Comments on: NBA union did not poll players before taking big step Monday

By: dolfan66r

dolfan66r — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:11:07 +0000

Billy Hunter is like a plantation owner!!

By: philiplewis1

philiplewis1 — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:56:45 +0000

Boy, how much fun would it be if the league started all over with new teams and new players. I would assume that is eventually possible if the union decertifies. What’s to keep the existing teams from signing new players out of college and starting all over. In fact, I wonder if they have that in mind now. I would love to see that actually. New players, new officials, maybe even some new rules to make the NBA more like the college game.

One more thought, does this mean the Mavericks get a repeat as NBA Champions.

By: texmex2

texmex2 — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:44:47 +0000

You got that right; Kessler is a “doche bag”~

By: Kurt Helin

Kurt Helin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:22:04 +0000

Yes, they can. USA Basketball and the NBA are separate entities.

By: Chris Fiorentino

Chris Fiorentino — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 03:53:29 +0000

The NFL was in major trouble until one MAJOR thing happened…they took Jeffrey Kessler OUT OF THE NEGOTIATIONS. Until that happens, this will never get resolved. This is the BIGGEST point and it is not being talked about enough!!!!

By: atwatercrushesokoye

atwatercrushesokoye — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 03:42:18 +0000

I agree, these two are trying to save face, but they should look at how the NHL lockout in 2004-05 played out to see what the future has in store. Neither side thought that the season would ever be cancelled but neither side would blink, eventually the season is cancelled, the players lost not only a year’s worth of salary but also a year of their career lifespan and what did they get? Several players finally went around Bob Goodenow and the players settled for a deal in July that wasn’t as good as the one they could have had in February.

If the Union truly believe that they are united and that they are doing the right thing they should put the last offer up for a vote amongst all players NOT just the player reps, afterall if you’re going to cost a player an entire year’s salary they should at least have the chance to be heard.

By: mrf47

mrf47 — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 03:16:29 +0000

Jeffrey Kessler is only representing himself in trying to get the ownership stake in the NBA that he never got in the NFL.

The advice that Kessler just gave his clients is that they are better off not making a minimum of $2 million this year….that’s insane.

By: dadawg77

dadawg77 — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:21:58 +0000

Question how many signatures did the players pushing for desertification have? That number could have form the bases for the move.

By: dadawg77

dadawg77 — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:19:12 +0000

The first thing teams in the NHL and NFL did was look for loop holes in the Cap. See Marion Hossa contract in NHL and how contracts are setup in the NFL for examples. Also without a CBA there is no draft so team spending only $15 million will never compete.

By: dev41

dev41 — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:26:16 +0000

Since when has any union been interested in representing all of it’s member’s best interests. This is a game/war between the union and the owners; the hell with the players and the fans.

By: nickp91

nickp91 — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:11:39 +0000

If the season is cancelled, NBA Players can’t take part in Next Summer’s Olympics in London.

By: goforthanddie

goforthanddie — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:06:11 +0000

Not putting it to a vote make the union’s case weaker. But that’s fine. Call me when the owners void all current contracts, I have a serious laugh building up for that.

By: hail2tharedskins

hail2tharedskins — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:49:47 +0000

The clock in essences freezes. Players that would have been F/As this year will be F/As when the new CBA takes effect, players that had a year remaining going into this year (like Howard, Paul, etc) will still have a year left on their contratcs, players with 4 years remaining going into this year will still have 4 years remaining etc.

That assumes the current contracts are honored. The tricky part is that the league has argued if the union decertifies that all current contracts become void. If the courts side with the owners on that premis (long-shot but possible) then I guess all players become F/As unless the leagues puts in place some type of draft or mechanism for teams to have exlclusive rights to re-sign their own players. But this great-unknown is an unlikely scenario (although I would love to see the looks on the players faces if a judge tells them that when the voted to decertify they voted to effectively void their $50mil guaranteed contract).

By: idontevenwannaknow

idontevenwannaknow — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:31:31 +0000

…and I would like the “lesser deal” to go the way of the NHL and install a hard cap. I like how a main reason for the rejection of the proposal was a limit on player movement. Right. They (the players) were just worried that not every team would have the chance to offer them a max deal, or max deal, then sign, then trade. How does a salary cap limit movement in the NFL or NHL? It really doesn’t if you really think about it. Players are free to move team to team in both leagues, it just makes the owners/gms smarter about how they spend their money, not just giving out max contracts to every half-way decent guy that comes along. The stars in the NFL and NHL get paid, just like the stars in the NBA do and should get paid, the big difference I see, especially between the NFL and NBA, not a lot of guys are overpaid to sit on the bench in the NFL. Get rid of guaranteed contracts and install a hard cap, and sit back and watch as owners and their front offices are held accountable. Too many times we see teams handcuffed by misses on contracts, that even after they have fired and hired presidents, gms, etc, teams have to wait years to spend that money on quality talent. Even with a salary cap, true stars will still get paid. Can’t we just get to negotiating, agreeing on something, and playing some fricking basketball?

By: dcipher80

dcipher80 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:30:43 +0000

I don’t understand Hunter and Fisher. The only way this gambit works is if they make the owners believe that the vast majority of the players are ok with losing a season to get a better deal. It’s always come across to me as those 2 trying to save face, and not being overly concerned about the rank and file.

By the way, thank you Kevin Martin for letting your voice be heard

By: kandh2004

kandh2004 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:10:59 +0000

To start that process without a vote wasn’t just a big step it was wrong on the people who run the union. I’m in a union and we just got a new contract in April of 2010 and every proposal the union came back and we voted on it weather we turned it down or accepted it. The union is there for the whole membership not just the team reps or the superstars that show up looking out for their own. The union failed the rank and file players big time

By: atwatercrushesokoye

atwatercrushesokoye — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:34:18 +0000

Huge misstep by the union here, the players will never get back this year of pay. And to what end? Okay you disband the union forcing the NBA teams to each have their own set of rules, but here’s the thing in that scenario guaranteed contracts go away, and each team will have an absolute salary cap based on their budget, for every team that spend $100 million there will be 2 or 3 that spend $15 million…that’s what their market will bear. At the end of the day the players are trying to make the owners blink, but everyone knows this, and it’s not going to happen. The players are going to eventually have to settle it’s just a matter of whether they do it now and try to salvage the best deal they can or do they wait and p**s away a bunch of money in lost salaries before they eventually agree to this or a lesser deal.

By: stadix093

stadix093 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:31:08 +0000

Well seeing as there is no season, can we get an article about which teams lose the most in free agency? I mean does this mean Orlando will have no contract with D Howard by the time teams play again? D Will? Chris Paul? How does that all work? Sorry for my ignorance people, somebody fill me in.

By: mvp43

mvp43 — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:28:25 +0000

Okay, so what is the purpose of a union again?

It seems that Kessler and Hunter are more interested in sticking it to the owners than allowing THEIR members to vote on any proposal.

That is sick and completely contrary to what the union is supoosed to be doing. This union doesn’t represent its members………only some of them. Hmm…………