NBA player agents Arn Tellem, Bill Duffy, Mark Bartelstein, Jeff Schwartz and Dan Fegan held a conference call Monday to discuss "how they can help the players union in its stalemate with the league's owners," and their answer was to "blow the union up," according to Broussard & Abbott of ESPN.com. The agents' view "is that the owners currently have most, if not all, of the leverage in these talks and that something needs to be done to turn the tide." They believe that "decertification will do the trick," and spoke Monday "about the process of decertifying the union." NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter said yesterday that the players "are not yet considering decertifying." Rather, Hunter "believes he has his own weapon to change the tenor of the talks in the lawsuit the union filed" with the NLRB, and he is "not likely to consider decertification until getting the results of the suit." The agents "could push for an involuntary decertification by getting 30 percent of the league's players to sign a petition saying it supports decertification," and that is "almost exactly the percentage of NBA players the five agents represent" (ESPN.com, 9/14). YAHOO SPORTS' Adrian Wojnarowski cited sources as saying that Hunter has "already lost the top agents, who are laying the groundwork for a coup." The agents said that the "decision to make a move on Hunter could come as soon as this week." The "core agents had been recruiting rival agents to join them in the overthrow, trying to get the majority vote needed to decertify." One agent said that he has had "several conversations in the last 48 hours with the powerbrokers, and feels inclined to eventually join the cause" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/13). ESPN.com's J.A. Adande notes decertification "wouldn't assure any quicker resolution, especially because the NBA has taken enough steps to make a case for good-faith negotiations." Celtics C Jermaine O'Neal: "Our intention as a union is to work out something with the owners. If we decertify we don't know where that goes. It becomes a legal issue after that" (ESPN.com, 9/14).
BRINGING UNITY TO THE UNION: USA TODAY's J. Michael Falgoust writes there is a "solidarity among NBA players they didn't have during the 1998-99 labor stoppage, which resulted in a 50-game season." Grizzlies G Tony Allen is "firmly behind" Hunter. Allen: "I believe in him. I'm honoring whatever he's saying. He's old enough and has been in this league to know what's right. If there ain't a season, I can't dictate none of that. I'm just riding with the association -- to the fullest" (USA TODAY, 9/14). Pacers F and player rep Dahntay Jones said, "We're happy with our representation at the meetings. We're prepared for the situation. We're prepared for what could possibly happen. We've been ready for it. It's not (anything) new. We know what the worst and the best outcome could be. We're waiting patiently" (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/13).
