The worst part of it is that they're not even squabbling over the major issues. They're going to lock out over not being able to cross the Ts and dot the Is... congrats NBA, you are now officially the biggest bunch of dumbasses ever...
http://www.nba.com/news/cba_050518.html Union’s Reversal of Position Disrupts NBA Collective Bargaining Negotiations NEW YORK, May 18 -- NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik announced today that, due to the Players Association’s recent reversal of position on several key issues, there are no further negotiations scheduled at this time and issued the following statement: “Since the All-Star break the NBA and the Players Association have been in arduous negotiations to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. For its part, the League has offered in any new agreement to raise the salary cap from 48% to 51% of BRI, to lessen the impact of the luxury tax by distributing escrow funds to all teams equally, and to guarantee the players as a group the same 57% they have received in each of the last two seasons. At the conclusion of a bargaining session on Sunday, April 17 we thought we were very close to a deal, with only a few items remaining to be compromised. “On April 19, a day after the Players Association met with a group of player agents, we were informed that the Players Association could no longer agree to a previously-committed five-year rule on length of contracts. Then, last week, after promising a written proposal to form the basis of a new agreement, the union instead advised us orally that it needed to backtrack on several other essential terms that had already been resolved. “Since we are at a loss as to how we can possibly reach a new deal that is in any way consistent with the principal terms that we have been discussing for many months, there are no further meetings scheduled at this time.” Looks like this f*ck up is all on the union. It's official, sports agents are the spawn of Satan himself...
Tell you what, if Euro catches up and competes with NBA, we will see who's the sorry azz here. Stern is a moron.
It DEFINITELY is on the Union, they are a bunch of fu*king whinies and always have been. The league is not asking for anything outrageous, the only problem is that the Players' Union is used to being pampered with long-term guaranteed contracts and other things that when the league now threatens to take away the candy, they act like a spoiled bunch of kids. Now that idiot Billy Hunter is on ESPN trying to use the "race card" to turn the table around and put the blame on the league (Apparently when all else fails, just scream "RACISM!!" and you will divert attention from the real issues) Screw the union!
not really a question as to whether they'll lock or not. IT's gonna happen. Just hoping (and I'm expecting) it'll resolve before training camp
There is still 6 weeks before a lockout would start so there is time to get it fixed. Then there is another 2 months before there would be any real impact on next season. I would hope things could get resolved before Aug 1st. That is 2.5 months. Lots of time.
It's way too early to panic about a lockout. But, IMO, I do think a short lockout will be needed to get it done. The owners will stand firm until the players union gives in and goes back to what they agreed on. The players union will not give in quickly because it would make them look foolish.
Yeah, I remember reading articles earlier on where Billy King was basically going along with everything Stern was proposing. Now I guess it turns out he was just being a toadie at the time. The Union should have stated what it wanted so the two sides could come to some sort of a comprimise. The owners are probably going to get most of what they want, but it doesn't mean they have to get everything. The players union doesn't have that much leverage imo, as long as the owners are being reasonable with their demands.
the draft will be held no matter what. the lockout begins july 1st if there is one. personally, from all the reported stuff (which i guess you have to take with a grain of salt), it seemed like the owners were getting all of the important stuff and the players getting things like extra roster spots. and it seemed like they won the last round as well with max contracts. but since the union has guaranteed contracts, it was all good. now, it seemed like the owners were getting everything and i was surprised the union was going along with it all so easily. considering i didn't find the old CBA to be all that broke, i didn't think there was much to fix, but apparently there is. hopefully, both sides are just being your run of the mill morons and will settle this after a short lockout and not being enormous morons who will lose part of the season or at least way too much of the offseason. shorten contracts, lower the maximum raises, increase the cap, put in the damn age limit i guess, make a minor league, loosen the luxury tax and trade rules, and play ball.
You know the real bad news about this..... If a lockout happens, there goes the All-Star Game HOUSTON hosts next year......
Good point, tho I stick with my rose colored glasses about a settlemengt before the draft, or before July 1st.
Without the NBA, the owners will continue to make millions on their other ventures. What skillset does a Darius Miles have to make anything near what he is getting from playing in the NBA. Sports unions are stupid, arguing over how many hundreds of millions of dollars a player should get in his career for PLAYING A GAME. Sometimes the players don't even like what the PA is doing (eg steroid testing in baseball) but the union idiots keep on trying to throw a monkey wrench into everything. ABOLISH UNIONS!
Love Barkley's response on the halftime show... "The players are making a ton of money. The owners are making a ton." "Anybody that thinks the players are not being fairly compensated is just stupid." Way to beat around the bush there Chuck.
