Comments on: Players union to host meeting in Los Angeles Friday

By: Chris Fiorentino

Chris Fiorentino — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:03:21 +0000

Even if the difference between what the players want and what the owners want is $400 million, which I think is higher than the actual number, don’t these idiots on both sides realize that with a $4 billion dollar a year pie, they are going to take 10 years to make up that $400 million difference? They are going to lose a season, and both compromise somewhere in between, and end up spending the next 20 years trying to make up the lost revenue of the 2011-12 season.

It is truly pathetic any way you look at it.

By: slowclyde86

slowclyde86 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:35:11 +0000

Ok. I’ll bite. I realize your elaborate rational was clearly articulated, but, for us slow folks in the audience—care to elaborate? Because unions of late have been great for consumers and are, clearly, never myopic or in the wrong.

By: cosanostra71

cosanostra71 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:39:06 +0000

Sorry to hear that sdelmonte

By: sdelmonte

sdelmonte — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:23:48 +0000

I always back the unions. Always.

By: thetooloftools

thetooloftools — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:09:29 +0000

No “the super stars have stayed together so far”. See, none of the other players want to break ranks for fear they’ll be repercussions once (if) the season starts. Nice to see Wade and James leading the charge to stay unified when they both have MAX contracts which won’t even exist anymore after that stunt (collusion) they (and Bosh) pulled. How two faced can you get? Wade, James, and Bosh are to blame for a lot of this mess only they won’t own it.

By: dcipher80

dcipher80 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:03:45 +0000

I don’t think the general public cares about BRI but I think most real fans are for a hard cap (more competitive balance), shorter contracts (an injury (Brandon Roy) or an unforeseeable bad decision (Tracy McGrady) and your team is set back for years in the current system), and revenue sharing. All these things benefit the quality of the game. Do you think the NFL would have to buy a team from one of it’s owners (like the NBA did with the Hornets)? No, of course not, because even poorly run organizations (a la the bengals) are profitable and occasionally competitive. It’s been a decade or more since some teams have been competitive in the NBA (e.g. The. Clippers) and the “elite teams” stay the same from year to year in the NBA which discourages some fan bases from supporting their own team. Be forward thinking and give us a better product and we’ll support you. Not every one roots for NY or LA. I don’t relate to either side, owners or players, I just want better games nightly and a real opportunity at each team enjoying relative success.

On a side note, why are the players so anti a hard cap? It may restrict where a player can get money, but the good players will still get paid.

By: savocabol1

savocabol1 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:45:11 +0000

The PR battle means zip zero, nothing. What the fans think means nothing in these meetings. Please stop acting like it does.

By: slowclyde86

slowclyde86 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:18:55 +0000

The players have stayed together thus far? Wow, really impressive. The fractures between the few megastars (“come on guys, let’s stick together”) and everyone else (“um, I can’t pay my mortgage”) will show very quickly as checks get missed. It is inevitable. It may not be fair, but the owners will get most everything they want.

By: goforthanddie

goforthanddie — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 05:37:34 +0000

I think it’s fantastic that guys like Kobe who have made hundreds of millions are standing strong in holding out. Somebody needs to be there to protect the 1% of players who theoretically earn top-level deals.

By: gugurich

gugurich — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 03:51:49 +0000

The PR battle is irrelevant. What are displeased fans going to do? Heckle the players into taking a deal they don’t want? Maybe their endorsements will be affected in the short-term but only a few select player even make significant endorsement money in the first place and the endorsements should come back later.

I’ve been puzzled by this public relations score keeping. What difference does it make if David Stern shrewdly wins the PR battle? The NBA is not a voter elected league.

I’m puzzled why the league even wants to paint the players in a bad light. One, it won’t aid their negotiations and two, it hurts their bottom line if fans are turned off and don’t tune in or buy tickets and merchandise. Their hurting their products, the players.