skill sets required are scarce the pay is generally higher. If the top 50 players in the Nba were to join the same league oversees. How easily could they be replaced?
I’m not liking any of this at all
Its true what Nate said
I think what people need to remember are two issues: the players are arguing about concessions from 57% because that is the figure currently in place from the previous CBA. You may think that that is an unreasonable figure and that a realistic starting point should be closer to 50% but concessions should obviously be thought of from what they are already getting – if you’re negotiating a paycut you discuss from what you are already getting. The owners started at 47% – a full 10% from the last deal THEY themselves agreed upon (it is called the Collective Bargain AGREEMENT) so if anything they are probably starting from an unreasonable position from a paycut perspective so no I do not think it is right to say the owners have given more ground.
The other thing to consider is that they are disputing over Basketball-Related Income, not to be confused with the split of net income the team as a whole earns. Lots of writers are puzzled over why employees are getting more than employers in this dynamic but they have to understand teams make more money than what is constituted as ‘Basketball-Related’ (although technically it is all still ‘related’ to basketball, depending on what you mean by ‘related’, but in this CBA context it’s a technical, not common sense term) so no it’s not a straight up split of revenues we are talking about here.
Not trying to defend the players here, but I think their position is sometimes mischaracterized with regard to these 2 issues here.
What i don’t get is why the nba players can’t see the big picture, they get millions to play a game not thousands to go to work and have to do something you may not like but have to to support your self or family. Just think about it if you are one of the better players you are making about 120,000.00 to 200,000.00 per game TO DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE TO DO boy should we not all be so lucky. My point being is they are way overpaid as it is, and should be thanking god they are even being paid as much as they are. Boy would i love to be flown around worshiped served up meals and paid hundred of thousands of dollars a game to do something that i love, they should be thanking the fans the owners and anybody else that is making it possible. So get of your high house get your feet back on the ground and be thankful that we the fan still go to the games and support you with our hard earned money, which buy the way is about half what you make in one game. What’s that qoute “greed is the root of all evil” So man up take the more then fair 50/50 split and get a deal done you over paid big babies
Lebron James doesn’t even get paid 200,000 a game. You seem jealous that you can’t make that kind of money. However, if I was guaranteed a certain amount of money. I would ensure that I got it. So you would let some random people punk you out of it? You’re one of a kind; not sure I would.
SHAME ALL OF YOU!!! TO ALL THE PLAYERS GREED…OWNERS GREED!! THE REAL WINNERS THE FANS ….LETS BOYCOTT NBA.
Agreed. Er’ebody greedy…
just want to simplify things.
PLAYERS – they just want to play
OWNERS – they want 50/50 split of BRI. otherwise, as Hunter said, the owners are willing to sit out the season or two, just to get what they wanted.
my analogy, it;s pretty obvious that the owners won’t give in, and the players already know that.
So if the players REALLY wanted to just play, why don’t they agree on the offer they knew will never change.
Just wondering…
WHY…
Lots of people look at the players as EMPLOYEES, yes they are, but they also have a union, which fight for them, which look after their interest. It is absolutly true that the owners are the bossess, no doubt on that. But is there something wrong in getting together and fight for a CBA contract that will give the chance for players to come a decent revenue. Owners are not stupid, all these years they gave up in the BRI, and of course they want to make some profit now due to economic crisis, yeah, they deserved that, but the players are giving consession on that. They went down 5 points that represent $200 millions per season.
WHY the owners insist in changing the system?, when the only that matters in this unfear and stupid lockout is the BRI, come on owners, close a deal, do it for us, think in the thousands people already missing their jobs. In my opinion this is BS, EXCUSES, Im pretty sure that if players accept the 50/50 you woners will come out with another obstacle, with another excuse, with another change in system. WHY should players be blamed if this lockout was placed by you guys, the history was made the the strongers, come on, step fordward and give us the chance to beleive in the NBA Organization again.
Hello To all
To be honest the people who are hurting is not the players or the owners it the employees at the stadiums across 32 teams and the fans. These people don’t make top dollars as the players and owner’s do.
