Talks between the NBA and its players union are
scheduled to resume around 12:00pm ET today after a group of
"about" 150 players and the league's Board of Governors hold
separate meetings in the morning, according to Chris
Sheridan of the AP. The NBA and NBPA met for four hours on
Tuesday after meeting for nine hours on Monday. Tuesday's
meeting was spent "discussing non-economic issues such as
personal conduct clauses, player discipline and substance
abuse policy." NBA Chief Legal Officer Jeffrey Mishkin: "We
talked about a lot of issues. I can't say we made a lot of
progress." NBA Commissioner David Stern and Deputy
Commissioner Russ Granik did not participate in yesterday's
meeting and met "instead with the owners' labor committee"
(AP, 10/28). Hunter: "I'm optimistic there's going to be a
deal. But I can't say it's going to be this week." In
N.Y., Fred Kerber writes that today's meetings "could fuel
or sap optimism and give a gauge on the fate of the season"
(N.Y. POST, 10/28). Union attorney Ron Klempner: "We still
have significant differences. I don't think we're anywhere
near close to a deal" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/28).
ON THE TABLE: In N.Y., Mike Wise reports that "there
are clear signs that both sides are beginning to
compromise." An economic model being discussed would
include a luxury tax for the first two years of a deal to
bring salaries "in line with revenue growth." The next two
years would "involve the league's plans for an escrow fund."
If total revenue devoted to salaries wasn't lowered to 52%,
"enough of that escrow money would be returned to the owners
to hit the league's targeted percentages," 52% in 2000-01,
50% in 2001-02 and 48% in 2002-03. One compromise discussed
"would not involve all escrow returned to the owners" (N.Y.
TIMES, 10/28). NEWSDAY's Greg Logan adds that two concepts
on the table are a salary cap credit proposed by the NBPA
and the escrow account (NEWSDAY, 10/28). Hunter:
"Tentatively we've agreed on the system but beyond that
there's been little or no agreement." After yesterday's
talks on behavioral issues, ESPN's David Aldridge said, "The
union is still expecting something in return for its
agreement to include marijuana on the banned list. And the
sides are still apart on how severely the league can
discipline players who miss practices or games" (10/27).
DEALS? In Toronto, Frank Zicarelli quotes one agent who
says that free agents will be "getting full salaries" when
they sign for the upcoming season after the lockout. The
agent: "In a perverted way, this lockout has helped free-
agent players. When one of my guys signs a four-year, $20-
million deal, I'm asking that he gets his full share this
season, regardless of how many games are lost. A lot of
agents are doing the same" (TORONTO SUN, 10/28).
SHOULD MARKETERS MOVE THEIR MONEY? An AD AGE editorial
on the NBA lockout writes that "no marketer wants to be
taken for granted." AD AGE: "If there is no progress in
negotiations, the best spur for marketers to apply is to use
this NBA blackout period to aggressively experiment with new
ways to reach what had been the NBA audience. That can
speak louder than words" (AD AGE, 10/26 issue).
