"Negotiators for the NBA and its players' union will resume
bargaining next week at the earliest," according to NBPA Exec Dir
Simon Gourdine. "Talks had been expected to resume this week,"
according to Mark Asher in this morning's WASHINGTON POST. Asher
notes that the delay in restarting talks "pushes negotiations
closer to the date on which the [NLRB] is expected to schedule a
decertification vote. ... The deadline to file legal briefs is
Friday, and a decision is expected 7-10 days after that"
(WASHINGTON POST, 7/10).
PLAYER REAX: Mike Monroe of the DENVER POST quotes NBPA VP
Dikembe Mutumbo: "If we decertify, what kind of constitution, or
law, are we going to operate on? We live in a society of law for
everyone. I don't think there should be any particular law for
each individual." Nuggets Player Rep LaPhonso Ellis blames the
dissident players for not supporting union leadership earlier in
the negotiations. Ellis said the fact that players didn't want
to strike affected the deal they were able to make (DENVER POST,
7/9). Charles Barkley was interviewed during NBC's Wimbledon
coverage. Barkley called the present proposal "a bad deal":
"One, they've put the rookie salary cap in there, but there not
making any progress as far as getting the veterans that money.
... Secondly, we are only getting $25 million of the licensing,
and that's a billion dollar business. I don't think that's a
fair percentage" (NBC, 7/8).
