The Union leadership has a responsibility to adhere to the will of the players. If Hunter really thought he had a majority support of the players, he would have put their final offer to a vote so he could show the owners “see, we are united”. He didn’t because he suspected he didn’t have the votes.

Nobody in a position of authority on the players side is looking out for the best interests of the players…. nobody.

For Billy Hunter, this is about making sure he doesn’t get mocked in the media as the guy who had his backside handed to him in negotiations with Stern for years to come. He’s afraid he’ll become an adjective in all future sports negotiations (“man did you see the concessions the NFL owners got from the union in the next contract??? They completely “Huntered” them!!!”)

For Jeffrey Kessler, this is about making sure he comes out of this looking like “the” best labor attorney in America so he becomes the lawyer of choice for prominent unions in the future.

For the Agents, this is about their long term negotiating ability (read: how much money they can make). They don’t want the players to sign because in the long term it will be bad for the Agents bottom line.

When this ends next year, there will now be TWO full sets of draft pics and players from overseas looking to sign NBA contact. A lot of the current players will have their jobs taken away from them. If I am some 30 year old veteran who is a role player and I only have 1-2 years left on my contract (and my career) and Hunter basically pursued a strategy of blowing up the season without me even getting a vote, I’m livid.

These players have a career of what? Maybe five years on average? If Hunter, Kessler and the Agents only had their current earning potential for 4-5 years, does ANYBOBY think they would be supporting killing the season? Of course not. These players are being used by “suits” with ulterior motives. I expect owners to not look after the financial best interests of the players because they aren’t hired for that, but I do expect Hunter, Kessler and the Agents to do so… that’s why they were hired.

Oh, and Kurt, I am the furthest thing from a conspiracy theorist as there is but at this point you look like a guy working for the players association PR dept. I’m sure you need to make sure players and Agents are willing to be interviewed by you and give you useful information for your site when this is over but continually trying to ingratiate yourself to them by lecturing us in every article about how the players are right here is both transparent and pathetic.

Just give us the facts, we’ll decide who we think is right and wrong.

How’s his Dirk taste, Billy?

The solution for Terry is simple, tell those guys to play for less money. if they wall want to stay together and play together so badly, surely a guy would be willing to take, say 3 million instead of 5? They’d still be plenty rich. But they won’t, which is reasonable. But just like every other job in the world, you options are usually get less to stay where you are, or get more to move on (assuming you aren’t a franchise player). It’s amazing how many players want it both ways (as much money as humanly possible, and as free to move around as humanly possible), and have no idea how idiotic they sound asking for it