The Lockout & the Raptors: Players approve CBA, Owners too! (1944)

[mcHAPPY]

WojYahooNBA Fisher says union doesn't want to lose taxpaying teams as options for players with exceptions. That remains big issue.

This actually makes me feel good. My worries earlier appear for not.

[mcHAPPY]

The only thing I agree with players on:

The NBA is pushing to change the eligibility rules for the NBA draft. Currently, draft prospects must be 19 years old and must be one year removed from high school to be eligible. Now the NBA is pushing for a minimum age limit of 20 and a two-year waiting period after their high school class graduates. And parties on both the NBA and NCAA side view such a change as an entirely positive development.

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/previ...-draftees-next

[Employee]

The only thing I agree with players on:

My guess is it will stay the same. And for the record I'm for making players play 2 years of college.

[mcHAPPY]

My guess is it will stay the same. And for the record I'm for making players play 2 years of college.

In theory I agree.

My problem is I am totally biased as a Raptors fan and they are picking high so I want the best player available and a franchise talent. Both NBADraft.net has 7 freshman and DraftExpress.com has 5 freshman in the top 10. Granted that can change dramatically between now and draft time.

I have my heart set on a franchise talent in 2012. I suppose one could wait until 2013 but I would like to see one more year of struggling and then start to make noise in 2012-13.

[mcHAPPY]

HowardBeckNYT Walked into NBA press conf room. Instrumental version of Aerosmith's "Dream On" was playing through speakers.

WojYahooNBA Privately, owners saying union left impression they would accept 50-50 if system issues were resolved, and that's why NBA returned to talks.
30 seconds ago · reply · retweet · favorite


tribjazz Owners still have all the leverage, power. They have a vision for system and BRI. No deal until players accept it. That simple.
5 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

daldridgetnt Source confirms cancellation of games thru 11/30, as reported by ESPN, Yahoo!
6 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

timkawakami What happens now? NBA guy: The deal probably gets done at 50/50, maybe 49/51 tilted to owners, but not for a while. Owners will win this.
6 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite


timkawakami NBA source recently predicted owners' next move would be to reduce BRI offer to players from 50 to 47% That might've happened today.
9 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Some interesting quotes here.

The last one would certainly send a message to the players.

EDIT:

Ken Berger: Hunter said when Stern told me last night he was prepared to make economic move, he "snookered me. ... He made a move. He went to 47." Twitter

I am pretty sure Stern said all along the offers would get worse.

[Bendit]

Write the NBA office to make your viewpoint known

Tilting @ windmills. Maybe not.

http://www.nba.com/email_us/contact_us.html

They might be monitoring reaction or fan position.

[mcHAPPY]

League Games to be cancelled through November 30

Adrian Wojnarowski: The NBA will cancel regular season games through November 30th, a league source tells Y! Sports. Twitter


David Aldridge: Source confirms cancellation of games thru 11/30, as reported by ESPN, Yahoo! Twitter

Expect 2 weeks of posturing before the newest round of optimistic, last minute negotiations.

[Apollo]

tribjazz Owners still have all the leverage, power. They have a vision for system and BRI. No deal until players accept it. That simple.
5 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Ok, so this is why I didn't jump the gun on what was posted yesterday. This above, it's what I thought the Owners were about and I am happy to see it still seems to hold true.

I think that some of the "sources" inside are just playing with the media. Some of the guys in the media don't even seem to logically think through what they'd just been told. Instead they just toss it out there ASAP.

[mcHAPPY]

Ok, so this is why I didn't jump the gun on what was posted yesterday. This above, it's what I thought the Owners were about and I am happy to see it still seems to hold true.

I think that some of the "sources" inside are just playing with the media. Some of the guys in the media don't even seem to logically think through what they'd just been told. Instead they just toss it out there ASAP.

I am very glad to hear no exemptions for tax payers is still being pushed by owners.

The players keep talking about how much money they are giving back but say nothing of the system. The greed here, in my opinion, is not money; it is the power and control over its dispersal.

