http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/stor...considering-giving-salary-charity-nba-lockout Charles Barkley may donate TNT salary ESPNChicago.com TNT analyst Charles Barkley said Tuesday he would feel uncomfortable drawing a paycheck during the NBA lockout, so he's considering donating his salary to charity. NBA commissioner David Stern announced after negotiations on Monday the cancellation of at least the first two weeks of the season, and he said a significant gulf remained "on virtually all issues." Barkley is on record predicting the entire 2011-12 season will be canceled. "The problem I have is if these guys hold out all season, it's going to be a lot of money," Barkley said."That's why I have to make that decision. I haven't made the final decision. "I don't feel comfortable taking money for not working. I'll either defer it or give it to charity." Barkley said the players' only chance of salvaging something out of the 2011-12 season is if they take a 50-50 split of Basketball Related Income, which would be down from their previous share of 57 percent. But Stern said Monday the owners have reverted back to their previous position of offering the players just 47 percent of BRI in a new deal. "There are two groups I feel bad for," Barkley said. "I feel bad for the people who work for these teams, because they're going to start laying off some of these people soon. And then I feel bad for the people who work at these arenas. They're going to take the brunt of this. And that's unfortunate." Barkley isn't sure if the owners are losing as much money as they claim, but he said there's one part of this equation that hasn't suffered. "We've been in a recession for basically three years," he said. "I think it's disingenuous to think all these owners, with as much money as they've been paying, haven't been losing some money. I don't know the answer to [whether they've lost as much as they claim]. "But we have been in a recession. The only thing that hasn't gone down are players' salaries, and players' salaries are going to continue to go up. So I think that is a legitimate concern. I think everybody who owns a business has been struggling somewhat financially the last three years." Barkley said he admires Stern's motivation to save the small-market teams through better revenue sharing. "I think David Stern is the best commissioner in sports," he said. "I listen to both of these sides very carefully when they say stuff. I don't listen to the BS. You can fool the fans, you can fool the media, but you can't fool someone who's really paying attention. "If you notice, he mentioned every small-market team. The NBA owners are going to protect these small-market teams. They don't like the fact all the stars want to play in big cities. And this whole thing is going to be about: We're not going to be like baseball, where you have 20 bad franchises that are really like a minor league system until the players get good enough and then they go to the Yankees or Red Sox. "I thought it was very telling that Commissioner Stern mentioned every small-market team. That's what this thing is about. They're not going to let just the big markets dominate like they do in baseball."
Chuck usually speaks the word. I'd hate to see him leave the booth, but if I owned a team, I'd love to make him my GM.
I like the point about player salary going up every year even tho there's a financial crisis then a recession, normal folks are getting laid off or salary cut or working less hours and these basketball players get a standard of 6-8% raise every year..
I agree with most of what he said but David Stern is most certainly not the best commissioner in sports. I'd take Roger Goodell over him.
barkley may have meant of all time. he started in 84. same year some dudes named Dream and Jordan started. marketed the hell out of the league's best players and made it a global force. the NFL is still mainly an american sport. nba is everywhere.
I agree. ... Except for the stuff where he kinda seemed like he was favoring the owners in this feud. I mean it's really just not right that the people who actually play the damn game are being asked to take less than half the revenue the league brings in (at least based on my simplistic understanding of the situation).
Just to be clear, though, I think both sides suck, and hopefully this experience will cost all these greedy bastards enough money to check themselves... and maybe even lower ticket prices and such a bit. Like Chuck said, though, I just feel bad for the other employees who will be affected by this.
It's not like the stadiums are shut down. NBA stadiums have good occupancy. Plus those guys are getting minimum wage.
Am I the only one that still is skeptical of the losing money claim? Sure, there's a recession, but business has never been better. Record revenues both here and overseas, and they can't make money off of a CBA that was voted on unanimously? It just doesn't add up. And asking players to give up somewhere between a fifth and a tenth of their salaries after a great year like that? Gladwell's piece on the Nets finances was eye opening. Who knows what else the owners aren't reporting?
I feel sorry for Another Brother's daughter who got picked as a NBA Cheerleader this year and might lose the whole season.
Hell yeah they are not losing money, they bought the franchises with massive loans and are using the interest on those loans as a way of showing the organization is losing money. It is shady accounting practices....to cover up the fact that they did not buy them outright. Say for instance the team netted $20 million in a given year, they could then pay off some of the debt at $10 million, and then pay themselves $15 million and show a loss...when the club actually made money. It is a sham. DD
Makes you kind of be on the owners side a lil.... But then again , I dont care who wins... Just make sure they dont ltake away the cheerleaders and its all good!!
Come on. Even when Barkley is working, he's not really working. He just shows up and says whatever occurs to him at the moment.
