NBA owners will vote Monday to "void the final three
years" of its CBA, "setting the stage for a potential
lockout at the end of the season," according to officials
cited by David Moore of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. The
league's Board of Governors will officially meet in Dallas
on Monday, and each of the league's 29 teams received the
report by the Labor Relations Committee appointed by NBA
Commissioner David Stern. The 17-page document "strongly
recommends the owners exercise a trigger clause" to re-open
the CBA and the "owners are expected to embrace that
recommendation." League officials have "canvassed clubs" on
the vote and "indicate that at minimum of 21 or 22 teams"
will vote to re-open. A simple majority of 15 votes is
required to re-open (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/20). NBPA Exec
Dir Billy Hunter told USA TODAY's Greg Boeck that he expects
owners to vote to re-open the CBA: "This doesn't come as a
surprise to me" (USA TODAY, 3/20).
WHAT THEY WANT: On ESPN SportsZone, David Aldridge
writes that league "[p]eople I've talked to in the last
couple of weeks don't sound like they want to crush the
union or force huge player concessions. They sound like
businessmen who want to make a deal that's good for them.
But not one that's horrible for the players." Among issues
owners "have to have relief on" include reducing the
percentage of income spent on players salaries; redoing the
rookie cap and three-year contract for draft picks, and
modifying the 20% rule where salaries rise a maximum of 20%
over the previous season (ESPN SportsZone, 3/18).
