Substantial Sanctions: Spurs Beware

The NBA/Twitter universes erupted yesterday afternoon once the news of Tim Duncan, Tony Parkers, Manu Ginobili, and Danny Green's absence from Miami spread.  Last evening when the Spurs faced the Miami Heat, it was their 4th game in 5 nights and that led to the team being "tired" which resulted in Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich sending his stars home.  As head coach, Popovich has every right  to rest his players when it is both beneficial for his team and the league and that's where the disconnect happened.

Generally on Thursday evening's during the NBA season there's only 2 or 3 NBA games with two being aired by TNT.  The games that TNT airs on Thursdays are considered the games of the week for the NBA until Christmas Day.....they are a big deal.  Gregg Popovich has a history of resting his stars but never in a situation like this which is what prompted the stern response from NBA Commissioner David Stern.

"I apologize to all NBA fans. This was an unacceptable decision by the San Antonio Spurs and substantial sanctions will be forthcoming."

David Stern is now under fire for his statement last evening as fans/bloggers feel that he overstepped his boundaries.  This concept that Stern is the bad guy and Gregg Popovich is the good guy in one that is jaded.  Defenders of what Popovich did have stated the Spurs were "tired" and the Heat had 4 days off.    This is true but the two previous Spurs games were against the Washington Wizards who at the time were winless and the Orlando Magic and those games weren't nationally televised.  If Popovich would have decided to rest his stars during both of those games, the Spurs would have had a 3 day rest period before facing the Miami Heat in a measuring stick game.  Why not play the NBA Champions, the measuring sticks of the league to see what you'd have to improve upon or to see if you are a championship caliber team?

In a way Stern created this problem years ago due to the NBA marketing of stars such as Magic, Bird, and Michael.  This resulted in teams raising ticket prices in order for fans to see certain stars.  A Spurs/Heat matchup would be in the top echelon of NBA games due to it being a potential NBA finals matchup and despite last evening's game coming down to the last few precious seconds, there will always be the thought of what it.  Truth is the game was missing half of its star power appeal. 

The NBA, its coaches and its players are locked in a fragile partnership, a harmonious balance that can't be rocked or the entire structure will come crumbling down.  What Popovich did in resting his stars was blatant attempt at disrespect towards the powers that be in the NBA, the "Basketball Gods" if you will.  David Stern had every right to state that the Spurs would face substantial sanctions as it is his responsibility to protect his brand, his league, the NBA.  He has every right to do so and again, Popovich has every right to rest his players but there is a fine line that has to be walked to maintain the balance.  At this point in time no one knows what the substantial sanctions will be but David Stern is a very intelligent diplomat and his decision will be one that has the best interest of the NBA in mind.  

Read More

"Basketball Reasons" An NBA Nightmare

         I slept on it in hopes that I would wake up and feel differently; sadly I feel the same amount of disgust that I felt last night upon hearing the news that David Stern, commissioner of the NBA nixed the trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers.  Chris Paul was preparing to fly to Los Angeles last evening and had already made arraignments for Kobe Bryant to pick him up upon his arrival when he heard the news that the league had stepped in a canceled the trade citing "basketball reasons".

During the David Stern era of the NBA, there's been many conspiracy theories regarding player movement and championship victories, but non of them have ever been confirmed despite having mountains of evidence in some cases.  What we saw last night was akin to a young child walking in on his or her parents placing presents under a Christmas tree and then realizing that there is no Santa Clause........shocking!  On paper, the league was correct in the fact that it could veto a trade based on the Hornets being league owned but legally there had to be another reason outside of "basketball reasons." 

What happened last night was a sickening display of an abuse of power, it was a hastily made decision to nix this deal that would have allowed the Hornets to acquire Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin and Luis Scola to have a shot a salvaging their future but if this move by the league causes Chris Paul to stay in New Orleans for the duration of the season, what would stop Chris Paul from just walking away and leaving the Hornets with nothing in return?  Think about that for a second, the "competitive balance" theory that the NBA shoved down our throats as the reason they locked out the players goes out of the door if they just let Paul walk away.  Any informed NBA fan understands that this isn't about "basketball reasons".  This action by David Stern
wasn't though tout and it appears as if he's lost all control.  His hast decision could have allowed the shit to hit the fan and the timing of his decision is curious as well.

Dan Gilbert

Teams were allowed to begin negotiating with free agents on December 5th and since that time the Hornets had been working on a trade for Chris Paul, it was public knowledge but the final rendition of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement was fortified until an hour after the announcement of the Paul trade.  Stern could have nixed any trade from the Hornets during the past five days but he knew that if he did, the players would have backed out of the deal.....again very curious timing.  Paul is considering legal action against the NBA and spoke with the Players Association last night about all of the possibilities.  Paul could collusion against the NBA and its owners and shockingly enough, Dan Gilbert could have indirectly supplied him with the necessary ammunition.  In an email obtained by Yahoo sports, Dan Gilbert was adamant that the trade shouldn't be allowed.

