A lockout is coming to NBA and it'll be here for some time

[Subhuman Yeti]

A lockout is coming to NBA and it'll be here for some time

The players' union and owners will meet Thursday, but don't expect a new collective bargaining agreement until both sides start missing paychecks in September.

Only a last-ditch negotiating session Thursday on a new collective bargaining agreement stands between the NBA and the midnight EDT deadline when it could lock out its players.

Of course, if the owners are encouraged by the meeting, Commissioner David Stern could extend the deadline. …

So, they might not have a lockout, after all?

Oh, no, that's still a lock, if not Friday, soon.

Both sides would just be trying to demonstrate they bargained in good faith to set up their cases in coming legal proceedings.

Are you saying this whole thing up to now has just been an act?

Exactamundo!

And months of it remain since both know the gargantuan financial gap can't be closed until the deadline approaches.

And by deadline, they don't mean the start of vacation so they don't have to worry about it over the summer.

It's opening night in late October when NBA owners start losing gate receipts and players their pay.

With one month needed to get ready for a season, the deadline for starting on time is Oct. 1.

OK, when the lockout comes, what happens next?

Nothing.

Nothing?

Even if the owners and the players' union meet, and go through the motions as they have the last few weeks, I wouldn't expect any meaningful talks before mid-August at the earliest.

As far as legal moves, I'd expect the union to make some, to the dismay of Stern.

Why would the union go to court?

A court, or the National Labor Relations Board, might rule in its favor, as the federal court in Minnesota ruled for the NFL players, dramatically shifting the balance of power in those talks.

With the case tangled up in court and NFL owners moving off their 18-game schedule, peace is reportedly near.

Why would the NBA and its players stop talking?

As Stern will explain in an expression of sorrow only slightly less moving than the Gettysburg Address, the failure to make a deal by both sides will force the owners to lock the players out, even if it means damaging their product with lost ticket sales, etc.

With those losses, the owners will be forced to pull their last offer off the table.

So, the NBA made major concessions?

That's the league's story.

The union says the league's last offer, guaranteeing the players $2 billion annually over 10 years, works out to about 45% of basketball-related income... or 12 percentage points less than players get now.

By the union's math, the owners, who wanted to go from their present 43% to 57%, now just want 55%.

That's not very much, is it?

Say you're making $50,000, your boss wants to cut you to $37,700, then backs off to $39,500?

How big a concession would you think that was?

What does the NBA say about the accuracy of those figures?

A league spokesman said it's not commenting on anything.

Isn't that kind of a bunker mentality on the NBA's part?

Let's just say, if you want to know which owners are on their labor committee, try the public library, or the Internet.

OK, even if the NBA trims its offer, why not keep talking?

Both sides will make the other suffer.

If they're both suffering, what's the point?

I don't know but they'll be doing it for the better part of three months.

Who's really going to be hurting?

The owners, who are rich, think the players spend all their money on cars and will be offering to work for food.

Actually, two management people recently told me that about 200 NBA players — almost half — are now being paid on a 12-month basis, as opposed to having already received last season's salary.

With teams happy to pay out slowly, like any business, 200 players bought lockout insurance.

The league can't be happy about that, can it?

What can it do now?

Of course, it may have a drone in the sky over my house, hacking my phone records to see which management people told me that.

Will the union decertify?

Not right away, according to one of its officials.

It's waiting for a decision on its complaint it has filed with the NLRB.

The NLRB could ask the Justice Dept. to take up the case and sue the NBA, seeking a preliminary injunction to lift the lockout.

Of course, if the players get an injunction, the NBA will appeal it as the NFL has.

And if the NLRB goes thumbs down on the players?

I'd bet the union will try to accomplish the same thing by decertifying and filing an antitrust suit, as the NFL players did, successfully.

This is way confusing. Is there a simple way to understand it?

Yeah, give it a total pass.

There weren't any games the next three months, except in the cancelled summer leagues, so who cares how the NBA spends its summer?

Come back Sept.1-15, when this opera finally gets to the fat lady's big number.



http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-hei ... 678.column

[Kid-Wicked]

good riddance.

[Crazy Levi]

good riddance.

I agree. Fuck the NBA and it's 3 month long playoffs. Fuck hockey too.

[Tommy]

good riddance.

I agree. Fuck the NBA and it's 3 month long playoffs. Fuck hockey too.

