The BRI no longer matters. The players gave it all away in the system stipulations. Closing the barn door now is senseless. The horses are long gone.
I've heard something about a "stretch clause" that would allow teams to spread a player's cap hit over more years than their contract runs for.
1) Could the Spurs do that with Duncan? Give him $5 million or something for the next 6 years even though he wouldn't play all 6 of them.
2) Would this end the "over-36" rule, which currently would put the cap hit of a 6-year/$30M contract for Duncan all into the first 2 or 3 years.
The BRI no longer matters. The players gave it all away in the system stipulations. Closing the barn door now is senseless. The horses are long gone.
David Stern fines the barn doors $500,000.
A letter just leaked from Mr. Ed insisting the horses stand united.
Regarding the court proceedings between NBA and NBPA today:
SportsLawGuy Gabe Feldman
Judge asking for more briefing in NBA case is a win for the league. Delay=maintaining status quo=lockout lives=win for NBA...
1 hour ago
KBergCBS Ken Berger
There's little significance to today's court proceedings. Both sides recognize best shot at a deal is to agree to one at bargaining table.
1 hour ago
ZachLowe_SI Zach Lowe
Larger upshot: Judge wants more papers, and league has indicated they have more to file. Ruling time uncertain. Bargaining still best shot
1 hour ago
KBergCBS Ken Berger
Court spokeswoman confirms U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe did not rule on @TheNBPA's motion to [dismiss] NBA's lawsuit Wednesday.
1 hour ago
ZachLowe_SI Zach Lowe
One court highlight: Judge to NBA lawyer: Your "allegations against union are pretty thin." Union lawyer, minutes later: "Thin loses."
1 hour ago
Good read:
http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-salary...ry-coon-11211/
I know this wasn't the point, but I love how he compares people with disabilities to the owners because I can't think of anything more accurate
Part of Larry's response:Larry, why doesn’t the proposed amnesty rule allow for prudent teams with no bad long-term contracts (like the Rockets, Thunder or Pacers) from trading for another team’s pre-existing contract and then using the amnesty on it? This way, those teams’ prudence can still be rewarded. To not allow this would be to unnecessarily punish the smarter teams, especially since all 30 teams knew we were heading for this situation for over two years!
Continuing the “accommodation” viewpoint — think about workplace accommodations to people with physical disabilities. We provide them, but most people don’t need them. We don’t have the right to say, “hey, they get special accommodations, so we want something too!” An accommodation goes to those who need it, and that’s all.
HowardBeckNYT Howard Beck
NBPA board will meet Thur in NY. Some hope that talks w/NBA could resume Fri or Sat, tho nothing set yet. Story soon at nytimes.com
1 hour ago
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/71...tive-committeeSTEIN_LINE_HQ Marc Stein
RT @ESPNDallas: Sources: Derek Fisher addresses alleged NBA meeting with union's executive committee - es.pn/uPwUR5
Here we go I'm tired of that nego start the damn season now !
http://philly.sbnation.com/philadelp...ay-David-Stern
NBA Lockout Update: Players And Owners To Reconvene Saturday
Nov 03 4:23p
by Aaron Taube
After a breakdown in talks between the National Basketball Association Players Association and NBA owners last Friday forced the league to cancel all games through Nov. 30, the two sides will hope to prevent the cancellation of more when they reconvene Saturday, according to a report Thursday from ESPN.
The cancellation of games through the end of November also meant the league would be unable to play out a full, 82- game season in 2011-2012. According to the report, Saturday's meeting could be the last chance for the players and owners to come to some sort of an agreement before commissioner David Stern has to cancel another batch of games.
The two sides have been making progress on how they will structure the salary cap when the league resumes play, the luxury tax and the mid-level exception. But there remains a gap in the percentage of basketball-related income (BRI) each side feels it should be en led to. The owners have offered the players somewhere around 50 percent of the BRI, but the players union has been deadset on getting 52 percent.
That NBA_Labor Twitter account is one of the most ludicrous things I have ever seen.
Breaking story from Yahoo! about major rift in players union. I will post the link when it's up. Not good...