How can the NBA (owners and players) talk about millions of dollars being lost, when the economical state of US is unstable, where many are out of a job, can not afford the roof over their head, have food for their family nor find a job.
I understand money is power and stardom is success i hope both side realizes that FANS is what allows them to make the money their making.
Tell me a Person who runs the country,like the President, make less than a average NBA player. Tell me how does that make senses. Tell me how do you ask for millions dollars when average working family has to bust their butts to afford tickets to the game so they and their kids can watch a 48 min game. Tell how do you justify making so much and asking for more when employees at the stadium aren’t working and they rely on that money.
Media can make it sound good or bad, but the truth is the owners and players only care for themselves. The only way the owners and players will realize their mistake is by hitting them with the tv sponsers. The sponsor should reduce the amount of money they provide NBA.
Sorry I cant stand players or people complaining about money when you had the NBA Legends played the game for less. The money wasn’t their for them, but they played for the game with heart, pride and the love. Magic, Bird, Jordan, Malone and Dr. J made the game of Basketball but todays young players will hurt the game of basketball as player ego is bigger than the game. Is this what NBA wants to show the youth of tomorrow – play ball for the money and not for the love for the game.
A Champion is not only the number of rings you have but having the heart of one, whatever it takes attitude, courage to put it on the line no matter what… Like Jordan, Like Magic, Like Bird, like Barkley, Like D. Wilken, Like S. Nash, Like Dirk… these are men who love the game and the fans and the game loves them back. These players will be champions with or without a ring.
cheers
waly just to come back on an earlier point of yours about Kevin Murphy. Well I read what this guy had to say on NBA.com a few days ago and it was pretty terrifying I thought. I don’t doubt that he’s a good economist but he clearly advocates a “survival of the fittest” approach that would line the players pockets at the expense of the competitiveness of the league. It’s quite clear why the NBPA would want someone like that on their side but let’s not pretend that he’s any kind of authority on how to run a competitive sporting model or what is best for basketball. His views make sense in the wider free market economy, however sport is quite different. I actually thought he came across as a bit clueless in that piece but that’s just my opinion.
I’m not an owner, I’m not a player, I’m just a FAN. I couldn’t really give a damn what percentage of BRI goes to the owners and what to the players, what I DO care about (like all of us I’m sure) is the structure and profitability of the league, whereas sharks like Hunter and Murphy only care about the short-term interests of the players (who pay their wages, lest we forget). We had Hunter telling Bill Simmons (a guy I generally respect and admire) last week that he’d like to see the end of the cap and Simmons declaring this to be “a great idea”. I don’t think either speak for the majority of the fans of the NBA here.
We need reminding what the Cleveland Browns owner (I forget his name) said way back in 1955 about the structure of the NFL: “We are 30 fatcat Republicans voting socialist”. And look at the NFL now. People like Murphy need to be fought at every turn. NBA fans who want a healthy, competitive league should put their trust squarely in Stern & Silver. The NBA has grown tremendously under Stern’s stewardship, what have Hunter and Murphy ever done for the NBA? Lined the players pockets and nigh on ruined the league in the process, that’s what.
James, you have your point and Im not gonna say you are wrong, because ou are not. I also want a healthier NBA, but what bothers me is the fact that this lockout was implemented by the league, and what you expect in this kind of situation is flexibiliy from both sides. In my opinion playes have gave more ( and I think they can give even more ) but owners come with back and forth strategies, like in the last meeting when Stern was asked in the press conf, why do they decided to go back to 50% when they wre ready for 48%?…and he answered well…today we decided that 50% was fear (which I think it is). You know James, is like I have the gut of not trusting the league, and that’s exactly what Billy Hunter has been saying along this 120′s days. Men I can not forget Paul Allen arrogance and disrrespect to the NBPA of “this way or the highway”. Drastic changes in the middle of an economical crisis is not a good idea, that’s my opinion. And forgive me but I dont think Stern has been doing a great job regarding to NBA revenues when for the last 3 years they have been losing millios and they did not find a solution other than threatening players/agents about BRI ( and I did not say that, I was the commissioner who said that for the last 2 years they have been talking about it)
The Allen thing was overblown by the union from what I read. The owners are entitled to send whoever they like to represent them and often it makes good sense to get a fresh perspective. The union could easily flip it the other way and say “It’s just the same old faces all the time, we’re not hearing anything new”. Maybe he WAS hardline but the union have known the owners have been hardline for over 2 years, it seems a fairly cheap shot for them to single out Allen as some kind of obstacle to a deal.
