The Real NBA is at All-Star Weekend 2012

We can't run an NBA website and not have a presence at it's premier event.  We were at last season's NBA Finals and now we are at the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend in Orlando Fl.

Courtesy of The Closer

 

Read More

Derek Fisher addresses players in letter

To Each & Every Player,

After the latest round of meetings, I thought it would be best to update you personally as to where the leadership of the National Basketball Players Association stands, where the negotiations stand where we are headed and the reasons why.

Without a doubt, someone will be leaking this. I know it. The moment you read this you will know it. So, I say all with the fullest transparency.

I was elected as your President. By you. For you. I take great pride and am honored to serve the over 400 members of our association. I and our Executive Committee take this job and this role seriously and will not agree to an unfair deal on behalf of you and our players. Period.

I'm not looking out just for the marquee guy, I'm looking out for the guy that dreams of being a professional basketball player and gets a minimum deal. I'm not just trying to protect the guy on a team in a huge market. I'm protecting the player that is in a small market with incredibly loyal fans.

I've made it clear, I want to play. You have each made it clear, you want to play. The fans have been unwavering, they want their basketball. The thousand of employees that work in the arenas, the ticket offices, the concession stands, they want a season. We all want to go back to work.

The league and the team owners have locked us out. This was not our choice. Our employers decided to stop allowing us to do our jobs.

My job since July 1st is to find a solution. To find an outcome that protects each of you and your livelihoods and continues to allow us to play the game we love so much and the fans love supporting.

Since before the lockout began, I have spent hours upon hours, days, months, years, working on preparing you, the fans and the media about the

possibilities. Now as the lockout has set in, reality of the situation is here.

The most recent meetings in New York were effective. What you have been told by your agents, representatives and the media is probably speculative and inaccurate.

What actually happened in those meetings was discussion, brainstorming and a sharing of options by both sides. The turning point this past Tuesday was not a disagreement between the players and the owners. It was actually a fundamental divide between the owners internally. They could not agree with each other on specific points of the deal and therefore it caused conflict within the league and its owners.

So it is our hope that today, Thursday, at the owners meeting in Dallas that they work out their differences, come up with a revenue sharing plan that will protect their teams and are then ready to come together and sign off on 

the agreement we as a smaller group deemed reasonable.

Decertification seems to be a hot button issue today in the media. So I'd like to address it. I've read yesterday's stories and find the position of these agents interesting. I have made myself available to each and every agent. But not once have I heard from them. If they are so concerned about the direction of the union, then why have they not contacted me? Each and every one of them mentioned has been in meetings with me. I've answered their questions, I've been told they support you, their players and our Players Association. So if there is a genuine concern, a suggestion, a question, call me. Email me. Text me. I'm working tirelessly each and every day on behalf of the over 400 players that they represent. Working for nothing but the best interests of THEIR guys. I don't make a commission, I don't make a salary for serving as President. I have NO ulterior motives. None.

It is because they have not come to me once that I question their motives.

I work every day on these negotiations. I work so that each player from Blake Griffin to Tyler Hansbrough, Pau Gasol to De'Andre Jordan, Dwight Howard to Jrue Holiday, Taj Gibson to Danny Granger, Steve Nash to Luke Babbit and every single player get a fair and reasonable deal. Not just for this year, not just for next year but for years to come. So that the league that WE the players largely helped build, continues to grow and thrive.

So to address the agents that have decided to say their piece yesterday, I don't mind. Perhaps they are trying to make news. Perhaps they just want to show you, their clients, they are working hard. But what would be appreciated by the 400+ players would be the support of our agents and constructive ideas, suggestions and solutions that are in our best interests. Not the push for a drastic move that leaves their players without a union, without pensions, without health care. We just aren't there.

I will remain committed to finding resolution to this because I know how important this is. I ask you to remain united with me and your over 400 allies, friends, brothers and colleagues. We are a powerful group if we remain united and focused on the task at hand.

I urge every single one of you to call me, text me, email me with anything. An idea, a suggestion, a concern, a question. I represent you. I work for you.

So to each player, each fan, each agent, each media member who ends up reading this...I stand behind this message. It comes from me, a 15 year veteran of basketball, the game I dreamt of playing as a kid, the game I love so much. I'm a teammate, I'm a father, I'm a son, I'm a husband, I'm a brother, but right now, the role I must work so hard to honor is the one as PA President. And I ask each of you to stand with me, stand by me and urge the league and the owners to come together and allow the game of basketball to continue to grow and thrive. We're ready.

