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Leagues and Governing Bodies

NBA Lockout Watch, Day 130: Jordan's New Role As Hardliner Considered Hypocritical

Bobcats Owner Michael Jordan "and a group of other small-market owners are against the concept of even a 50-50 split of league revenue," according to sources cited by Alan Hahn of NEWSDAY.  A source said Jordan is "seeing opportunity to make the Bobcats profitable, and this is his only chance to do that" (NEWSDAY, 11/5). SPORTING NEWS' David Steele wrote if the "Jordan-led faction of owners gets its way, the 2011-12 season is in grave danger." Players "certainly are aware that their hero is a turncoat." Steele wrote, "Michael Jordan played then and wanted to get his. He owns now, and he wants to get his again. He knows they know it. And he doesn’t care if they do" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 11/5). The AP's Brian Mahoney noted although Saturday's "lengthy meeting offered hope of compromise -- despite the rare attendance of" Jordan, Trail Blazers Owner Paul Allen and other hard-line owners -- union lead outside counsel Jeffrey Kessler said that the "owners never really made any." Kessler said, "They came in here with a prearranged plan to try to strong arm the players. They knew today they were sticking to 50 [percent BRI share for the players], essentially 50.2 They were going to make almost no movement on the system, and then they were going to say, 'My way, or the 47 percent highway.'" Mahoney noted NBA Commissioner David Stern "wouldn't call [the NBA's offer] an ultimatum, but it sure didn't sit well with the union" (AP, 11/6). In N.Y., Mitch Lawrence noted Jordan is "one of nearly 12 owners who don’t want players to get above 47%." But Stern said that he "would have enough votes to get the deal for the players allowing for them to get upwards of 51%." Lawrence noted that is because Jordan and "other small- and mid-market owners who lost $300 milllion last season do not have enough votes to kill a deal" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/6). YAHOO SPORTS' Adrian Wojnarwoski noted Jordan "had become one of the most vocal of hardline owners, [and] union officials were anxious for him to speak up in Saturday night's meeting." But one union official said Jordan "never opened his mouth, not once" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/6).

TIMES HAVE CHANGED
: In DC, Michael Lee noted Jordan's "position is a sharp contrast from where he stood 13 years ago" during the '98-99 labor dispute. Lee noted Jordan's "stance may seem hypocritical, given how he once fought vigilantly on behalf of the players." But it "shouldn't come as a surprise, since Jordan has always been fiercely competitive and ruthless" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 11/4). In Milwaukee, Michael Hunt noted Jordan is "standing firm as one of the hard-line owners ready to shut this thing down in the absence of a deal." Hunt: "These owners are not going to flinch" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/5). Comcast SportsNet's Ivan Carter said, “Curious to see how many players wear his shoe line, or if there’s any leftover bad feelings.” However, he immediately replied, “I don’t know, he’s still M.J. They’re going to wear the shoes” (“Washington Post Live,” Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, 11/4). In Toronto, Ryan Wolstat noted if the NBA season is cancelled, "it will be interesting to see if any players stop wearing Jordan brand sneakers whenever they get back on the court." Wizards G Nick Young on Twitter wrote, "I'm not wearing Jordans no more." Sources said that Jordan "has not opened his mouth when the union was in the room, but has been very vocal when only owners were present" (TORONTO SUN, 11/6). FS OHIO's Sam Amico wrote Jordan will "do what is best for the party to which he belongs," and he "owes nothing to anyone else -- anywhere." Amico asked, "Have we really become so warped and spoiled that we expect Jordan to have an agenda other than fighting for his franchise?" (FOXSPORTSOHIO.com, 11/6). In Phoenix, Bob Young writes Jordan is "cold-blooded in his role as owner." It is the "height of arrogance and hypocrisy, and it makes us wonder whether it might hit Jordan in the pocketbook a lot harder than a bad labor agreement." Young asks, "Are those players going to want to represent a man who first cashed in on them, and now has cashed out?" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 11/7).

WOULD ARISON GET TURNED OFF? In Ft. Lauderdale, Ira Winderman wrote, "I could see the frustration over the inability to get a deal eventually pushing [Heat Owner] Micky [Arison] away from the pleasures of NBA ownership." Winderman added, "And that could push his assets away from the Heat table as well. And that could change everything about the basketball equation in South Florida. It's one thing for Mark Cuban to continue to bang heads with David Stern and stubborn owners. But I'm not sure Micky needs that at this stage" (SUN-SENTINEL.com, 11/5).

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