Regardless of where I think the blame lies, I think the owners have behaved with a lot more dignity than the union during the talks. Hunter told Bill Simmons he didn’t think they could win the media battle. Why not? In an internet age where there are more avenues than ever for impartial people to get their point across and with (as Simmons pointed out) some of the USA’s most popular sportsmen in their ranks, does this not hint at the fact that the players know they’re being a tad greedy and if the public had full disclosure of events they know they’ll come out on the wrong side? This would surely be the easiest media battle EVER if the players were the good guys desperate to get back on the court and the owners the stubborn money-grabbers.
For both sides to still be disagreeing on all the issues is ridiculous! The country is in an economic crisis. These owners and players make so much money. At this point they are all being selfish. My fiance does work for a team and can’t work right now because of this lockout, which in turn makes the unemployment rate worse. There are so many people who would take the money that these people make. Owners and players need to get over themselves or everyone should boycott the NBA!
I agree with Crystal… The NBA can stay on strike forever. They’re all just a bunch of Greedy players & owners.
And one other thing – some people are wondering why the players and their union just seem adamant on the 52% or 52.5% and are finding it so hard to give just a little bit more ground to solve the problem. The thing is, even if we believe that the players are using future players and their paychecks as a bargaining rhetoric and that they are in reality just greedy overpaid players of a mere game the fact remains that this CBA will affect predominantly the next one and future ones in its wake. The owners’ proposal is so hard a pill to swallow for the union and its members precisely because it amounts to a paycut of 10% from 57% to 47%. The absolute figure which is 50% does not interest the players even though it may seem reasonable because it is contrasted with the status quo figure which is 57%. This next figure will constitute the next context under which negotiations are going to be discussed. If at the next bargaining the league decides they really must get 47% to survive comfortably then it will be either a 5% difference (from 52) or a 3% one (from 50). THIS is why they are haggling over every percentage point now. Same goes for the owners’ entrenched position on this.
Hello, am I reading this right a 120 day lockout, that is 4 months, i personally would like to see this thing come to an end asap, it is destroying not only the players chance to play, but the fans chance of watching the home games. I believe the fact that november has no games scheduled is not a good sign especially if one enjoys watching their favorite team play. I have never seen as a fan this much trouble in the NBA, i tune in to the NBA every fall hoping for a complete 82 game season, but this year that would not be possible and they may have to shorten it, if this drags on and the season is wiped out, that could be the first time in NBA history something so huge has ever happened. But it is not all darkness, in 2004-2005 the NHL skipped a season due to the exact same lockout the NBA is experiencing right now. But the NHL recovered from that lockout and has been ever so stronger, so it may be that this will come down to that crisis, but their is still hope, both sides have to come to an agreement soon before everything is lost and fans may be forced to give back season tickets that will not be useable. This will be resolved and have faith of a season
to add what I just stated above, i feel that sometimes bad things do happen to major sporting events. The NBA is known for great basketball, last year was the best season on record for the league, i am hoping something happens in the near future and will be on target to find out what david stern has said about the season, anyway sides pull your socks up and resolve this before something terrible happens. Remember the league is losing millions of dollars due to this lockout, and will suffer if it continues. PLAYERS WANT TO PLAY, LET THEM PLAY
Boycott the NBA. See how they like it!
50% of 44 billion isn’t enough for the players. They are holding out for 52.5% of NOTHING. Forget a union negotiator……somebody get them a math teacher.