Now I know why we butt heads


Anyway, NBA probably is losing a lot of money. However, their "product" has been shit for ten years or so. Go back to when defense actually meant something and there's a start to fixing it. Whole league is a 48 minute 3-point contest/slam dunk show.

And for fuck's sake can we eliminate some timeouts? 24 timeouts in a game plus subs? Shit, I thought the free timeout in the NFL known as the "2 minute warning" was bad.

[Crazy Levi]

Anyway, NBA probably is losing a lot of money. However, their "product" has been shit for ten years or so. .

The big difference between the NBA and the NFL is that NBA teams ARE losing money, and are willing to open their books to prove it.

The NFL owners are a bunch of fuckwads.

[Kid-Wicked]

fuck the nba players. at least most of them.

especially the 3 fags that went to miami.

most basketball players have this false sense of entitlement and think the world revolves around them.

and i hate how a 30 team league (that has 29 of them based i one country) has a "world champion".

[LillianRoxyFA]

I think the NBA has the worst product of all 4 major sports. The playoffs generate some exciting games, but the NBA style of play is often hard to watch.

To me, the bottom line is that NBA players make way too much $$$ in proportion to the sport's popularity and effort. Stories abound about over the hill slackers making 12 million for doing nothing. Yes, the owners agreed to it, and now it's time to fix it.

[Tommy]

Anyway, NBA probably is losing a lot of money. However, their "product" has been shit for ten years or so. .

The big difference between the NBA and the NFL is that NBA teams ARE losing money, and are willing to open their books to prove it.

The NFL owners are a bunch of fuckwads.

You're not that naive. 2 books my friend, they all do it. Just ask the NHLPA.

[Tommy]

fuck the nba players. at least most of them.

especially the 3 fags that went to miami.

most basketball players have this false sense of entitlement and think the world revolves around them.

and i hate how a 30 team league (that has 29 of them based i one country) has a "world champion".

When another nation forms a B-ball league and is even a pimple on the NBA's ass we'll talk.


By you logic the CFL and UFL champs should play the Super Bowl winner.

[yeahbuddy]

When a player like Luke Walton of the Lakers makes 6 million a year, something is wrong that needs to be fixed.
Yes, the Lakers & Luke agreed to that contract 4 or 5 years ago, but there is no reason that he cannot be cut or salary altered because of his performance, or lack of.
And I agree that the NBA players have a sense of entitlement.
I'm with the owners on this one.

[Subhuman Yeti]

Then let the badly aging, fat, useless, 'only rich because of the players' NBA owners take to the fucking court and try to entertain us...







The players can play in Eurp... the owners are fucked!

This isn't baseball where every arena/stadlum can book minor league teams to draw fans to play games during the strike/or lockout... especially during fireworks season.

No one is ever going to pay NBA prices to see WNBA or D-league teams during a lockout.


Stern is costing the NBA (fans, integrity, stature and money), costing the NBA front office and costing NBA team owners FAR MORE than his fucking stupidity is costing the NBA players.





I'm really hoping on the NFL lockout... I know a lot more drunken pussies who will cry and contemplate suicide without an NFL season than I do NBA fans.

[Kid-Wicked]

fuck the nba players. at least most of them.

especially the 3 fags that went to miami.

most basketball players have this false sense of entitlement and think the world revolves around them.

and i hate how a 30 team league (that has 29 of them based i one country) has a "world champion".

When another nation forms a B-ball league and is even a pimple on the NBA's ass we'll talk.


By you logic the CFL and UFL champs should play the Super Bowl winner.

do you honestly think there's only one pro basketball league it the world?

really?

REALLY?

the nfl is smart enough not to call themselves world champions.

same with the nhl.

even baseball calls it the world "series" named after a newspaper.

my logic is logic. i'd love to see the grey cup winner play the super bowl winner.

but it still wouldn't be a world championship.

[Subhuman Yeti]

the nfl is smart enough not to call themselves world champions.

You're just fucking stupid.

[Kid-Wicked]

that's the press.

not the league.

the fans and the press can call it what they want.

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/45

do they call it a world championship anywhere? is it on any merch?

no?

really?

[Tommy]

fuck the nba players. at least most of them.

especially the 3 fags that went to miami.

most basketball players have this false sense of entitlement and think the world revolves around them.

and i hate how a 30 team league (that has 29 of them based i one country) has a "world champion".

