Preparing for worst, (NBA players) union stresses solidarity as labor unrest looms

[Omaha Steve]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/nba/01/09/hunter.labor/

Posted: Saturday January 9, 2010 9:29PM; Updated: Saturday January 9, 2010 10:43PM

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Any potential NBA lockout related to collective bargaining remains a season and a half away, but as early negotiations proceed, it appears the players' association is firmly against the league's asking its players to reduce their portion of overall income.

Billy Hunter, the union's executive director, spent the past week on the West Coast meeting with player representatives, as well as player president Derek Fisher of the Lakers.

What Hunter is preaching, 18 months before the fact, is that the players need to remain unified in case the owners impose a lockout for the start of the 2011-12 season.

The underlying message, of course, is that if Hunter is rallying his players 18 months ahead of time, he fully expects some sort of labor dispute once that season arrives.

Hunter said he has had two formal and one informal negotiating session with the league, which was represented by commissioner David Stern, deputy commissioner Adam Silver and San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt. Hunter, Fisher and a Hunter aide represented the players. The last session took place three weeks ago.

FULL story at link.

[Captain Hilts]

1. The Areanas scandal isn't helping. NBA players have it better than all the other leagues. nt

[msongs]

2. the sad plight of the poor millionaire class. nt

[bfarq]

3. The NBA is a horrendous league.

Even the best teams aren't worth watching. While all the players are undoubtedly athletic, the games have little to interest anybody with a brain more developed than a third-grader's. While NFL teams practice intensely each week, developing a particular game plan for each opponent, putting in place dozens of specific plays that require study, practice and careful education, the NBA teams basically never practice.

Although NBA coaches talk about "plays" the simple fact is there are really only two plays that any team NBA runs now. One is the pick-and-roll -- one of the most boring plays of all times because it involves only 2 players. The other is even worse. it is called the give-me-the-rock-and-I'll-dribble-for-awhile-them-drive-into-the-lane-and-bitch-like-crazy-if-the-refs-don''t-call-a-foul play.

That's it. Two plays. Teams may have "shoot around" practices, but many of them go for weeks without actually holding a real practice where they actually work on team plays. And why is that? The coaches will say it is because the schedule is too busy to leave much room for practices. But the simple truth is that the players don't pay any attention to the coaches. It has become what the players and talking heads like to call a "player's league", which is a nice way of saying the players are all under no-cut contracts so they just don't give a shit what anybody has to say unless they are in the last year of their contract.

A "player's league" might have worked when there were really outstanding players like Jordan, Bird, or Magic, but there aren't any similarly outstanding players in today's game. Moreover, those outstanding players were all known for how they made their whole TEAM so much better. Today's game is a "me first" thing.

The difference between the NBA and NFL couldn't be any more striking. In 95% of the plays in 95% of the NFL games the players look like they really care and are trying to run a play they have actually practiced before. Today's NBA reflects little more preparation than the pick-up games at the YMCA on Friday night. The NBA players are bigger, strong, faster, and can jump higher, but the games are no more interesting than watching a pick-up game at the Y.

The NBA has become a terrible league. At this point, the owners have nothing to lose. They should do a lockout and insist on a contract that is comparable to the NFL contract.