That was supposed to be $4billion
Can someone make a WEBSITE which will boycott the NBA this whole season? I will sign up and let my 500 friends on Facebook sign up. And we will boycott the NBA together!!!! I will not watch a single game on TV if necessary. Make one please.
That’s the shame!!!
Both sides are greedy as a poor person!!!
Where are fans from all this tragedy? they don’t give a what bout ‘em (I’m in Morocco).
I don’t know if they read this…forget it for now maybe the next year, they will understand that……….
We’re all forgetting one point of all this. Sure, the basketball players are being seen as greedy. That they have been getting tons of money and they need to compromise with the league losing money. These basketball players are the ones risking their health. Their the ones in the gym every single day just for our entertainment. And these players won’t be here in 20 year’s time. These owners, granted they have a long life, would still be here. Players are only thinking about financial security. When they retire, they won’t have anything.
If no agreement is reached this week….there is nothing else to do but BOYCOTT THE NBA.
Professional athletes need to be well paid because of 1) considerable health risks and (likely) a future of physical difficulties after a demanding career in early life, 2) the short window of time (10-15 years usually) in which they have the opportunity to make money with their talent because of the same health issues, 3) their adherence to the schedules and demands of the professional league and whole entertainment business around it. Many people question these players’ salaries, but there really is a reason for them to be so high. These guys have to think about the money they will need at 70, when they are 35.
That said, I think their salaries already more than suffice. I also think there is a 4th major reason for them to be paid so well. They get drafted by and traded to different teams that can be located anywhere in the US, sometimes entirely regardless of the player’s preference. But this is because they are employees of the league. The entity of the ‘team’ within this league is not an independent agent in the economic sense. The teams are part of the system, and this system is semi-artificial from an economic viewpoint. So to say that the players must be able to “choose whoever they play for” is sort of besides the question. They don’t choose another employer in the ‘labor market’ like you and I do. They play for the league in the first place. The league that provides them with the opportunity to make these huge sums of money, and that has invested in arenas, infrastructure, personnel, and all things related to basketball. So I think the NBPA’s claim that the players should to be able to choose wherever they want to play is not entirely legitimate.
The NBA’s owners are not looking for a decision; they want a knockout, and they’re going to get it. They will blow up the season if they don’t like the deal, and they’re going to, unless the union folds its 2-3 hand with the flop coming, calls it a day, gets this season started by mid-December and lives to fight again. It is out of moves.
“Every time we try to make a deal,” a member of the union’s negotiating committee said Friday evening, “they try to go for the jugular.”
Yes but also remember that Stern was saying as long ago as the last All Star break that there are numerous owners who would rather see the season lost than sign a poor deal, as this way they’re at least not losing money. That’s a very strong bargaining position for them to start from and illustrates that it’s the players who stand to lose much more from this lockout than the owners. The players clearly banked on that position being a bluff and it has backfired on them.
Again I say they got their whole original stance wrong. Rather than just a firm rejection they should have been expressing concern for the league as a whole and showing a willingness to take a hit. A victory was possible in tieing even better percentages than they currently earn into a theoretical future situation where the league is making a big profit.
In other words “We will take a big hit, however we want you to remember this sacrifice and pay us back BIG when times improve”. Stern is happy and Hunter has something to sell his guys as well. It’s the distrust that has created this stand-off. The owners say the current system is unworkable, the players don’t believe them. It shouldn’t be THAT hard to find out which side is effectively wrong. An independent team of auditors could provide a great service here.
You Knocked my comment off .
TAKE ME OFF YOUR EMAIL
I am done with the NBA.
My station will never cover another one of your Games
WJTI
VP TOM B.
I side with the owners on this debate. If there is not equality between the teams’ payroll and potential for a title, I am wasting my time as a fan. The players are overpaid already. It is ridiculous that they wouldn’t take 50-50. I agree with an earlier poster who said to get D-League players and I will find new faces to cheer for.
In the interim, why don’t you hire me as a player in the NBA?