Commissioner,

It would be a travesty to allow the Lakers to acquire Chris Paul in the apparent trade being discussed.

This trade should go to a vote of the 29 owners of the Hornets.

Over the next three seasons this deal would save the Lakers approximately $20 million in salaries and approximately $21 million in luxury taxes. That $21 million goes to non-taxpaying teams and to fund revenue sharing.

I cannot remember ever seeing a trade where a team got by far the best player in the trade and saved over $40 million in the process. And it doesn’t appear that they would give up any draft picks, which might allow to later make a trade for Dwight Howard. (They would also get a large trade exception that would help them improve their team and/or eventually trade for Howard.) When the Lakers got Pau Gasol (at the time considered an extremely lopsided trade) they took on tens of millions in additional salary and luxury tax and they gave up a number of prospects (one in Marc Gasol who may become a max-salary player).

I just don’t see how we can allow this trade to happen.

I know the vast majority of owners feel the same way that I do.

When will we just change the name of 25 of the 30 teams to the Washington Generals?

Please advise….

Dan G.

According to Yahoo Sports, a rival executive with ties to the league office voiced his opinion on the mess that was last night in the NBA.

“We were all told by the league he was a trade-able player, and now they’re saying that Dell doesn’t have the authority to make the trade?” said an NBA executive who had periodic talks with New Orleans throughout the process. “Now they’re saying that Dell is an idiot, that he can’t do his job. [Expletive] this whole thing. David’s drunk on power, and he doesn’t give a [expletive] about the players, and he doesn’t give a [expletive] about the hundreds of hours the teams put in to make that deal.

“How do the Lakers explain this to Odom? How does Houston deal with the guys it just tried to trade? Scola and Martin are going to be pissed at them, and who knows how long that takes to get over? Explain to me how the league kills this Pau Gasol deal, but allows Kwame Brown for Pau Gasol?

“To me, this makes the league feel like it’s rigged, that Stern just does whatever Stern wants to do. He’s messed up the competitive balance of this league a lot worse by killing the deal because you’ve completely destroyed the planning that New Orleans and Houston did and left them in shambles over this. I’ve never been so discouraged about this league, never so down.

“I mean, come on: Chris Paul is leaving New Orleans in 66 games. He’s gone. And what’s Dell Demps, and that franchise, going to have to show for it?”

Just as expected, David Stern released a statement addressing the Chris Paul trade debacle:

“Since the NBA purchased the New Orleans Hornets, final responsibility for significant management decisions lies with the Commissioner’s Office in consultation with team chairman Jac Sperling. All decisions are made on the basis of what is in the best interests of the Hornets. In the case of the trade proposal that was made to the Hornets for Chris Paul, we decided, free from the influence of other NBA owners, that the team was better served with Chris in a Hornets uniform than by the outcome of the terms of that trade.”

For those wondering, the Washington Generals are an exhibition basketball team who's known for the losing streak to the Harlem Globetrotters.  Nevertheless, Chris Paul has a case against the NBA based on the email above and just as last night in my post Were you all had I ask this question; If Chris Paul had been traded to a small market team, would the NBA have still nixed the trade?  I understand what this new breed of owners want, I've seen both sides of the situation but the reality is that the NBA will never be able to control player movement.  Please that this into account, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh all took pay cuts of around $20 million to play together and battle for a championship.  The Hornets could pay Chris Paul $40 million more than any other team over the duration of a new contract if he wanted to stay in New Orleans for the long haul.  When players are leaving those amounts of money on the table to have a legit shot to battle for NBA championships they can't be controlled by the league nor can they be called greedy....just let it sink in for a moment while I leave you with wise words from Phil Jackson when the league acquired the Hornets last year.

"Who's going to trade who to whom? Who's going to pull the button on trading player or when Chris [Paul] says he has to be traded? How's that going to go? I don't know. Somebody's going to have to make a very nonjudgmental decision on that part that's not going to irritate anybody else in this league ... I don't know how they're going to do that.  That's what everybody is going to be afraid of: Who is going to be helping who out?"

Hindsight is indeed 20/20.    

Read More

Dan Gilbert's letter to David Stern objecting to the Chris Paul trade

Commissioner,

It would be a travesty to allow the Lakers to acquire Chris Paul in the apparent trade being discussed.

This trade should go to a vote of the 29 owners of the Hornets.

Over the next three seasons this deal would save the Lakers approximately $20 million in salaries and approximately $21 million in luxury taxes. That $21 million goes to non-taxpaying teams and to fund revenue sharing.

I cannot remember ever seeing a trade where a team got by far the best player in the trade and saved over $40 million in the process. And it doesn’t appear that they would give up any draft picks, which might allow to later make a trade for Dwight Howard. (They would also get a large trade exception that would help them improve their team and/or eventually trade for Howard.) When the Lakers got Pau Gasol (at the time considered an extremely lopsided trade) they took on tens of millions in additional salary and luxury tax and they gave up a number of prospects (one in Marc Gasol who may become a max-salary player).