Sincerely,

Derek

Read More

Text the Balla Commish at 516.784.5362

As the Balla Commish I feel that it's my job to keep you the fans informed with the latest relevant news in the NBA and also at the same time keep you slightly entertained especially with the current lockout that we are all living through.  With that being said my exclusive articles have slowed down due to the lack of activity in the league at this time but please keep in mind that the News/Rumors section of site is updated daily.  Over the course of the past year I've had a few dedicated readers leave comments on the work and those comments were much appreciated so recently I asked myself this question, how can I make the interaction with my readers, the fans of the NBA more personal?  I've decided to add an aspect to this site that hasn't been seen on any other blog or corporate owned site.  The goal is simply, I want to hear from you guys, my team and I wants to know if we are delivering the news and perspective that you want and in the event that we are not then we'd love to hear that as well.

I've decided to give you all unlimited access to me and this hasn't been done anywhere else.  All you have to do is simply send me a text message, I don't care what time it is, I don't care what day of the week it is, if you have questions or comments about the NBA or the Real NBA or the work of me and my team just simply send me a text and I will respond 100% of the time.  Due to the fact that I have a day job, I may not respond at the exact moment that you contact me, but I will respond because hearing from you is important to me. I am extremely serious about this matter or I wouldn't be putting my personal information out like this so don't be afraid of what I may say; just text me to gain more insight on what my team and I feel about the NBA, The Real NBA, and anything else that just happens to cross your mind that is relevant to sports.

516.784.5362

Read More

The New and Improved Real NBA

Charles Barkley Stage 1 of the Evolution

Evolution is defined as: "a gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form."  In the scientific world, "evolution" is the process by which an organism becomes more sophisticated over time and in response to its environment.  Just as natural selection drives evolution in the wild, the Evolution of the Real NBA was driven by the wants and needs of our fans.  Welcome to the new and improved Real NBA where we have evolved from a simple blog to more of an online magazine.  We want to bring you the fans as much NBA content that we can and as our fan base grows so will we.  Our regular readers will tell you that the site looks drastically different than it did only a few weeks ago as we've added a navigation bar that's home to some of the best NBA links on the net when it comes to info and history.  We've morphed from a site featuring two columns to a three column site as we've
added multiple interactive pages for all of the fans to enjoy.  With the added features and links you can now make The Real NBA your internet browsers homepage.

Tez's Corner:

His opinions are strong, his love for the Orlando Magic boundless, he is CP Tez and he has the stage all to himself on his corner.  No one is safe from Tez while on his corner, not even the franchise Dwight Howard.  CP Tez will take no prisoners with his insight and style, and he quest to see his Magic win an NBA Championship, enjoy the ride.

News/Rumors:

This section has been added to bring our readers the best news/rumors from around the NBA.  Just to be clear on this, the rumors involved will be based on trades/contracts and not so much on who happens to be dating a Kardashian at the moment.  The News/Rumors page will also be home to a live twitter feed that will feature the absolute latest breaking news; as news happens.  I will be tweeting throughout the day, everyday.  The page as a whole will be updated daily and along with the breaking news of the live twitter feed, so just to be safe you may want to check it multiple times throughout the day to stay up to date with the latest happenings in the NBA.  Underneath each picture will be a link, just click the link to have the latest news before your very eyes.

Shawn Kemp Stage 2 of the Evolution

The Closer Speaks:

Once upon a time he was a contributor hidden in the background but now he's front and center to take his rightful place at the side of the Balla Commish.  He is The Closer and he will give his unique perspective on the NBA as seen through his eyes.  Every two weeks once the season begins and occasionally in the off season The Closer will grace us with his insightful thoughts and quick wit.  He and I will often have opposing views which will bring a different but much needed appeal to The Real NBA and I'm looking forward to it.  I value his fandom more so than anyone else in my inner circle and he is a welcomed addition.

The Mobile Experience:

The Real NBA has been optimized for the best possible mobile viewing experience while on the go, but to unleash the full power of The Real NBA readers can select to view the web version of the site on the very bottom of the default mobile version.

Blake Griffin Stage 3 of The Evolution

We do this for you, the fans, and your participation will be paramount for us to continue to know what you want because as your needs and wants change we would like to change with you and continue to bring you the content that you desire on daily, weekly, and monthly basis.  The Real NBA was born from the idea of two and now it's here to represent a Nation of many bright NBA voices waiting to be heard, acknowledged.  The league may at times take you for granted but here we never will.  We will continue to bring you the hard hitting articles that made us famous but now with more opinions than ever before and always remember to select read more on our homepage.

Read More

The Evolution of the Real NBA

As children enter the world, they create their own journey by maturing, growing and evolving into the adults that they were destined to be at the moment of their births as will The Real NBA.  This site began as The Fans NBA and then we morphed into The Real NBA; evolution is our next step and next week that evolution begins.  The goal is simple, we want to become your source for all things NBA that actually matters to you...the fans.  We do this simply for you and out of love for you and the game that we all love, the best game this world has ever seen, the NBA.  We will bring you more content, more features, and much more fact based opinion than before so in the meantime continue to enjoy our older posts because mid week, next week The Real NBA will relaunch and our continued growth will coincide with yours, our beloved fans, the members of the Balla Nation!  

Read More