Q: Do the players or owners have to take the next step to renew labor talks?
Pierce: “I think the owners have to take the step. We have taken a lot of steps. I think we have taken as many steps as we can take, which is why we are at where we are at. We feel like we’ve taken the most steps. That’s why we are going to court now.”
Pierce: “I think the owners have to take the step. We have taken a lot of steps. I think we have taken as many steps as we can take, which is why we are at where we are at. We feel like we’ve taken the most steps. That’s why we are going to court now.”
Q: [Celtics free-agent forward] Glen Davis(notes) has also voiced his displeasure with the union’s stance. He’s tweeted, “Take the 51% man and let’s play.” What do you think about what he has said?
Pierce: “You got a lot of players that say, ‘Let’s take the deal.’ ‘Let’s take 51.’ ‘Let’s go 50-50.’ A lot of them don’t understand the issues. A lot of them are on the outside looking in. They kind of followed the negotiations on [television]. A lot of players didn’t understand the 50-50. Then you have a lot of players who weren’t in a lot of the meetings. They all flew out to New York, actually saw the deal [last Monday] and couldn’t believe it.
“I had guys going to the gym, saying, ‘I can’t believe how bad the deal was.’ Once guys went to the meeting and saw what it really was, they kind of backed off of it.”
Pierce: “You got a lot of players that say, ‘Let’s take the deal.’ ‘Let’s take 51.’ ‘Let’s go 50-50.’ A lot of them don’t understand the issues. A lot of them are on the outside looking in. They kind of followed the negotiations on [television]. A lot of players didn’t understand the 50-50. Then you have a lot of players who weren’t in a lot of the meetings. They all flew out to New York, actually saw the deal [last Monday] and couldn’t believe it.
“I had guys going to the gym, saying, ‘I can’t believe how bad the deal was.’ Once guys went to the meeting and saw what it really was, they kind of backed off of it.”
Q: Have you talked to Davis lately?
Pierce: “Yeah, I talked to Glen like three days ago. What I said to ‘Baby’ was [the basketball-related income split] is not the main issue. How the soft cap is determined is a major issue. A lot of it is system issues. The max number of deals. The midlevel exception. Those are the bigger issues. I know we need to come to a common ground on the 50-50 or whatever the deal is going to be on the [basketball-related income]. The thing that we argue the most over is the system issues. That’s what is holding us back.”
Pierce: “Yeah, I talked to Glen like three days ago. What I said to ‘Baby’ was [the basketball-related income split] is not the main issue. How the soft cap is determined is a major issue. A lot of it is system issues. The max number of deals. The midlevel exception. Those are the bigger issues. I know we need to come to a common ground on the 50-50 or whatever the deal is going to be on the [basketball-related income]. The thing that we argue the most over is the system issues. That’s what is holding us back.”
Q: After talking to Davis, do you think he has a different view of the lockout now?
Pierce: “It’s kind of hard for me speak for him because ‘Baby’ falls in the line of guys who are going to be affected in a major way – the free agents, the rookies coming in and players on the rookie scale now. And I can understand his frustration because he is saying, ‘I don’t have anything. I don’t even have a deal right now. Any deal would look good.’ A lot of guys are going to feel like that when they are put into a tight spot. What I want him to understand is it might not be the right deal for you today. So that’s what we are fighting for, the right deal for guys like you.”
Pierce: “It’s kind of hard for me speak for him because ‘Baby’ falls in the line of guys who are going to be affected in a major way – the free agents, the rookies coming in and players on the rookie scale now. And I can understand his frustration because he is saying, ‘I don’t have anything. I don’t even have a deal right now. Any deal would look good.’ A lot of guys are going to feel like that when they are put into a tight spot. What I want him to understand is it might not be the right deal for you today. So that’s what we are fighting for, the right deal for guys like you.”
Q: In fighting for the best deal, are you comfortable losing the season?
Pierce: “I’m never comfortable with losing a season. I’m a part of a group that is taking a stand for something. Regardless of about how 400 players feel, at the end of the day we have to go all in or nothing. Regardless of what we do, we have to stick together. There are probably not a lot of players feeling [good about] suing the NBA. But this is what’s going on, this is what has to take place and this is where we are. So the players have to swallow that pill and hope for the best.”
Pierce: “I’m never comfortable with losing a season. I’m a part of a group that is taking a stand for something. Regardless of about how 400 players feel, at the end of the day we have to go all in or nothing. Regardless of what we do, we have to stick together. There are probably not a lot of players feeling [good about] suing the NBA. But this is what’s going on, this is what has to take place and this is where we are. So the players have to swallow that pill and hope for the best.”
Paul forgot the end of the 'hope for the best' and that is 'prepare for the worst'. Are the players prepared to lose all this money only to get a worse deal in the end? Actually, any deal will be worse in the end considering the money now lost will not be recouped during the next labour deal.
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