I just don’t see how we can allow this trade to happen.

I know the vast majority of owners feel the same way that I do.

When will we just change the name of 25 of the 30 teams to the Washington Generals?

Please advise….

Dan G.

Read More

Were you all had? The NBA Lockout of 2011

If I told you that you could be reincarnated and earn $50 million but and all you had to do was kill yourself today, would you do it?  What if you told me that you couldn't swim but I told you that if you tried to swim across the Atlantic Ocean, you wouldn't drown, would you believe me?  I'm having a hard time figuring out why so many "fans" are disappointed by today's news that the Lakers have made an agreement with the Hornets to acquire All-Star guard Chris Paul.  The Miami Heat upgraded their bench by adding Shane Battier and a reborn Eddy Curry and the Knicks are close to acquiring NBA Champion center Tyson Chandler.  These are examples of big market teams making a splash 24 hours before training camp is to begin.  Surprised?

If you were surprised by the agreements today and/or disappointed by the fact that the big market teams are still able to sign whomever they would like then you were a victim of the owners lies plain and simple.  The NBA Lockout of 2011 was promoted by the owners as a chance
for there to be competitive balance across the league, the Pacers would be able to compete with the Knicks for talent as an example.  It was all fabricated to cover up the truth, the real reason the owners locked out the players, the owners wanted more money and in the end they received a giveback from the players of over 1 billion dollars.  You've been had!  You've been took!  Hoodwinked! Bamboozled! Led Astray!  Run amok!  Simply put you were lied to.

The big market teams will continue to grow stronger as long as the NBA is in existence because the NBA needs the Lakers, Knicks, Celtics, and Heat more than the Spurs, Pacers, Hawks or Bucks.  It's the reason only 9 different franchises have won the NBA championship since 1979.  The facts were all over the Internet throughout the summer, The Closer, Jason Whitlock, and myself tried to educated as many "fans" as we could about the real reason the owners had locked the players out, but we could only do so much as Commissioner Stern could jump on his mouth piece known as ESPN and spins "fans" at his leisure.  If the Lakers acquire Paul it will no doubt signal the final days for Dwight Howard in Orlando as he desires to be paired with an All-Star caliber point guard not named Jameer Nelson, but would the owners really allow their reputations to be tarnished in the eyes of the fans if the big market teams continue to grow stronger?

As I began this post 15 minutes ago, Adrian Wojnarwski of Yahoo sports reported via twitter that the owners were irate in a Board of Governors meeting with Stern that the Hornets who are currently league owned would be allowed to trade Chris Paul away and now the news has just broke that the NBA has killed the trade agreement between the Lakers and Hornets.....can someone tell us why?  It seems as if the owners grew wise to the fact that this proposed trade if culminated would have exposed them as liars and David Stern has now not allowed the trade to take place.

All of this is breaking as I typed and I just finished a phone call with The Closer and I must say that I am in a state of shock that this has happened.  What else do the owners want from the players at this point in time?  This is an absolute abuse of power and these words that are being typed are coming from a place of raw emotion, reports are that Chris Paul is devastated by the recent developments of tonight and this is perhaps the worst thing that I've ever witnessed in my almost 20 years of following the NBA.  Reports are also stating that due to a conflict of interest is why the Hornets were order to rescind the trade, but keep in mind that a conflict of interest works both ways because it is a conflict of interest to block the trade as well.  I leave you with one question, if the Hornets were going to trade Chris Paul to the Pacers, Timberwolves or Hawks, do you think the league would have imposed its will the way it did this evening?

Chris Broussard of ESPN has just reported that Chris Paul will explore legal action against the league with NBPA Director Billy Hunter to fight the blocked trade.

Read More

The End has Come: The NBA Lockout of 2011

   Well over 140 days of agony has come to an end, the seconds turned into hours, hours into days, days into weeks, and weeks into months and now today, we are finally at the end.  The new NBA season will begin on December 25th, Christmas Day and will support a 66 game season with the All Star game still intact for the city of Orlando in February.  Training camp and the beginning of Free Agency will begin on December 9th.  At the end of the last lockout where games were lost in 1999, the slogan changed from "We love this game" to "We still love this game" but the message this time has to be more clear, more precise, "We still love our fans".  That's the message that has to be sent out from the league and its player due to the damage that the lockout caused.  Recent history has shown us that the majority of fans will always blame the players for being "greedy" and causing lockouts due to misinformation and other sinister reasons but again the message needs to be heard loud and clear, battered into the minds of the many, "We still love our fans!"  

