NBPA officials "are meeting with WNBA teams to try to
persuade them to join forces and form a players association
that would negotiate their contracts with the NBA,"
according to Athelia Knight of the WASHINGTON POST. NBPA
Exec Dir Billy Hunter said his group has recently met "with
several teams and we hope to complete that process over the
next few weeks." At least four teams, the Shock, Liberty,
Monarchs and Rockers, have met with NBPA reps and discussed
issues "of concern" for the players, including salaries,
free agency, and health and retirement benefits. Hunter:
"The players we have contacted so far appear very receptive
to our overtures" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/10).
BETTER PRODUCT? In Charlotte, Cliff Mehrtens reviews
the WNBA's second-season and writes the league is "on solid
ground." While attendance is up 3% from last year, fans are
"seeing an improved product" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 7/10).
...NEWSDAY's Shaun Powell writes on Liberty C Rebecca Lobo,
whose stats are down from last year. Powell: "Judging from
the sour public response toward Lobo, you'd swear she was
guilty of something, when she's guilty of nothing." Powell
calls her a "victim" of "hype, swallowed up by an image she
can't even begin to transfer to the court." Lobo is "no
star," and "maybe the WNBA recognized that" by not including
her in the league's "main commercial spots." Powell: "When
it drew up the blueprint for success, the WNBA prioritized
image and promotion. Both were shoveled to the public in
mass quantities, which raised the potential for a setback,
had one of their celebrities failed to deliver. ... To the
surprise of no one who followed her closely since UConn, it
was Lobo who became a victim of the system" (NEWSDAY, 7/10).
