Hunter tells players to prepare to miss half a season

[chrisrod2008]

Posted on September 13, 2011 at 4:13 pm by Tim Griffin (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/author/tgriffin/) in Billy Hunter (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/category/billy-hunter/), David Stern (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/category/david-stern/), Derek Fisher (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/category/derek-fisher/)
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http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/files/2011/09/Billy-Hunter-913-306x219.jpg NBA union chief Billy Hunter told NBA players to prepare to miss half of the upcoming season after an impasse at Tuesday's negotiations. (AP file photo/Mary Altaffer)

So much for that optimism that the players and owners were getting closer to a settlement that would end the lockout.

After Tuesday’s meetings with owners, NBPA executive director Billy Hunter advised players to prepare to miss at least half the upcoming season.
NBPA president Derek Fisher was just as bleak in his assessment.
“We can’t come out of here thinking that training camps and preseason are going to start on time at this point,” Fisher told CBS Sports.com (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/09/13/nba-owners-players-remain-far-apart-after-%e2%80%9cdisappointing%e2%80%9d-talks/)after the meeting.
NBA commissioner David Stern said it was a day without much progress. The biggest obstacle continues to be the players’ resistance to a hard cap.
The next step for the owners will be their board of governors meeting Thursday in Dallas. Expect some kind of announcement at that time where training camp and preseason games will be postponed.
As expected, there seems to be a division of opinion between owners on the need for a hard cap. The challenge of getting all of them to sign off on a deal might be as hard for Stern to pull off as dealing with the players.
And after reports of Tuesday’s meeting, it doesn’t appear that will be very easy, either.

[chrisrod2008]

Released 5 minutes ago

[spurs10]

Thousands of hard working people are going to be in bad shape because of this, and I don't mean the players and owners. It's really sad in these already tough economic times.

[chrisrod2008]

I agree.....

[kaji157]

I have to say, that if the hard cap is relly the problem, then it´s the owner´s fault that they cannot collide as an uniform group.
Sure, the hard cap will mess with the players ability to sign bigger contracts, because owners, wont be able to give them even when they want to, but truth is that if owners respect the cap as it is the hard cap won´t be needed, clearly they cannot trust on the bigger market owners and that´s why they are so eager to put a hard cap.
Because this would be solved if they agreed to a smaller soft cap and they RESPECTED IT.
The problem is there you have a Jerry Buss and a Mark Cuban willing to pay 30 more millons than the actual cap and other teams have the chance to pay and compete, or have Tim, Tony and Manu, and those only come by once in a century.

[ElNono]

I really, really hope the vast majority of the players end up signing up in leagues around the world and playing. Not just because we would be able to watch them play, but also because it's a great way to stick it to the owners while their league dilutes more and more.

When this started I though the players had the most to lose, but with the ability to play overseas, I can see how they can stay afloat. Now I think the owners are in a pretty bad shape. League interest can only diminish and they're basically alienating the fans, while losing money.

[spurs10]

I really, really hope the vast majority of the players end up signing up in leagues around the world and playing. Not just because we would be able to watch them play, but also because it's a great way to stick it to the owners while their league dilutes more and more.

When this started I though the players had the most to lose, but with the ability to play overseas, I can see how they can stay afloat. Now I think the owners are in a pretty bad shape. League interest can only diminish and they're basically alienating the fans, while losing money.
:toast Agreed. They are definitely alienating this fan...

[timtonymanu]

I really, really hope the vast majority of the players end up signing up in leagues around the world and playing. Not just because we would be able to watch them play, but also because it's a great way to stick it to the owners while their league dilutes more and more.

When this started I though the players had the most to lose, but with the ability to play overseas, I can see how they can stay afloat. Now I think the owners are in a pretty bad shape. League interest can only diminish and they're basically alienating the fans, while losing money.

This x10000

[Dex]

They are all coming out looking like spoiled brats IMO. Overpaid brats bickering with overpaid brats. The real losers in this ordeal are the employees of these organizations and arenas, and the fans.

[Cane]

Seems like just more posturing. I would welcome a hard cap though. The NBA needs to be closer to the NFL/NHL bargaining agreements than some kind of quasi MLB thing.

[spurs1990]

The good news for Spurs fans:
We'll have another asterisk champion crowned which will make people forget about the 1999 one.

Really hope it's Miami. Would love to have Bron win his only ring in a shortened season.

[Juggity]

I really, really hope the vast majority of the players end up signing up in leagues around the world and playing. Not just because we would be able to watch them play, but also because it's a great way to stick it to the owners while their league dilutes more and more.

When this started I though the players had the most to lose, but with the ability to play overseas, I can see how they can stay afloat. Now I think the owners are in a pretty bad shape. League interest can only diminish and they're basically alienating the fans, while losing money.

I can see the logic here, but to be honest, I don't think most owners run sports teams as a means of generating revenue. That is to say, I don't think any owners are solely invested in the NBA to the point where it would totally fuck them up if the NBA was canceled forever. Given that 75% of teams are apparently losing money according to David Stern, I have to assume that most of them own teams because they like the publicity and/or like sports and want to cement their legacy as owner of a great team (Mark Cuban, etc., not to imply that Dallas is a great team by any means, but that's his motivation after all).

So I really think the players have a lot more to lose here. Sure they have options like playing overseas, but if they break a bone, or screw up a muscle or some other even worse shit like that, their career/paycheck may be toasted. Most have only very basic financial knowledge and have made stupid investments in mansions and cars that they didn't really need to make because they assumed money would be flowing into their bank accounts forever. In the battle of billionaires versus millionaires, I think you have to assume the billionaires will probably win out if worst comes to worst. And that's not to say that I like the owners, because I don't for the most part, but I can't see how the players are going outwit, outplay, outlast people who have many times the amount of money, wisely invested, and have their hands in half a dozen other diverse industries too.