I’ll work for a lot less, say only for a low low low $10,000 per game and the owner can keep 100% of the BRI until the issue is resolved.
This is a win-win-win situation.
I win because I got to play basketball and get paid for doing it.
Players win because they can wait until they get what they want.
Owners win because they keep the business going.
Look, this whole thing is getting ridiculous from both sides. Accept the 50/50 BRI split and go back to work.
The owners are the bosses and players are their employes. It’s that simple.
Sure, owners made and are going to make mistakes by signing big contracts for players who will never do their jobs as they supposed to. But all in all I think the players are just greedy. At least the big names. They already have big contracts, they make a lot of money off the court. But a lot of you are forgetting something. A LOT of players don’t earn the big bucks. So for them to go to play basketball is crucial. And of course getting playing basketball again is even more crucial to all of the businesses in and out of the arenas.
At the first moment I have heard that Billy Hunter is listnening to the agents I said to myself …omg..here we go.
Make the economic move and START PLAYING BASKETBALL !!!
The longer this goes on, the more it looks like the problem my be Derek Fisher. How does a union get rid of its president?
To me right now all sides seem to be trying to set themselves up for the future which is okay in my opinion. However, I think after going back and forth listening to everyone no one wins in this situation. But if you look at it realistically the players were getting 57% of BRI and the owners originally 43% … the players went DOWN to 52.5 that is a concession and the league would be going UP to 47.5 that would be a gain. So to ask for 50/50 seems to me like Owners is not being reasonable in this area.
I will admit at first I thought the players were being greedy but this is a business for them as well, and pay cuts in any form is just not an easy pill to swallow. As a fan I watch to see Dirk play to see Gasol play, I dont come to see if Mark Cuban is in the stans or if Jerry Buss is around… so in essence the owners do make there money because people want to see the Players. On the other hand the players are overpaid I agree with Reggie Miller some of these players like Rashard Lewis and JOe Johnson are paid way more than their worth but again that is NOT the players fault. I have been a NBA fan since 1984 and I love this game…and I look forward every year for November to come and opening night. But honestly they are about to lose me as well I think as grown men this should have been and could have been taken care of before all of this had to happen.
If the Players feel so strongly that they are getting screwed…..
Let them go out and conive the taxpayers out of 100′s of millions for a stadium.
Let them go out and hire recruiting staff, office personel, and other staff.
Let them but up their fortunes in a market like Birmingham Alabama and see if they can make a profit..
Then they could show those greedy owners, that
“Hey, anybody can run an NBA franchise and make money”…LOL
The owners are not off the hook in my book either.
They just can’t help themselves from screwing theirselves to try to stay competitive.
So the spiral begins.
“Man, If I can just sign this guy we can make the playoffs.”
Then the next guy wants more, because he’s better, younger, shows more promise, etc.. than the last guy.
IMHO
Players = Greedy hogs crowding around the slop bucket
Owners = The hog farmers who can’t control the amount of feed for the hogs.
Signed…
Wish we were watching NBA…
A sad day and a sad display by all those involved in the NBA…
The players are more interested in playing and in the fans than the owners, that’s clear. The owners just want to squeeze out as much profit as possible regardless, and they know they hold the cards. Pathetic bunch.
I say the players propose 51-49 or 50.5 – 49.5 to make the owners look stupid if they don’t say yes. If they say no, do the 50-50 a few days later.
We all know the owners game. A lot of us have seen it at our workplaces where jobs flee oversees for even more profit…
LETS JUST GIVE ALL THE MONEY BACK TO THE FAN’S, ALL THEY SPENT ON THE NBA. THE FANS ARE THE ONE WHO BUILT THE NBA, WITH THIER HARD WORKING MONEY.
The solution is obvious- 51 NOW GET IT DONE!
SOMEBODY TELL ME WHY PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT BASKETBALL PLAYERS MAKEING 5 MILLION A YEAR BUT DONT COMLAIN ABOUT dAVID sTEARN MAKING 20 MILLION.
wow David Stern makes 20 million a year really?