More here from NYTimes: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/sp...ml?_r=1&src=tpWojYahooNBA Adrian Wojnarowski
The threat of decert is a strategy too. The players need leverage on owners; mere discussion of decert can help push NBA toward making deal.
1 minute ago Favorite Retweet Reply
HowardBeckNYT Howard Beck
Decertification drive would mean it is done w/out union officials' participation or approval essentially dismissing them.
17 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
HowardBeckNYT Howard Beck
Remember, there are two ways to dissolve a union: disclaimer (by union officials) or decertification (initiated by players themselves)...
18 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
HowardBeckNYT Howard Beck
50 NBA players are threatening decertification of union w/out progress toward a palatable deal. Story up any minute on nytimes.com
25 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
WojYahooNBA Adrian Wojnarowski
Story coming on Yahoo! Sports soon.
38 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
WojYahooNBA Adrian Wojnarowski
Here was theme: If NBPA drops below 52% on BRI, and/or remaining system issues go league's way, then this will become movement to decertify.
40 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
WojYahooNBA Adrian Wojnarowski
Calls included several All-Stars. One source on calls told Y!: "We're beyond frustrated with concessions that have already been made."
44 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
WojYahooNBA Adrian Wojnarowski
There were two conference calls held this week -- Tuesday and Thursday -- without knowledge of NBPA officials, sources tell Y!
47 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
WojYahooNBA Adrian Wojnarowski
As many as 50 NBA players were part of conference call with anti-trust attorney Thursday discussing union decertification, sources tell Y!
49 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply
HowardBeckNYT Howard Beck
Key Hunter quote re revenue split: "I don’t think there should ever be a cir stance where owners make the same or more than the players."
56 minutes ago
Now they want to talk decertification?
Because that's just what this fiasco needed....more complication and internal bickering.
It's the agents. Hunter has managed to keep them in check to this point, but he's losing his grip on the union.
Does no good now though.
If talk of decertification or actual decertification gets the players what they need I am all for it. Sucks if it may ruin chances for a season but with all the concessions they have already made this whole lockout has been a losing battle for the players and it is only going to get worse in future labor battles of the NBA. At some point the players need to stand strong and stand together to stop being bullied by the owners. Once the owners get 50% they are not going to take less in the future but I bet they will ask for more.
It is a what?, a billion dollar industry and the players deserve their appropriate share of revenue for putting their skills on display and making the industry profitable to begin with.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slu...lockout_110311
As many as 50 disgruntled NBA players – including several All-Stars – participated in a clandestine conference call with a top an rust attorney on Thursday to discuss the process of decertifying the Players Association, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Angry with the concessions already made to the owners and fearful of worse ones coming with the completion of a new collective bargaining agreement, the players could push for a scenario that throws negotiations into chaos and could eventually lead to the loss of the 2011-12 season.
The players, frustrated with the deal union officials have been negotiating, held a call on Tuesday to discuss the state of labor talks with the NBA, and explored their options on Thursday with the an rust attorney, sources said.
Why not?
Hunter sold them on the NLRB decision to gain leverage and that's still not coming. The only other possibility for players to gain any kind of leverage is the anti-trust suits after decertification.
I think Wednesday comments from the judge saying the NBA's case is "thin" probably gave the agent's lawyers a good hint that they could get away with decertifying.
It's no slam dunk for the players, but the prospects are better than signing off on whatever the owners would offer now (which might not even be 50/50 after cancelling more games).
Basically, the last owners proposal rolls back 20+ years of gains for the players. And going forward, I doubt it's going to get better for them. It's a back breaker and I'm not surprised they're making a stand.
It's the nuclear option, which is why they haven't used it yet. Using it also closes the door on anything from the NLRB. No union, no NLRB case.
We're not going to be seeing basketball anytime soon.
And that's the real fan's main concern... but I feel both sides believe there's much more at stake here. Like it or not, the reason the players have the benefits they do now is because some former players stood their ground back in the day. And I've read that some of those former players have been talking with the current crop of players to let them know that.
It's tantamount to a criminal act.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)