NBA Lockout starting to become very likely?

[Glen Infante]

NBA officials told to prepare for lockoutBy Chad Ford
ESPN.com


Deputy commissioner Russ Granik told members of the NBA's competition committee Monday to prepare for a lockout, four league sources, including two NBA general managers, have told ESPN.com.

League spokesman Tim Frank was more circumspect when confirming Granik's remarks, saying Granik told the committee "to prepare in case of a lockout."

Sources, some at the NBA's pre-draft camp in Chicago, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, are not optimistic that the league and the players' union can reach agreement on a new collective-bargaining agreement before the current contract expires June 30.

The same sources say, however, that any work stoppage will not be a long one.

"There's going to be a lockout," an NBA executive told Ford. "I don't think there's any way we get a deal done any time soon. We're not seeing eye to eye right now. The truth is that players don't really believe a lockout will hurt them in the summer. It won't be until there's a threat of losing that first paycheck that they'll get serious about negotiating again."

While this could be no more than posturing by the NBA, sources on the players' side are quietly conceding the same thing.

"I think they'll lock us out," a source with the NBA Players' Association said. "I think David [Stern] has always wanted to lock us out. I think it's a mistake. They act like they don't have anything to lose, but I think they do. The summer league, free agency, NBA players' playing in the qualifying tournament for the World Championships. The bottom line is that the players want to play. They [the players] offered to extend the current deal until a new one could be put into place. They [the owners] want this, and there's nothing we can do to stop them."

A number of issues currently separate the sides. The biggest is the owners' insistence that guaranteed contracts be considerably shortened. Currently, players can sign for a maximum of six or seven years, depending upon whether the player is signing with a new team (six years) or his current team (seven years). The owners have been trying to get that rolled back to five years.

Three other issues have become sticking points for the players: 1) the owners' proposal to reduce the amount of annual raises in a contract; 2) a "super luxury tax" that would more harshly penalize teams that spend more than a certain predetermined threshold; and 3) the proposed minimum age requirement of 20 years old.

Despite the resignation that a lockout appears inevitable, sources also have expressed optimism that any work stoppage would not be protracted or actually threaten the 2005-06 season.

"I think both sides will take the month of July off," a prominent agent said. "I think we'll head back to the table in August and have something hammered [out] by September. The NBA has no interest in losing revenue and fan support by canceling games. The players have no interest in losing their paychecks. The stakes just aren't high enough right now. But they will be in the fall."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2081405

Looks like we have to kiss the Summer League goodbye, as well as the anticipated Free Agency til fall. :sad:

 

[highplainsdrifter]

I wonder if the players or owners have ever heard the word COMPROMISE

 

[Kypus]

Selfish assholes. You make millions, what the hell do you have to complain about?

If the players looked at salaries from 10 years ago, pre-Ewing and Jordan monster salaries (10-12 mil), they'd realize how stupid they look complaining that they don't get paid enough. Sprewell can't feed his family on 10 million dollars or whatever it was.

Life is a power struggle. The owners want more demands to be met and some just want the status quo to continue. It's a battle of wills.

Yeah I'd go with that. I think the problem is players want their piece of the pie from growing league revenues, even though the league does all the work to spread into all the new overseas markets.

Chad Ford Article

" I think they'll lock us out," a source with the NBA Players' Association said. "I think David [Stern] has always wanted to lock us out. I think it's a mistake. They act like they don't have anything to lose, but I think they do.

These guys don't have a clue what David Stern has done for the NBA.
A lot of the problem is the players depend on "union reps" aka top-flight lawyers, who always try to force the best deal for their client. I mean, I saw Pat Garrity is the secretary-treasurer for the players. How much does Pat Garrity know about contractual law?! WTF...

Ford

The truth is that players don't really believe a lockout will hurt them in the summer. It won't be until there's a threat of losing that first paycheck that they'll get serious about negotiating again."

Yeah really. Every paycheck they lose could have been used to pay for a funeral for a player that paved the way for them to even make a living at basketball. :chuckles:

Between that fight that happened and if there is a lock out............i dont think to many people would return to being a NBA fan....

I don't think the league cares any more, there's so many untapped markets with all the international players coming in now. They're thinking "screw middle America, they're not that good of a market anymore. "

 

[James]

^I dont know about all that. LeBron and DWade and even Carmelo are bringing alot of excitement back into the league.

 

[bkbballer16]

It wont happen. The NBA is too good of a league to let there be a lockout