Perception will show that David Stern and the owners won the negotiations but reality will prove that there were no winners.  I challenge anyone who proclaims themselves
as a winner of this debacle to look in the eyes of the fans and claim victory or the arena workers.  Look into the eyes of the many front office staffers who were laid off and claim victory.  Do you have the fortitude to do so?  Once again, there were no winners but there were casualties on both sides and the millions of dollars that were lost during the lockout of 2011 will never be earned back.  Make no mistake about it, this was a power play by the owners of the NBA and even though some such as Micky Arison of the Miami Heat and James Dolan of the Knicks sided with the players, they were outnumbered.

Soon after we hear the balls bouncing, sneakers squeaking, and whistles blowing, the anger will disappear and the fans will return once more; David Stern will continue to be booed at every NBA function and Cleveland will still hate Lebron James.  We have our NBA again and what a season it will be, will Derrick Rose continue to play like an MVP?  Can Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook take the next step and lead the OKC Thunder to the NBA Finals?  There's no doubt that the biggest story of the new season will be Dwight Howard and where will he decide to take his talents in the off season.  So many questions, too many answers, and so little time.

While you enjoy the current season just take a moment and realize the sacrifices that had to be made in order for the season to take place.  Ask yourselves, would you take close to a 40% pay cut without a fight?  Would you be upset if your boss gave you a raise only to retract it years later and if you were a member of a union wouldn't you have them fight for your rights?  Please take all of those situations into account before you call the players greedy or undeserving.  Sacrifices were made for all of us to enjoy the game that we love and that should be focused on, not the perceived negative feelings.  Enjoy the season but don't judge because after all the smoke has cleared, you'd do the same as the players of the NBA did if you were faced with their situation.  NBA basketball has returned and we all should rejoice for today is a great day for the fans!

Tentative NBA Agreement Press Conference

Read More

The Closer has returned

The Closer has returned and he is angry, check out his latest piece about the current state of the NBA Lockout of 2011.

Out of Hibernation: The Closer returns!

Read More

A Nuclear Winter: The NBA Lockout of 2011

      "We are about to go into the nuclear winter of the NBA."   David Stern

After the news surfaced yesterday afternoon that the players had rejected the latest proposal from the NBA and was headed towards a dissolution of the Players Union, NBA Commissioner David Stern took to the airwaves with an 11 minute interview on ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports.  Quite frankly, Stern can take to the air whenever he desires based on the fact that ESPN, Turner Sports, and ABC Sports are all partners of the NBA, not the players, but the NBA entity.  During the "winter" months, a significant chunk of their programming is dedicated to the coverage of the NBA, use NBATV as an example which is owned by Turner Sports, the majority of their NBA coverage now is based on the greatest playoff games which can't feature any current player in the NBA due to the lockout, can you say plan b.  Knowing that the media outlets mentioned above are partners, wouldn't one come to the conclusion that since Stern
is the head of the snake, then they are all promoting his message and not the message of the soon to be defunct Players Union?  

David Stern

The NBA ran a massive media public relations fest in the days leading up to yesterday, spreading the owners side of the story and forcing the will of David Stern onto mindless viewers.  Headlines showered the Internet in bold lettering stating that the players had rejected the latest proposal but I implore you to take a moment and think of this.  During negotiations there's the two entities and they are supported by their lawyers, a proposal is created and brought to the table by both sides, both sides can accept or reject said proposal, both sides can modify said proposal until an agreement between both sides is reached.  I question why it is that the media always broadcasts when the players have rejected a deal but never when the owners have rejected a deal.....take a second and let that soak in.  Have you ever once heard about the owners rejecting a NBPA proposal?  A fair and balanced message is not being sent out and it's swaying the public opinion in a negative manner thus the truth is out there, you just have to actually do a little work to find it.  Foxsports columnist Jason Whitlock has spoken the truth about this current lockout since its inception and not just the players point of view, he has covered all angles.  Myself and The Closer have shed light on some of the injustices of the lockout and The Real NBA has seen record growth over the off-season due to our complete coverage of the lockout......the truth is out there.

What does a "Disclaimer of Interest" mean for the future of league?

Fisher and Hunter

By filing a disclaimer of interest, the Players Union is dissolved and it allows the players of the NBA to file an antitrust lawsuit against the league with the federal court and the players have stated that they will file the suit within the next 48 hours.  Billy Hunter and Derek Fisher addressed the players last night with a letter explaining the legalities of the current process.  The court proceedings could be lengthy and that has brought many to the conclusion that the entire season will be lost but even with that said there's still a small window of opportunity for the two sides to come together, make a deal and allow us, the fans to at least enjoy a 50 game season.  There is a faction of players who are willing to take the route of decertification which would give Billy Hunter and David Stern 45 days to continue to negotiating a deal until the future of the union comes to a vote.  Instead of one antitrust lawsuit, decertifying the union would allow for all 450 players to bring lawsuits against the league individually which would put an incredible amount of pressure on the owners and David Stern.  

