NBA and NBPA officials will meet Friday in N.Y. for "what is widely regarded as a now-or-never weekend of negotiations," and sources said that the cancellation of regular-season games "is a certainty if significant progress toward a deal isn't made over the next 72 hours," according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. There is "a level of optimism around the league -- albeit modest -- that the framework of a deal can indeed be agreed to by the middle of next week and thus preserve the entire 82-game regular season." Sources said that that optimism stems from the fact that the construction of a deal reached this weekend "would not include a hard salary cap and would preserve guaranteed contracts for the players, which rank as two of the union's biggest priorities" (ESPN.com, 9/29). Knicks G and NBPA VP Roger Mason Jr. said, "We're not going to allow the soft cap to take on the system. I'm hopeful that even with whatever system changes they want to make, that stays intact because I know what our guys want to do." Mason indicated that the union has "shown a willingness to compromise" on the issue of BRI. But he is "adamant the union will not go lower" than a 54% player share, down from the 57% they currently receive (ESPNNY.com, 9/29). Ownership sources indicated that NBA Commissioner David Stern in the end "wants a 50-50 split of the money and a hardening of the soft cap." One NBPA member said the owners have "softened, but not nearly enough" on their demand for a hard salary cap. In N.Y., Mitch Lawrence notes the owners are "pushing to reduce, if not eliminate, several of the so-called 'exceptions' that are a staple of the current soft cap and have helped drive up salaries" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/30).
WILL GAMES BE MISSED? In Miami, Israel Gutierrez writes based on the '98-99 lockout, the owners "don't tend to improve their offers once games have been lost." Gutierrez: "If the players dig in their heels now and decide to call Stern's bluff, then the talks will only go backward until, at best, there's half a season left to be played" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/30). In L.A., Helene Elliott writes it is "reasonable to think Stern has considered invoking cancellation," but it "makes no sense for him to use that hammer yet." During the last work stoppage, Stern "canceled games in blocks of a few weeks at a time until an agreement was reached and the 1998-99 season was reduced to 50 games." Elliott notes Stern is "likely to use the same strategy this time as long as there's room for both sides to bend" on the issues of BRI and the hard salary cap (L.A. TIMES, 9/30). CBSSPORTS.com's Royce Young wrote the owners "are the ones who started this lockout," and if they "come out of it with little to nothing, they'll have some serious egg on their face." Young: "Owners don't like that" (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/29). ESPN’s J.A. Adande, on the progress of the NBA lockout: “It would be unwise for the owners to come this far without going ahead and actually using their greatest leverage, and that is withholding paychecks from players” ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 9/29). ESPN’s Michael Wilbon: “They’re not going to take this seriously until November when they miss some games” (“PTI,” ESPN, 9/29).
PLAYERS PRESENT: Mason noted that the presence of the NBA stars "will have a significant impact during Friday's meeting." He said, "Star players have a huge influence on what's going on in our game, and the fact that they're there is just going to make our union even stronger" (ESPNNY.com, 9/29). On Long Island, Alan Hahn wrote the players "are not properly prepared for this lockout, not the way the league is prepared." Hahn: "This is what the owners will use as their leverage. The players may have resolve, but most of them don't have security. It would be dangerous for the star players to step in and start a fight for the sake of posterity without the understanding of what it will mean for the current state of the union" (NEWSDAY.com, 9/29). YAHOO SPORTS' Adrian Wojnarowski writes Lakers F Kobe Bryant, Heat F LeBron James, Magic C Dwight Howard and Heat G Dwyane Wade are the "most underpaid and undercompensated people in these labor negotiations." They make "far too little, and truth be told, most of their teammates make far too much." Lakers Owner Jerry Buss has said that Bryant, set to make a league-high $25M this year, "is worth perhaps $70 million a year" to his team. Wojnarowski: "This is the largely unspoken truism of labor talks: The superstars are wildly underpaid, and the largely interchangeable rank-and-file players make far too much money." Wade said, "In terms of driving up revenue, if the NBA had no cap, the compensation would be totally different." The league "doesn't want max contracts that go beyond $20 million a year anymore, but privately owners and executives know those superstar deals are the biggest bargain in the NBA." The owners are "chasing the salaries on everyone else, and that's why the union exists" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/30). Meanwhile, in DC, Carla Peay notes in the CBA negotiations, an "additional complication is the role of agents." Wizards G and NBPA VP Maurice Evans said the presence of the agents creates "a triangle." He said, "We're all separate entities, where we all have different interests. The union and the players are one entity, the agents are another and the NBA [owners are] another" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 9/30).
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Bryant reportedly closing in on contract
to play first part of Italian league season |
EUROPEAN VACATION: The AP cites a source as saying Italian club Virtus Bologna and Bryant have "settled on a $3 million contract for the opening 40 days of the Italian league season." Bryant, who "spent much of his childhood in Italy, was in the country for sponsor appearances over the past two days but was flying back to the U.S." for Friday's negotiations. The source said that the deal "has not been signed." The agreement, which would "allow Bryant to return to the Lakers immediately if the lockout ends, should last about 10 games." Bologna President Claudio Sabatini "wants to create a special schedule that assigns Bryant's games to Italy's biggest arenas" (AP, 9/30). In L.A., Mark Medina writes Bryant's deal is the "true sign that at least part of the NBA season appears to be in jeopardy." Medina: "It appears Bryant's revelation in Italy this week that it's 'very possible' he'd play there served more than just marketing hype surrounding his Nike promotional appearances" (LATIMES.com, 9/30). However, YAHOO SPORTS' Wojnarowski on Twitter wrote, "Despite Bologna GM saying deal's "95 percent done" for Kobe Bryant, source close to talks warns Y! Sports that no agreement is imminent" (TWITTER.com). And Italian sports website SPORTANDO reports the deal could be "on the verge of collapse" (SPORTANDO.net, 9/30).
ANYBODY OUT THERE? ESPN/ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy said on Houston's KILT-AM Wednesday, "You know what I was thinking about today, and even yesterday, is how very few people care about the NBA lockout." Van Gundy: "You just don't hear people talk. If it wasn't on sports talk or ESPN ... would anybody even know? You have to be careful if you're both ownership and players, that you realize with the economy and so many other options with your disposable income, don't think it will always stay like it has, it can go the other way. This is not football" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/29).
