An Open Letter to the NBA and the NBAPA

Dear Gentlemen,

David Stern

First of all, we want to congratulate you on managing to kill the momentum you had built with fans over the past 10-years. It's something that isn't very easy to do. The NHL did it and is still recovering. Major League Baseball did it too, they are just now, some 8-plus years later, recovering from that decision.

We'll start here with the NBA owners.

You do realize that you caused most of this problem don't you? If you stopped overpaying marginal players you could probably do a better job of keeping your costs in line. The best possible example: The Hawks paying Joe Johnson $119 million over 6 years to help them get to the 1st round of the playoffs.

Brilliant. Don't blame players for taking these types of deals. Wouldn't you?

You also don't share your revenues. And while we sort of understand the theory of "We made the money, we should keep it", the problem is that it creates revenue differences.

Like it or not, the Indiana Pacers will never draw the revenue of the Boston Celtics or LA Lakers. It isn't possible.

Other sports share revenues and don't seem to have as big a problem as the NBA with financial imbalances.

Your commissioner speaks of potential contraction, you know, making teams go away. And while it might put some smaller, less successful owners out of their misery, it makes you, as a league look really, really bad.

Let's move on to the players:

NBAPA Prez Billy Hunter

So, you've decided to "Decertify" and sue the NBA. That strategy worked really well for the NFLPA this summer, didn't it?

Do you guys really know what you are doing? Do you understand that very few fans can relate to what you are complaining about? You do understand that while you aren't getting the "Ideal" deal that you'd like, you are still getting a chance to make "Millions"?

Yes, we get that when push comes to shove, you all are "Businssmen" who have to look out for your best interests. But is making $10 million a year as opposed to $20 million really going to create hardship for you?

Maybe you don't buy that 10th Ducati or take a room or two off of your planned $30 million mansion. Maybe you don't pay 10 of your friends $100K a year to hang out with you. But trust us, you aren't going to find a lot of people who can relate to what you are complaining about.

Both you, the players and you, the owners will fight this out to the end...and we can accept that. But know that you won't be missed by many.

Unlike the NFL, which is the world's most popular sport, you don't have millions of fans clamoring for even the smallest tidbit of information during the offseason. In fact, we would argue that most sports fans don't even pay attention to you, the NBA, until football season ends.

So, we, the fans, are warning you, the NBA that you have a BIG image problem now. We understand that you are prepared to cancel your season. We understand that you have problems that need to be fixed. But understand that most of our lives don't revolve around your 82 games.

If either of you think that fans will just come right back, you may be mistaken. But that is your problem. Just know that you are quickly headed towards a path of irrelevancy and it appears that neither of you get that.

Just know that the rest of us do.


Signed,


Former NBA fan

DEVELOPING: NBPA Rejects Offer, Season In Jeopardy (UPDATED)

The NBA Players Association has rejected the league's latest offer and are beginning the process to disband the union.

This really does not surprise the HQ in any manner as decertification is the next step in the process. But, and this is a big "but," this decision could put more than just the season at large in the balance.

We're talking the next two...

Here's the offer, decide for yourself...

More when we know more...

1530 UPDATE: Here is the statement from Commissioner David Stern...

“At a bargaining session in February 2010, Jeffrey Kessler, counsel for the union, threatened that the players would abandon the collective bargaining process and start an antitrust lawsuit against our teams if they did not get a bargaining resolution that was acceptable to them.

“In anticipation of this day, the NBA filed an unfair labor practice charge before the National Labor Relations Board asserting that, by virtue of its continued threats, the union was not bargaining in good faith. We also began a litigation in federal court in anticipation of this same bargaining tactic.

“The NBA has negotiated in good faith throughout the collective bargaining process, but -- because our revised bargaining proposal was not to its liking – the union has decided to make good on Mr. Kessler’s threat.

“There will ultimately be a new collective bargaining agreement, but the 2011-12 season is now in jeopardy.”

BREAKING: Is There A Basketball Deal...??? Maybe Not... ((UPDATED))

From Spencer Checketts and his Twitter feed...

Dave Checketts, on @ESPN700, right now, is reporting BREAKING NEWS that the NBA and the @TheNBPA have reached a deal. Stay tuned.

More when we know more...

1715 UPDATE: David Aldridge from TNT, through his Twitter, claims Checketts is off...

Just heard from 3 people who are, as we say, directly involved in talks. "Not true...long, long list of things to go." "He is wrong." "No."

And Yahoo!Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski and his Twitter are in line with Aldridge...

Stern hasn't brought completed deal - nor framework - to owners for approval yet, source says. After strong Wednesday, momentum does remain.

ESPN's Chris Broussard concurs...

3 sources have told me David Checketts' report that union/owners have deal is wrong. Direct quotes: "Absolutely not true," "No"

Report: NBA to cancel 2-more weeks of season

NBA Commish David Stern

((ht: nydailynews.com))

We have an update to what may be the least noticed lockout in the history of professional sports. And we say that as full-fledged NBA Basketball fans. We qualify it by saying very few people notice the NBA gets going this time of year, because like most sports, it gets overshadowed by Football.

