"Despite a potential mutiny of more than half of its
members," the NBPA will resume labor negotiations with the league
today in Manhattan, according to Barbara Barker in today's
NEWSDAY. "At stake may be the life of the 40-year-old union and
the start of the NBA season." NBPA Exec Dir Simon Gourdine:
"I'm optimistic that we will be able to reach some kind of accord
that we can take back to our players" (NEWSDAY, 7/25). NBPA VP
Charles Smith, on the resumed talks: "I view it optimistically.
For one thing, it just shows the league and the players union are
trying to get a new agreement" (Fred Kerber, N.Y. POST, 7/25).
Bucks Player Rep Ed Pinckney: "I don't think you can really
expect too much from (today). What I think will happen is
they'll end up talking three or four days and, next week, we'll
end up getting back together in Chicago to talk over what
happened" (TORONTO STAR, 7/25).
THE PLOT THICKENS: Charles Bennett, a finacial consultant
to the NBPA, has resigned saying that the union misrepresented
his findings and conclusions about the league's profitability.
According to Mark Asher of the WASHINGTON POST, Bennett said in
his letter of resignation to Gourdine dated last Friday "that he
never concluded that NBA profits were declining." Bennett, in
the letter: "Many players assume that the financial analysis was
performed by my firm. I feel that my credibility has been
unfairly used by the NBPA in an effort to justify the deal"
(WASHINGTON POST, 7/25). More Bennett: "I cannot support this
Civil War between players that the (NBPA) has allowed to occur."
Gourdine: "What Charles was hired to do, and did very well, was
to help us define an accurate base of NBA revenues. Once that
was determined, Charles' work was done" (Jackie MacMullan, BOSTON
GLOBE, 7/25). Today's N.Y. TIMES reports that Bennett sent
copies of his resignation to Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing
(N.Y. TIMES, 7/25).
WE CAN HAVE A MEETING, TOO: USA TODAY reports that the
group backing decertification of the NBPA "has scheduled
informational meetings -- open to all players" in Arlington, VA,
tommorow and Los Angeles on Thursday (Roscoe Nance, USA TODAY,
7/25). USA TODAY also profiles NBPA President Buck Williams.
Williams: "I'm president of the union and I never heard of
agents trying to overthrow a union" (David DuPree, USA TODAY,
7/25). Last night, CNN's "Sports Tonight" profiled Gourdine.
CNN's Mark Morgan, noting the events since Gourdine took over for
Charles Grantham back in April: "It's obvious Gourdine has a lot
of work to do." Gourdine: "I recognize that any professional
sport is in a very fragile state and unless we keep working very
hard to keep the fans' trust and confidence, we could lose it
very quickly. ... Hopefully, at the end of this process, we are
going to emerge victorious and then we are going to tell all of
the players who disagreed with us, 'Come on back, we can get this
union to be strong and harmonious'" (CNN, 7/24).
ANOTHER COLUMNIST WEIGHS IN: In Atlanta, Aileen Voisin
writes, "Having failed to finalize a collective bargaining
agreement after almost two years of negotiations, the NBA, once
known as the League of Labor Enlightenment for never having
skipped a day's work, seems impaired by the same ailments --greed
and irrational thought -- that nearly induced a death rattle in
the NFL, the NHL and Major League Baseball. Pro Basketball is
proving to be not better and, in fact, may be far worse" (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 7/25).