At this point in time no one knows what the future holds for the NBA so I am not going to pretend as I do.  I will only say that I believe in what's right and if the players had gone on strike for more money I would have been on the side of the owners without hesitating but what we have here is highway robbery plain and simple.  I stand by the players 100% and if the season has to be canceled in order for this injustice to be fixed then so be it.  All the players have asked is to just play under a system that's fair, not a system that only has the interest of the owners in mind.  The league was built off of the productivity of the players past and present, Wilt-Russell, Magic-Larry, MJ against the greats of the 90's and today the game is driven by future Hall of Famers like Kobe, Wade, James, Howard, and Paul.  They are fighting the good fight and not just for themselves but for players past and present.  They won't cripple the future for the current rookies and players to come nor will they spit on the players of the past who'd sacrificed and battled the NBA in past labor negotiations.  The current NBA players are the caretakers of the game and are shouldered with the responsibility of protecting their contemporaries past, present, and future.  This too shall pass for the NBA and its players shall have life once again.

Read More

Billy Hunter addresses players

Hunter's letter to the NBA Players

Read More

NBA Players reject deal

ESPN NBA NBA players reject owners' offer

Read More

David Stern sends letter to NBA Players

Letter to NBA Players

Read More

Billy Hunter addresses NBA Players

TO: ALL PLAYERS

FROM: G. WILLIAM HUNTER

DATE: November 01, 2011

RE: COLLECTIVE BARGAINING UPDATE (NOVEMBER 1, 2011)

As you have undoubtedly heard, negotiations with the owners aimed at ending their 4-month lockout collapsed on Friday, October 28. After three days of productive talks, which followed a week of negotiations aided by the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service, the owners held firm to their ultimatum that we take a 50/50 split in BRI. It was at this moment that the Negotiating Committee and I decided that it no longer made sense for the union to continue the negotiations, and I led our group out of the room. Derek sent out a thoughtful letter last night summarizing his thoughts, and I want to follow up to reinforce his message of solidarity and reflect on where we may go from here.

Let me begin with some positive news. During the marathon session last Wednesday and the two days that followed on Thursday and Friday, we made great progress in working through many of the system issues that must be resolved before a deal can be reached. While the soft cap/luxury tax system we are negotiating is far from perfect and contains positives and negatives for both sides, I believe that if the last few system issues are resolved in our favor, it will be one that we can recommend to you. Without question, we have given more than the owners, but at bottom, we are determined to defend the principles we have fought for throughout -- guaranteed contracts, healthy minimums, fair maximums, a strong middle class, and a true market for free agency.

Unfortunately,

there is still work to do before we can declare these victories, and several important system issues must be resolved. So far, we have agreed to raise the team salary floor and implement a more punitive tax system that will diminish the gap between high and low spending teams. However, we still must fight to keep all teams in the market for player services, and as a result many key issues remain, including limiting additional penalties for repeat taxpayers, insuring that the luxury tax is not overly oppressive, and the continued availability of the midlevel exception and sign and trade transactions for taxpaying teams. While these issues may sit outside the spotlight, they have a major effect on player working conditions and the ability to create a robust and fair market for player services. Further, we must have additional discussions on revenue sharing. Based on the limited review we were finally granted last Friday, the revenue sharing system proposed by the NBA addresses the profitability issues of small market teams. However, it reduces the incentive for small market teams to grow revenues and improve.

Our meeting on Friday, however, did not collapse because of system issues. Our Negotiating Committee reached the unanimous conclusion that the NBA's 50% ultimatum, combined with the league's hard line position on the remaining system issues, was unacceptable for the players.

As you know, NBA players have received 57% of BRI for many years. In an effort to make a deal and save the season, in past meetings we have offered to reduce our share to as low as 52.5% with certain system issues in our favor. On Friday, considering the many system points we had already conceded, I hoped and expected the owners would move towards our proposed BRI number. Instead, Commissioner Stern insisted that the NBA would move no further than 50%, and I ended the meeting.

In my view, a 50/50 split of BRI does not adequately compensate the players for our services to the NBA. Remember that BRI does not reflect the total revenues generated by the NBA. The NBA is allowed to take hundreds of millions in "expense credits" before sharing any revenue with the players ($543m in 2010-11). Given this, under the NBA's proposal, the players would receive only 44% of total revenue generated by the league. By comparison, we received 50% of total revenue under the previous CBA, and our 53/47 proposal would reduce the player share to 46.4% of total revenues. In addition, compared to our former 57/43 split, the owner's proposed 50/50 shifts more than $300 million per year to the owners, which equates to more than $3 billion over a 10-year deal. A move of this magnitude guarantees operating profits for all owners irrespective of quality of management and does not allow players to adequately share in the growth of the league.

It is important that you know that our Negotiating Committee has made every possible effort to resolve this conflict. We have proposed a diverse array of ideas and concepts to address the NBA's concerns about competitive balance and salary disparities. Regarding the BRI split, we have made significant compromises in an effort to bridge the financial gap that separates us. In fact, our offer of 53% amounts to an average of $185 million per year in financial givebacks, which, even under the most pessimistic interpretation of the league's financial statements, covers the league's entire purported operating loss.