According to the New York Daily News, the league will announce today (Tuesday) that two more weeks of the upcoming season will be cancelled.

That would eliminate games through November 28th.

The season was scheduled to begin on the 1st.

Read the story from the New York Daily News RIGHT HERE

There has been little movement in negotiations between the league and its players union. It isn't that they haven't tried, they have. But the players say they won't agree to the precondition of a 50-50 split that the owners want before they'll come back to the table.

Honestly folks, this isn't going to be resolved anytime soon, if at all. The owners have most of the leverage here and it would behoove the players to come up with something to resolve this.

But that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

The players aren't going to take the hefty pay cuts the owners want without getting something back. And the players don't seem to be real willing to do that. The flip side is, the owners created this mess in the first place, their lack of restraint created the bloated, overpaying system they are now trying to fix.

In the meantime, the players are trying to organize barnstorming tours and their sponsors are willing to pay them for it. Others are signing overseas deals. And while they may not make the money they would by playing, they'll make more money that you and I ever will.

It is unfortunate that this is happening as the league was poised to reclaim some of it's lost mojo. Instead, if and/or when they finally do come around to agreeing on something, they are going to have to try and rebuild everything with the fans. As always, the fans are the ones losing here and really, we think they will make their voices heard when the league comes back....and nobody goes to the games.

NBA and players to meet plus Sixers sale official

Joshua Harris

We haven't reported much about the NBA lockout, because quite honestly, its football season and we really don't pay attention to hoops until after the first of the year.

For those who don't know: The NBA and the NBA Players Association are in the midst of a serious labor disagreement. The league, realizing that player salaries are completely out of control is trying to get it under control.

They've cancelled the preseason and the first 2 weeks of the regular season. Both sides are meeting today (Tuesday) though they've not been close on negotiations. NBA commissioner David Stern is quoted as saying if they didn't get a deal done today (not likely), there won't be any NBA Basketball until at least Christmas.

In the meantime, the league approved the sale of the Philadelphia 76ers to a group led by billionaire Joshua Harris. That ownership group will be introduced today (Tuesday).

Read more from Philly.com RIGHT HERE

Forgive the op-ed here but: The NBA is right, salaries in the NBA are nothing short of ludicrous. Paying Joe Johnson $127 million for 6 years to play for the Hawks. Why? That is completely insane. And the prime example of why there needs to be restraint.

Don't get me wrong, the fact that salaries like that are being paid is not the players fault. If an owner walked up to you and offered you that much money to work for him, what would you say?

The owners had the ability to keep salaries under control and didn't. And now they are losing money, in part because if you are paying $100 million a season in salaries, it's probably not easy to make money. We get that.

So in the meantime, we get the NBA guys on barnstorming tours and playing overseas. And sure, there are and will be people that miss the games. Heck, I'll miss the games. But not enough to feel any empathy for either side in this silly dispute. One that the owners, will inevitably win.

DEVELOPING: NBA Cancels First 2 Weeks

From the NBA their own selves...

The NBA announced today that it has canceled the first two weeks of the 2011-12 regular season because a new collective bargaining agreement has not been reached with the National Basketball Players Association. This cancellation includes all games originally scheduled to be played through November 14.

“Despite extensive efforts, we have not been able to reach a new agreement
with the players’ union that allows all 30 teams to be able to compete for
a championship while fairly compensating our players,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said.

Refunds plus interest are available for all NBA season-ticket holders for
all preseason and regular-season games that are canceled.

More when we know more...

NBA Sues Players Association- And It's Only The Beginning...

From the NBA their own selves... the HQ thinks Christmas Day will be the time all of this is settled, but that's our initial gut reaction...

The NBA filed two claims today against the National Basketball Players Association: an unfair labor practice charge before the National Labor Relations Board, and a lawsuit in federal district court in New York. The unfair labor practice charge asserts that the Players Association has failed to bargain in good faith by virtue of its unlawful threats to commence a sham “decertification” and an antitrust lawsuit challenging the NBA’s lockout. The federal lawsuit seeks to establish, among other things, that the NBA's lockout does not violate federal antitrust laws and that if the Players Association's “decertification” were found to be lawful, all existing player contracts would become void and unenforceable.

“These claims were filed in an effort to eliminate the use of impermissible pressure tactics by the union which are impeding the parties’ ability to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Adam Silver. “For the parties to reach agreement on a new CBA, the union must commit to the collective bargaining process fully and in good faith.”

BREAKING: And We Have Lockout...

NBA Players Union chief Billy Hunter says owners are locking out their players eight-and-a-half hours early after failing to reach a new CBA.

In a three-hour meeting Thursday, the sides could not close the gap that remains between the two parties in their positions.

All league business is officially on hold, starting with the free agency period that would have opened Friday. The last lockout reduced the 1998-99 season to just a 50-game schedule, the only time the NBA missed games for a work stoppage.

Union executive committee member Matt Bonner says "we tried to avoid the lockout; unfortunately we couldn't reach a deal."

Earlier this week on "The Dan Patrick Show" Charles Barkley's gut feeling told him that the entire season would be lost...

Remember, this is what we were subjected to the last time this happened...


More when we know more...