NBA Labor Talks getting ugly

[jonathanlambert33]

"To me, it speaks to the arrogance they have in approaching us," union president Derek Fisher said. "Trust and loyalty pretty much go out the window when it comes to business.

"We haven't been partners in this venture from day one. We've been employees, the talent that has grown the game. It's difficult to be partners in recovery when we haven't been partners in generating those losses."

Commissioner David Stern issued a statement later Wednesday.

"Players have benefited from the current system more than the teams," Stern said. "For them it has been a much better partnership. We are sorry that the players' union feels that way since it doesn't seem designed to get us to the agreement that is so important to the teams, and we had hoped, the players."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6694528

Good, let it get ugly.

 

[$tunna]

Ugh, another lengthly lockout for America smh

 

[jonathanlambert33]

This lockout will be a lot longer than the NFL imo, but the NBA needs it badly.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

ESPN is talking about a few of the things that is hurting the NBA.

I heard something interesting earlier, the NBA should have some sort of complementary pick or something like the NFL.

 

[cruzg24]

22 out of 30 teams are losing money. I say they institute revenue sharing in the NBA like they do in MLB.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

22 out of 30 teams are losing money. I say they institute revenue sharing in the NBA like they do in MLB.

I think Stern did a great thing making the stars of the NBA the face of the NBA, problem is he let it go to far and now the players control the league. Owners have to get it back.

 

[cruzg24]

The players arent writing their own checks, the owners are. If they are bidding each other for a players services and overpaying significantly then its not the players fault because they are getting the most money possible. Players should prolly get paid a little less and teams should receive compensation for losing star players like in MLB.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

The lockout’s coming, and the NBA can thank Stern for it. He no longer leads the owners, but gets led. He’s lost his autonomy to operate, lost his ability to be sensible, understated and conciliatory. There ought to be givebacks in these talks with the players, but Stern has let the fringe element of NBA ownership dictate policy for the masses. He doesn’t want a second lockout on his Hall of Fame plaque, but it’s coming and the burden belongs on him.

He can’t sell compromise, and he can’t sell good-faith negotiations to his ownership. The owners wanted this lockout, which they’ve carefully orchestrated. They’re determined to break the NBA’s union, and that’s clearly become the commissioner’s mandate now. The owners could’ve agreed to real revenue sharing, and the collective bargaining agreement would’ve been signed months ago. Stern can’t sell it, and the sport will suffer something fierce for it.

The NBA goes away now, and goes away for a long time. The final sound at the end of the draft’s first round will resonate over a long, hot summer – and maybe a winter – without basketball. This time a year ago, there was a Lakers championship with Kobe Bryant(notes), the summer of LeBron and a season of spectacular drama. Now, there was David Stern marching out of the boos of draft night, and into the boos of the board room.

He couldn’t sell the owners, couldn’t sell the players, and he can no longer sell the public. Here comes the summer of the NBA’s emperor, the lockout to end basketball lockouts. Tough Jersey guy buried all the bodies here, and now he comes to bury his sport. His legacy on the line, his fault.