[dbreiden83080]

The players are really willing to miss a whole season over a hard cap.. The Max contract guys must be thrilled with that..

[ALVAREZ6]

I can see the logic here, but to be honest, I don't think most owners run sports teams as a means of generating revenue. That is to say, I don't think any owners are solely invested in the NBA to the point where it would totally fuck them up if the NBA was canceled forever. Given that 75% of teams are apparently losing money according to David Stern, I have to assume that most of them own teams because they like the publicity and/or like sports and want to cement their legacy as owner of a great team (Mark Cuban, etc., not to imply that Dallas is a great team by any means, but that's his motivation after all).

So I really think the players have a lot more to lose here. Sure they have options like playing overseas, but if they break a bone, or screw up a muscle or some other even worse shit like that, their career/paycheck may be toasted. Most have only very basic financial knowledge and have made stupid investments in mansions and cars that they didn't really need to make because they assumed money would be flowing into their bank accounts forever. In the battle of billionaires versus millionaires, I think you have to assume the billionaires will probably win out if worst comes to worst. And that's not to say that I like the owners, because I don't for the most part, but I can't see how the players are going outwit, outplay, outlast people who have many times the amount of money, wisely invested, and have their hands in half a dozen other diverse industries too.

Good points :tu.



Any major sport franchise owner isn't an owner for making money...he's already rich as shit. As long as the club is self-sustaining, at least eventually, that's all you really need as an owner.

LOL, ask any soccer fan how much the major European club owners give a shit about the bottom line :lol.

[ElNono]

I can see the logic here, but to be honest, I don't think most owners run sports teams as a means of generating revenue. That is to say, I don't think any owners are solely invested in the NBA to the point where it would totally fuck them up if the NBA was canceled forever. Given that 75% of teams are apparently losing money according to David Stern, I have to assume that most of them own teams because they like the publicity and/or like sports and want to cement their legacy as owner of a great team (Mark Cuban, etc., not to imply that Dallas is a great team by any means, but that's his motivation after all).

But the owners are fighting this like they do want to run their teams as a means of generating revenue. And frankly, a lot of them do get revenue out of it. I'm not saying that the owners can't survive without the league. But they own a product that was on the upswing, that was collecting billions of dollars, and that's going to give them a few headaches (ie: Lakers just signed a 20 year TV deal for $3 billion, what happens now that there's no product?). While there might be 4 or 5 guys that are running at somewhat considerable loss, that can easily be fixed with some revenue sharing agreement, and a few teaks of the current CBA.

Owners want to freeze salaries for 6 years (on a league that only has seen their revenues increase year over year). Who are they kidding?


So I really think the players have a lot more to lose here. Sure they have options like playing overseas, but if they break a bone, or screw up a muscle or some other even worse shit like that, their career/paycheck may be toasted. Most have only very basic financial knowledge and have made stupid investments in mansions and cars that they didn't really need to make because they assumed money would be flowing into their bank accounts forever. In the battle of billionaires versus millionaires, I think you have to assume the billionaires will probably win out if worst comes to worst. And that's not to say that I like the owners, because I don't for the most part, but I can't see how the players are going outwit, outplay, outlast people who have many times the amount of money, wisely invested, and have their hands in half a dozen other diverse industries too.

Well, checks will stop flowing in November, IIRC. It used to be that players would eventually fold because they couldn't get revenue off somewhere else (most of them anyways). But playing overseas is certainly a new revenue stream for them, and keeps them doing what they like to do best. It's a win for the players and a win for the foreign league.

tbh, the longer this drags, the owners are the ones that are set to lose the most, IMO. The NBA wasn't a dying league. It was a league on the upswing. Once fans starts to tune them out to other sports, those are fans that will require a lot of attention to drag back in the fold. This isn't the NFL or baseball.

[will_spurs]

I think the overseas issue will become a problem for owners eventually, although it's not apparent right now because all we hear is talk of players signing here and there with opt-out clauses, but nobody has started playing yet.

However the more the lockout becomes a reality, the more effort will be put by agents to find a roster spot for their players. China (under pressure from Stern, obviously) already outruled nba opt-out clauses, meaning anybody willing to play there has to stay the whole season. That was obviously an issue for players a the beginning of summer... but the closer we get to not having an NBA season, the more likely it becomes that player are willing to forfeit a whole NBA season to find a job.

There will also come a point when the NBA realizes it also needs its scrubs.

[ChuckD]

The owners need to have their own house in order first, regarding revenue sharing. The NBA is the worst pro league in that regard, with a shared overall revenues percentage in the mid to high 20s. IIRC, the NFL shares in the 60s. If they shared revenue better, there would be no money losing teams.

I think the owners are going to get a black eye on this one. They instituted the work stoppage, and the players are doing a MUCH better job of shutting up and letting the union speak for them with one voice, and on message. No one bitching about their fleet of luxury cars this time.

[elbamba]

I guess the problem with playing overseas for the players would be that contracts are not guaranteed over in Europe. At least, this is my understanding. It seems like it is consistently reported that owners stop paying players if you get injured or if you or the team is not playing well.

If I am going to get paid 2 million dollars to play in Europe where my contract is not guaranteed or play in the NBA for the same amount without a guarantee. I would probably select the NBA.

I am partially speaking out of my butt as I do not know the statistics for owners honoring player contracts in the different European leagues.