The NBA, however, seems resigned to testing the resolve of our players through intimidation and hard bargaining tactics. They have given us "take it or leave it" ultimatums, threatened to end the season prematurely, reached out to players in an attempt to divide us, misled the press, and pre-conditioned further talks on our acceptance of significant concessions. This is an unacceptable form of negotiation, especially where the respective fates of the players and the owners are inextricably related. Moreover, it does nothing but damage the relationship between the league and union.

Furthermore, in recent weeks you have no doubt seen, heard or read Commissioner Stern in the media as he embarked on a media blitz intended to scare players and inflame the public. Do not buy into this. This public saber rattling is common in high profile and high stakes negotiations, and we anticipate that it will continue and intensify as the lockout continues. We will not be intimidated by public threats, ultimatums and manufactured drop dead dates. We will stand firm in our resolve to negotiate a fair deal for our current membership and those who will join our ranks in the future.

Your role is an important one. The owners need to know that we will stand strong until they are ready to finish negotiating a fair deal -- not one reached with preconditions, and not one forced down our throat with the threat of missed paychecks. We have prepared for this moment for over two years and now we are here. We are proud of the actions of our Committee and take great comfort in knowing that we have your support.

One final note before I conclude. Contrary to what is being said in the media, Derek, myself and the Negotiating Committee are of one accord. Derek is a fearless defender of player rights both at the bargaining table and behind the scenes, and he carries out his duties as President with the same degree of courage, focus and tenacity that he has exhibited on the court as a five-time champion. We are all well served to have Derek in a leadership capacity during these negotiations.

We will communicate more details on short-term and long-term logistical plans in dealing with this lockout and updates on the negotiations. Thank you again, and please feel free to contact me or the staff with any questions or concerns.

G. WILLIAM HUNTER
G.W.H.

Read More

Divide and Conquer: NBA Lockout 2011

Divide and Conquer also known as divide and rule refers to a strategy that breaks up existing power structures and prevents smaller groups from linking up.

David Stern 

Lets not shroud this in something that it is not, this is about winning, always was but winning is in part perception.  Take a look at NBA Commissioner Stern's press conference last evening after talks between the owners and the player union broke down again.  During said press conference, Stern took the misinformed on a magical tour through his world of spin where the owners supposedly "moved" yesterday from 47% to allowing the players to have 50% of Basketball Related Income "BRI".  That may have been news to the misinformed casual fan who wants the players to take a deal at all costs due to that type of fan being thirty for NBA basketball, but the reality is that everyone in the know has known that a 50/50 split has been what the owners have wanted all along.  There was no new revelations last evening from Stern other than the cancellation of NBA games through November 30th, but even with that news, it was expected to be announced once the week began anyway, so again many of you got spun yesterday
by Stern to put the players and their leadership at fault here.  The major players in the lockout are Commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver who represents the owners versus Executive Director of the NBPA Billy Hunter and President of the NBPA Derek Fisher represents the players.   At its core it seems to be a fair fight, power matching power, equal sides but what if the sides aren't equal, what if the odds are in the favor of the NBA, what if in all reality the ratio is 3 against 1 with Hunter being the odd man out.

Michael Curry 

Last evening Jason Whitlock of Foxsports.com suggested that there may be a rift in the ranks of the NBPA.  In his piece Is Fisher in Stern's back pocket?  Whitlock detailed the sudden rise of power within the NBA Michael Curry, the previous NBPA president.  During his NBA career which started in the 93/94 season, Curry played for six franchises before retiring after the 2004/05 season.  Playing 11 years in the NBA is an accomplishment due to the fact that the average career spans about 4 seasons but Curry was known as a great defensive presence and a leader which is evident by Curry scoring only 2,986 points in his career.  To put that point total in perspective, during the 05/06 NBA season, Kobe Bryant scored 2832 for an average of 35.4 point per game while playing in 80 of 82 games.  Curry's career point total could be matched in a season by a player averaging 36.4 points per game as it has been surpassed in the past.

Curry's ascension throughout the NBA after serving as the NBPA was well chronicled by Whitlock.  June 21st of 2005, the NBPA agreed to the deal that just expired and a week later Curry stepped down as President.  A short time later, commissioner Stern named Curry the Vice President of Player Development for the NBDL.  As his ascension continued Curry would be named the NBA Vice President of Basketball Operations, and a year later assistant coach of the Detroit Piston and a year after that Head Coach of the Pistons despite little experience.  Curry is now the Associate Head Coach of the 76ers and perhaps positioned again to become a head coach.

