LeBron taking his talents to South Beach has caused a frustrating lockout

Their would be one less hardline owner but I don't think that would have turned the tide.

 

Even when I was making stupid ass drunk threads,(my bad, my bad) I never made pointless **** like this.

 

I agree. Blame LeBron.

/notserious

 

Yeah, I blame LeBron for the excessive drought we've been dealing with here in Texas.

 

i blame lebron for the people who got budweiser when they ordered heineken....

 

Not just LeChoke, but all the divas who played fans like we were puppets. That killed any sympathy for the players, essentially giving owners a green light to stick it to them. So, yeah, a lot of it is related to The Decision. The perception is that players are drunk with power, and that this new CBA is going to bring stability back into the equation. Good.

 

The BRI split doesn't have much to do with Lebron.

The arguments over cap hardness/sign and trades/bird rights, yes, Lebron/Carmelo/Bosh have influenced the owners to push harder in those areas.

 

The silent assasin here is the revenue sharing between the owners. The fight between NBA and NBPA is a smokescreen for the real issue which is fighting amonst the owners for the split in revenue.

Do I blame Lebron somewhat.... I guess him, Melo, Bosh, and others have taken advantage of the system the NBA set in place, but realize that just like every worker in America, these guys should have the right to work where they please at some point in their careers. I realize they still get paid a handsome sum of money to do something most of us do for free though.

However, the way he did it, and how he basically gave his old boss the middle finger, definitely put fuel on the fire or this upcoming lockout. The lockout was happening regardless, but adding the shot in the gut to one of the most proud owners just helped rally the owners into wanting blood.

Now that there is blood in the water, and the players have already gave massive concessions, the owners are trying to go for everything they can get and destroy the union once and for all. In the beginning this was about money, but Lebron, Bosh, Melo, & Co. made it personal.

 

LeBron doing what he did just flamed the fires overall.

And I do not agree with Dobro about it being personal, I think it is just business.

DD

 

Hey how about you work in some place you don't want to when you can go anywhere.

 

They are not forced to play basketball, or play in the NBA, they can go to Europe, but if they want to work for the NBA (It is one company) they have to get assigned to a branch and work there.

That is the way the NBA and the world works.

DD

 

Yeah its not personal at all for some owners

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/dan-gilbert-letter-lebron_n_640318.html

 

Him leaving was personal, but the negotiations are not.

DD

 

So you think going to a foreign country to work constitutes in "real competition" in the workplace for professional athletes. Professional basketball is a novelty profession, I understand, but the fact of the matter is they are workers in the US, and they legally have the right to work wherever they please, and the company has the ability to hire(with non-discrimination) and fire at will.

You can look down on NBA players all you want, and we all know they are entitled brats for the most part, but they do deserve the same workers rightst that you and I are entitled to.

 

The players don't have to work for the NBA, they are free to work in other fields, doctors, lawyers, bankers, whatever they want.

If they choose to work for the NBA, those are the conditions, they might get assigned to a branch they don't like.

But, don't worry, careers are short and they make a lot of money and can go back to whatever city they want when their careers are over.

No one....NO ONE, is forcing them to play basketball....in the NBA.

DD

 

I respectfully disagree. You are talking about owners willingness to lose money in order to prove a point and stick it to the players. You cant tell me 1% split in BRI, and a couple of system issues will really equal the financial sum(a few BILLION dollars) of losing an entire season.

This is now a pissing contest, and your kidding yourself if you think that personal pride isnt at stake with "some" of the owners pushing to lose the season just to prove a point.

 

Dobro,

I think the owners know where the need to draw the line to help their businesses succeed, they have run the calculus and know the matrix and have said....this is the line....

It is not personal, if it were, they would say....37% and take it or leave it.

They have tried, and opened their books and told the players what is wrong and how they want to fix it...the players are just not listening....the Golden Goose is deathly ill and the players want to feed it a candy bar, while the owners want to take it to the hospital to get it better.

DD

 

Same can be said about Airline workers and Automobile Manufacturers. Im not saying I have sympathy for professional athletes, but they still should be allowed the same rights that every other worker has in this country. Since there is not real competition for this industry in this country, I believe the NBA players have every right to form a union and negotiate a fair deal.

 

These arguments died nearly 40 years ago.

Sincerely,

Curt Flood