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Leagues and Governing Bodies

EWING CALLS THE NBA'S LATEST CBA OFFER A STEP BACK

          The latest CBA offer from NBA owners "includes some
     movement on their proposals for maximum and minimum
     salaries," according to Chris Sheridan of the AP.  The union
     is expected to respond to the offer later this week. 
     Sources said the league's latest offer included two
     "different fiscal operating systems, designed to slow the
     growth of player salaries."  One system would keep the Larry
     Bird exception, but "would mandate a scaling back of the
     percentage" of basketball-related income (BRI) devoted to
     players salaries from 57% last year to 54% in '98-99, 52% in
     '99-2000 and down to 48% in '01-02.  If those thresholds
     were exceeded, "money would be returned to the owners."  
     But the union claims such a limit constitutes a hard cap. 
     Another system would eliminate the Bird rule after a three-
     year exception, eliminate the $1M salary cap exception and
     reduce the "maximum raise" from 20% to 5% "for all but a
     handful of players."  Both systems would include a maximum
     salary rule, a "lengthened rookie salary scale and small
     increases in the minimum salary for veterans" (AP, 9/29).
          EWING LOOKS TO STOP LEAGUE'S SPIN-MOVE: NBPA President
     Patrick Ewing "blasted" the owners' latest proposal.  Ewing:
     "The new owners' proposal is the same crap.  (The fans) are
     going to blame us (for games lost) because the owners have
     the money to put their spin on things.  That's the way it's
     always been" (Frank Isola, N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/29).  An NBPA
     official, on the latest proposal: "They haven't tweaked
     anything.  They have now introduced new issues about a host
     of other subjects, which does not appear to be something
     calculated to lead to a quick resolution" (BLOOMBERG, 9/29).
          NO SHORTENED SEASON? On CBS SportsLine, Mike Kahn
     writes, "Lost amid all the posturing, is a compromise. 
     There just seems to be no grounds for agreement between the
     existing soft cap ... and the proposed hard cap."  Kahn adds
     that the two sides are "stymied," and that this is "a bad
     scenario that has yet to break in the right direction. ...
     But with the fundamental difference of opinion, there seems
     to be no hope in the near future."  NBA Commissioner David
     Stern has said that he will not start the season in mid-
     January like the NHL did in '95.  Stern: "It's not worth it. 
     We're not going to ruin the integrity of the game like that. 
     We'll cancel the season first" (CBS SportsLine, 9/29).  One
     NBA exec told Eddie Sefko of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE, "There
     is a point beyond which the season loses credibility.  
     There wouldn't be a 50-game season, for instance."  Stern
     told Sefko, "Such hope as there is (to start the season on
     time) seems to be dwindling" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/29).  

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