NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter “continues to insist that breaking up the union via a decertification vote ‘is not a message that has crossed our lips,’" according to Mitch Lawrence of the N. Y. DAILY NEWS. Even with a “breakdown in talks and no bargaining sessions scheduled in the coming days, Hunter is adamant that the union will attempt to continue to try to work out a deal, even as it's become evident that owners and players are a long way from solving a dispute that centers on how the two sides will divide $4.3 billion.” Hunter “intends on first seeing what happens with the league's lawsuit against the union, and the complaint the union filed against the owners with the National Labor Relations Board” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/15). In N.Y., Howard Beck reports NBPA officials “pushed back swiftly against suggestions of an uprising" among a group of five agents. Lakers G and NBPA President Derek Fisher said, “I find the position of these agents questionable, at best. If they’re so concerned about the direction of the union, then why have they not contacted me at a minimum to share these concerns?” Fisher referred to decertification as a “drastic move that leaves every player without pensions, without health care” and without the legal protections of the union. Beck notes no agents or players thus far “have openly pushed for decertification or a shift in negotiating strategy,” but some players “have expressed concern, via Twitter, that the union may be conceding too much in negotiations.” Pacers G and player rep Dahntay Jones, who is represented by Mark Bartelstein, yesterday “distanced himself from his agent’s stance” against Hunter. Jones: “He has his own opinion, and we have to trust in our union.” Knicks G and NBPA VP Roger Mason Jr. said, “We don’t need a contingent of agents pushing for one thing and then the union pushing for another. I know the owners are hoping it happens, because any time there’s turmoil on one side of the negotiations, it hurts you. So I’m sure they’d love for us to have dissension among us” (N.Y. TIMES, 9/15). Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski said Hunter has “much more support among the players than he does the agents, and what Hunter has to do is fight to keep the players from following their agents” and decertifying the union ("Jim Rome Is Burning," ESPN, 9/14).
REASON FOR PESSIMISM: Mason said that “there was ‘absolutely’ a possibility the entire 2011-12 season will be erased by the lockout.” Mason: “I'm an optimistic person at heart. But what would make me think we'd have a season?” In San Antonio, Jeff McDonald notes Mason has changed his stance since last week when he posted on Twitter, “Looking like a season.” Mason initially claimed that his account was hacked, but yesterday he said that the tweet “had been accidentally posted by one of his representatives without his knowledge.” Mason said that the post “was not a sign of optimism at all,” and that it came “in answer to the question: ‘How long is the lockout going to last?’” Mason: “It's looking like we're going to miss training camp and some preseason games. Unless some things change, we could lose the season. There's no reason for me to think otherwise” (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 9/15). Mason added, "There was a false sense of optimism leading into yesterday's meetings. ... A system with a hard cap is something we don't want to do" (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/14). In DC, Tracee Hamilton writes she had “felt all along that half an NBA season was a possibility, and after Tuesday’s talks ended with a marked lack of optimism on both sides, half a season seems even more likely.” Hamilton: “I never felt this pessimistic about the NFL lockout. … But nothing that was said Tuesday can be construed as good news” (WASHINGTON POST, 9/15).
GUEST SPEAKER: SI.com’s Sam Amick cited a source as saying that NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith this morning was “expected to address the players in Las Vegas.” The hope “is that Smith can help buoy the players' spirits after discussions with the owners broke down on Tuesday while also educating them on the complex issues involved in this process.” Suns F and player rep Jared Dudley yesterday indicated that the players “had offered to lower their portion of basketball-related income from the previous 57 percent to approximately 53.” He said, “If 52 or 51 (percent) gets the deal done, I'm almost positive we'd do that. But the (owners) are trying to go in the 40s. We're not willing to go 40s" (SI.com, 9/14).
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Smith's deal with Chinese team does not
have opt-out clause to return to NBA |
BASKETBALL EXPORTS: In Boston, Gary Dzen reported free agent J.R. Smith has “signed a one-year deal with a team in the Zhejiang province of China, following former Denver teammate Wilson Chandler by signing with a team in that country.” Both deals “do not have opt-out clauses if the NBA lockout ends, meaning Smith and Chandler won’t be able to return to play in the NBA until the end of the Chinese season in March” (BOSTON.com, 9/14). The AP’s Brian Mahoney noted players “might be considering overseas alternatives now more than ever.” Wizards F and NBPA VP Maurice Evans: "As time passes, guys are going to definitely defect, and you won't be able to find the same combination of skill and talent and character that the 450 of us NBA players possess." Nets G Deron Williams' deal with Turkish team Besiktas currently “is still the only one signed by a top NBA player since the lockout began July 1,” but lower-level players “might choose any contract over no guaranteed payment back home anytime soon” (AP, 9/14).
WHO IS THE WEAKEST LINK? CBSSPORTS.com’s Ken Berger wrote, “For both sides, this is the key question as the labor talks limp forward. Who is unified and who isn't? Which side will splinter first?” NBA Commissioner David Stern said that the owners’ labor relations committee “was ‘not unanimous on every aspect’ of how to respond to the players' ultimatum.” His comment could be “a sign things aren't copacetic on that side of the aisle.” If Fisher “can keep the cage-rattlers at bay, Hunter will not bend on the money and the system,” then perhaps an “agreement on the dollars [is] within reach” (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/14). SPORTING NEWS’ David Steele wrote “who would’ve thought … that the owners would be the ones showing signs of cracking?” The players “seem willing to ride it out as long as the owners,” and they “aren’t sitting around watching their money evaporate, either.” Steele: “The players aren’t as broke as they’re perceived to be as deadlines for the upcoming season go by” (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 9/14). But a player agent said, "If you've got a bunch of agents telling players not to trust Billy, then you've got a break in solidarity." NBCSPORTS.com’s Ira Winderman notes if “that's the case, it just might be the break” Stern is looking for. Winderman: “Yes, decertification might be the path toward a more-favorable agreement for the players in the long run, but such machinations would guarantee this being a long-haul lockout” (NBCSPORTS.com, 9/15).
DON’T FORGET THE FANS: NBA.com’s Shaun Powell wrote the NBA labor negotiations involve “a third party that's just as sensitive, one that the owners and players can't afford to lose.” It is the “battle to stay in the good graces of the public, which is understandably weary right now.” In that sense, the union and owners “are on the same side, hoping to protect their best interest: the game itself,” and it is “not going to be easy.” The “good news for the NBA is, right now, the league is doing about as well as can be expected in the public relations battle.” There “hasn't been a massive groundswell of hate hurled at the league, but that's mainly because it's still the offseason.” Powell offered ways the NBA “can continue to walk the public tightrope as long as a few rules of ‘labor etiquette’ are followed,” including to keep negotiating, keep “a muzzle on the owners,” tell the players “not to brag about their bling” and comments via social media “must be kept to a minimum” (NBA.com, 9/14). Meanwhile, L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke said NBAers playing “barnstorming” exhibition games “will have a bad effect” on the labor negotiations. Plaschke: “These guys need to, frankly, get off the court and into the negotiating room ... because it makes fans think these guys don’t care about getting it done” ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 9/14).