With a month gone and no full 82 game season possible the league better get this right. I was worried earlier but it appears they are going to do just that.

[Bendit]

Some interesting quotes here.

The last one would certainly send a message to the players.

EDIT:



I am pretty sure Stern said all along the offers would get worse.

I hope the new split offer was strategic to put the squeeze on the pa to bend on the system positions and then the owners ease back on the bri split.

[Apollo]

47 is the new 50

Been saying for a while now that if the players keep delaying the inevitable the target was going to start moving away from them:

Hunter said when Stern told me last night he was prepared to make economic move, he "snookered me. ... He made a move. He went to 47."

Source: Twitter @KBergCBS

Shrewd but text book.

I have a funny feeling the players will need to experience yet another tough lesson before they catch on to how this is going to work.

[mcHAPPY]

Fisher in Stern's back pocket?

This is fact: The belief that NBA Players Association president Derek Fisher has been co-opted by commissioner David Stern — and promised the commish he could deliver the union at 50-50 — caused NBPA executive director Billy Hunter and at least one member of the union’s executive committee to confront Fisher on Friday morning and make him reassess his 50-50 push, a source familiar with the negotiations told FOXSports.com Friday afternoon.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/W...pleased-102811

.

[Apollo]

So much for a unified front. It looks like the weakest link was at the head.

[mcHAPPY]

So much for a unified front. It looks like the weakest link was at the head.

In accepting the 50/50, Fisher might have also come to Bill Guerin's realization.

This author is very pro-player in his writing as well. This article with Steve Nash and Grant Hill sums up his views. I'd take the article with a huge grain of salt.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/n...players-102611

[mcHAPPY]

Owners/Players start to dissent

So much for a unified front. It looks like the weakest link was at the head.

I do not think the owners are truly unified either. Luckily the owners looking to keep things status quo are definitely in the overwhelming minority as those with the advantage (money, market, franchise talent) rarely want the rules changed.

I wonder how much Micky Arison will be fined for this:

MIAMI— At a time when candor has been fleeting from the owners' side of the NBA lockout, Miami Heat owner Micky Arison offered a healthy dose Friday night on Twitter.

In the wake of NBA Commissioner David Stern canceling games through the end of November due to an impasse in the negotiations, Arison began replying to lockout-related posts sent to his Twitter account (@MickyArison).

It started with a post directed to his Twitter account that read, "Guess what? Fans provide all the money you're fighting over you greedy (expletive) pigs."

Arison responded, "Honestly u r barking at the wrong owner."

(That response apparently was later deleted.)

Arison is considered to be among the owners pushing for a swift resolution to the lockout that now has dragged on since July 1, especially with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on his roster.

Later, from another Twitter account came this post to Arison's account, "Know it's not ur fault at this point, it's become child's play. Grown men making stupid decisions over money."

Replied Arison, "Exactly."

That had the initial poster chiming in with, "Then can you bark at the other owners? This is RIDICULOUS!!!"

Replied Arison, "Now u r making some sense."

Arison then retweeted a post from another account that read, "Heat ratings proved that fans want to see super teams in big markets instead of a ton of small-market teams each with one st(ar)."

Another account offered, "NBA labor is a joke! You owners don't care about us FANS at all!," to which Arison responded on his account, "Wrong we care a lot."

Later, he retweeted the question, "are you allowed to comment about ur feelings on the small market/big market issues some of the owners bring up?" He replied, "No."

From there, Arison retweeted from another account, "having "all 32 teams compete" is complete BS. Such an unrealistic and stupid idea." In response he simply offered a smiley face (since there are only 30 NBA teams).

The NBA has banned team personnel from commenting on the lockout or player issues, with threats of fines of $1 million and other possible sanctions.



http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/m...,2772119.story

Player perspective who made $475K last year and suppose to make $788K in 11-12:

Samardo Samuels: 50/50 sound good to me whats the problem. It's church money away Twitter