This is relevant because Curry's ascension can be linked to an apparent link between Curry and David Stern.  If it's indeed true that Curry and Stern were linked when at a time they were supposed to be adversaries, could Derek Fisher be headed down the same road?  Is Derek Fisher selling out the players union for his own personal gain?  When negotiations broke last week, it was stated by Stern that there would be no more negotiations until the NBPA agreed to the 50/50 split of BRI but suddenly we had three days of meetings this past week.  According to Whitlock, there was a confrontation Friday morning between  Fisher, Billy Hunter, and another member of the executive committee based on the fact that Fisher has been "co-opted" by David Stern to deliver a deal of 50/50 to the owners.  Simply put there are major concerns about the relationship between David Stern and Derek Fisher with Billy Hunter being caught in the middle.

If Derek Fsher is truly working with Stern to deliver a 50/50 split behind the backs of the NBPA's executive committee then he has to be ousted a union President based on the fact that he is undercutting the union that pays him $2.6 million a year to be their president.  The NBPA's stance at this time is not to go below 52.5%  of BRI having already come down from 57%.  Each percentage point is worth $40 million and the owners are pushing for a ten year deal while the union would like to have a six year deal.  With that said the players have already agreed to give up $180 million per year for the duration of the potential deal, whether it be six or ten years, which equates to a substantial cut in pay because keep in mind that 90% of the players are making on average $5 million per year.  Fisher, a role player himself is throwing all of the other role players under the bus with his secret deal with Stern, again he needs to be ousted if the claims are true.

Derek Fisher & Billy Hunter

As David Stern spun the misinformed yesterday, he mentioned that upon hearing that the league's stance at a 50/50 split that Hunter ended the negotiations.  If Stern was counting on his improper relationship with Fisher to be his trump card, Hunter proved him wrong ending negotiations abruptly.  After yesterday's negotiations ended, no new negotiations are scheduled to take place, but we've heard this story before.  The owners want a BRI split of 50/50 and the NBPA wants a split of 52.5/47.5; this is where we are and before negotiations can start again Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter must bring their ideologies together and not just stand together at pressers.  The time is now to get this deal done but it has to be the right deal for both parties, no selling out, no me first mentality, this deal has to be done on good faith and not on undisclosed preconditions.  The players union must stay strong, must stay united because a union divided will usher in being conquered by David Stern and his minions.

Update:  Fisher responds to Whitlock's Claim

Read More

50/50: The NBA Lockout of 2011

Film 50/50

   What does one think of when they hear the phrase 50/50?  Do they think of the percentage that 50/50 represents, yes or no, right or wrong, or even life or death?  Do they think of the film that opened on September 30th that featured the likes of Joseph Gordan-Levitt and Seth Rogen which was based on the life of the film's screen writer Will Reiser who had a bout with cancer?  At this point in time neither of those things come to mind if someone were to ask me what 50/50 represented and yes I do acknowledge that this month we are celebrating Nation Breast Cancer Awareness Month as both of my parents have had their own bouts with that terrible disease.  What comes to mind when I hear 50/50 is the owners of the NBA forcing the players of the league to accept a 50/50 split when it comes to Basketball Related Income "BRI" in exchange for allowing the players to resume their careers in the NBA.

One thing that I would like the casual NBA fan to understand is that this isn't a player strike.  The players of the NBA would rather
be out playing basketball as evident by the number of exhibition games that have taken place throughout the summer.  A few months back when I wrote Perception or Reality I had every reason to believe that the owners, the caretakers of the game, would come to an agreement with the Nation Basketball Players Association "NBPA" without any form of significant blood loss but I just found out how wrong I was.  The majority of owners are driven by the urge to turn a profit rather than supply the fans with the game we love.  The reality is that this lockout is about Greed as the Closer so eloquently stated with his piece The Lockout is Called Greed, but it is the greed of the owners and not the players.  Instead of the owners taking personal responsibility for their own actions by just showing restraint, they have painted this picture of the greedy player who'd rather sit out a season than take a 50/50 split.  At this point in time where 22 of 30 NBA franchises allegedly incurred financial loses, the players earn 57% of BRI and they have offered to lower that percentage to 53% during recent discussions between the Owners and the Players union with each 1% representing about $40 million dollars.  With that said, the players have already given up about $160 million dollars.

Adam Silver

Just a mere hour ago, word broke on twitter via Ken Berger of CBS that the NBA has refused to meet with the Players Union before Monday's deadline of having regular season games lost if the players don't agree to a 50/50 split of BRI beforehand.  In many facades of life, a 50/50 split may sound fair but consider this for a moment, how fair is a 50/50 split when it is being divided between 30 owners and 450 players?  The Players  Union is trying to set a meeting up at this very moment but the owners are being extremely closed mind at this time, again they are the supposed to be the caretakers of the game we love but there's more.  The average career of a player in the NBA is 4.5 years and to that player, the non superstar, the lockout means even more;  a 50/50 split would represent about $280 million in loses for the players over the course of their playing career.  As of now, the first two weeks of the regular season are scheduled to be canceled Monday when the league office in New York reopens and NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver recently commented on today's news:


“What we told the union was that we were not prepared to negotiate over the B.R.I. split beyond the 50-50 concept that had already been discussed.......the league was prepared to continue negotiating over the many other issues that remain open”

The issues that remain open are the salary cap system, the length of future contracts, and the luxury tax.  

Perhaps the saddest thing of all in this situation is that the owners of the NBA are taking advantage of the public interest, most of the casual fans could care less about the NBA and there's more sinister causes behind that at play but in a time where America is facing it's largest economic crisis in decades, public interest in the plight of the players is vacant.  The sentiment is that players should sell their collective souls to the wants and desries of the owners and gravel at their feet, begging for their jobs back.......I think not!  Just a week ago during a negotiating session it was widely reported that Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat had a heated exchange with NBA Commissioner David Stern and asked him not to speak to the players as if they were his children.  

Derek Fisher & Dwyane Wade

As insignificant as it was to some, it was a power statement for the players.  In all my years of following the NBA, I've never seen nor heard of someone firing back at Stern, especially to his face as Wade had done.  After news of the exchange broke, Media Personality Bomani Jones tweeted that D-Wade is a G because he knows as do I that no one has stood up to Stern during his tenure as NBA Commissioner.  What made Wade's stance so powerful is that he represents the selfless NBA player who'd sacrifice for the benefit of winning.  Wade could have earned the "Joe Johnson" contract of $119 million over six years but instead he made the sacrifice of around $19 million to allow the Miami Heat to sign Lebron James as well as Chris Bosh in an effort to win another NBA title, a title that Joe Johnson is still searching for.  Wade is arguably the third greatest shooting guard in the history, only behind Kobe Bryant and of course Michael Jordan and there he was standing up to perhaps the most powerful commissioner in sports.....David Stern.  In a room with players Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul Pierce, it was Wade's voice that resonated the loudest, coincidence, I think not.  Wade was not only protecting himself, a franchise player but he was also protecting the role players of the NBA, the little guys, the hard workers such as teammate Udonis Haslem.  His voice needed to be heard, his passion needed to be felt.  

In various life situations I often ask myself, What's the endgame?  As of now we know, the first two weeks of the regular season will be canceled come Monday if some miracle doesn't happen between now and then and it's widely believed that the players are willing to sit out the season rather than take a deal that they are being strong armed into accepting.  So how will this all end?  At this point in time I only have one answer; as Al Michaels once famously asked "Do you believe in miracles?", my answer would be a resounding yes I do!   

Read More

Fisher's letter to the NBA Players in response to the Agent's letter

Guys,

I write to you from New York where we have had the most recent negotiating sessions, the latest one today. I wanted to keep everyone in the loop on the events of the past few days and since my last update.

Before I update you though, I must comment on a letter that has been brought to my attention and drafted by a handful of agents representing you. The letter which I personally read this morning is to their players and had planned to release this afternoon/evening. Your agents represent you, there's a loyalty there and I can appreciate that. I'll never question it, the work they do for you, or the decisions you and they make together. The letter however includes misinformation and unsupported theories.

As you would imagine, the agents are not aware of my seeing this ahead of its release. As a player myself, I know that each player should read everything we can. My emails, media reports, letters from their representation, to form an opinion on the situation. Educate yourself, ask questions, do it all. But not all of what you read is fact, you know this, I know this.

One issue I need to again be very clear on...nothing can be accepted without a vote by the players. If and when there is a proposal that we feel is in the best interests of us as players, each of you WILL have the opportunity to vote in person. It's in the union bylaws, it's not up for negotiation. You will have the

opportunity to see the full proposal before you agree, you will be able to challenge it, question it, anything you feel appropriate in order to know that this is the best deal for you and your fellow players.

As far as the negotiations, quite a few guys came out for the meeting on Friday. We met as a group first where we updated the players on the league and owner's position which I have briefed you on previously. Everyone in the room was in agreement, we have been more than fair in our proposals.

We then continued into the meeting with David Stern, Adam Silver and the Labor Negotiations Committee including: Jeanie Buss, Peter Holt, Clay Bennett, Jim Dolan, Larry Miller, Robert Sarver, Bob Vanderweide, Glen Taylor and Mickey Arison.

It was there that we discussed details of proposals and continued to reiterate our position on several key economic and system issues. At the conclusion of the day's meetings, yet again, it was agreed by the players present, we will continue to negotiate in good faith but what we have offered thus far is fair and reasonable.

Talks continued Saturday and again today in smaller groups.

Tomorrow, as you may have read, will be another larger negotiating session. Everyone in the regional meetings, Friday's player meeting, and throughout this process has been in support of the position the NBPA has taken. We go into tomorrow's meeting strong, remaining steadfast on the issues we will not be able to move away from. Anyone saying different is not privy to the meetings and is uninformed.

Keep the questions, comments and suggestions coming. Stand united.

Derek

Read More