When another nation forms a B-ball league and is even a pimple on the NBA's ass we'll talk.


By you logic the CFL and UFL champs should play the Super Bowl winner.

do you honestly think there's only one pro basketball league it the world?

really?

REALLY?

the nfl is smart enough not to call themselves world champions.

same with the nhl.

even baseball calls it the world "series" named after a newspaper.

my logic is logic. i'd love to see the grey cup winner play the super bowl winner.

but it still wouldn't be a world championship.

Jesus Christ, nice leap. I know there are other leagues. None as good as the NBA. As a matter of FACT, the 4 big US sports leagues are the best at what they do

i'd love to see the grey cup winner play the super bowl winner.

So you're a sadist?

[NeverSurrender]

KW,

I ain't gonna lie, you seem like a nice enough guy and never retaliate when i tell you what an idiot you are, but you're just wrong a lot, man. You neet to stop in this thread. Even levi is owning you.

[Skate4RnR]

Tommy acknowledged the other leagues dickhead.

Really?

Really?

Yeah he fucking did pissface.

[NeverSurrender]

Tommy acknowledged the other leagues dickhead.

Really?

Really?

Yeah he fucking did pissface.

Are, you talking to me?

No reason to mention tommy owning him, my pet rock could see that, and that's not all that surprising.

me saying levi was owning him was just to make him feel even worse, shitbreath.

[Skate4RnR]

I wasn't talking to you twat lip, I was talking to KW.

[NeverSurrender]

I wasn't talking to you twat lip, I was talking to KW.

[Skate4RnR]

I got over it.

[NeverSurrender]

Good answer but you know you cried in your pillow that night.

[Skate4RnR]

Been through it before and will do so again. The life of a Blue Blood.

[NeverSurrender]

Yeah, that Cuse championship is the only championship any of my teams have won since 1988. Unless you count their lacrosse championships but I'm not a huge fan.

Thank God for that night, but i'm glad you got yours.

[Subhuman Yeti]

LeBron

[Kid-Wicked]

Jesus Christ, nice leap. I know there are other leagues. None as good as the NBA. As a matter of FACT, the 4 big US sports leagues are the best at what they do

i'd love to see the grey cup winner play the super bowl winner.

So you're a sadist?

there might not be a basketball league better then the nba. how does that make them world champions? do the best players in the world play in the nba? probably. i don't know. maybe argentina has a good league. didn't they win a real world championship in the olympics a few years ago when the u.s.a got third? i've never watched any other league. i don't know anyone that has to be honest with you. probably because basketball sucks in EVERY country.

i'd love to see a canadian/american football game. under cfl rules on a cfl field. i think the score might be a lot closer then you think.

KW,
I ain't gonna lie, you seem like a nice enough guy and never retaliate when i tell you what an idiot you are, but you're just wrong a lot, man.

i don't retaliate because you just bury yourself for the most part. and i feel sorry for you because you follow the islanders. but at least you follow a man's sport. i give you props for that. the only thing i could be "wrong" aboot is my opinion. but my opinions are based of facts for the most part.

some might be from the weed.

[NeverSurrender]

The fact you think io bury myself when every single person in thsi thread is telling you're wrong is priceless.


And the fact you thought the Islanders had 18 people to sign was not a matter of opinion. It was you trying to act like it was fact, but got called on it. then you posted a list that i detroyed out ogf my weed soaked memory.

The reason you don't retaliate, is because you're wrong. A lot.

And I have 4 cups, and you have a bunch of diving floppers. So you feel sorry all you want, i've seen Dennis Potvin hoist the cup.

[Kid-Wicked]

The fact you think io bury myself when every single person in thsi thread is telling you're wrong is priceless.


And the fact you thought the Islanders had 18 people to sign was not a matter of opinion. It was you trying to act like it was fact, but got called on it. then you posted a list that i detroyed out ogf my weed soaked memory.

The reason you don't retaliate, is because you're wrong. A lot.

And I have 4 cups, and you have a bunch of diving floppers. So you feel sorry all you want, i've seen Dennis Potvin hoist the cup.

that's a perfect example of how delusional you are. how many guys have they signed that were free agents? there's ten left(one being doug weight's roster spot). some were traded. some let go. fact is around the trade deadline there was 18 guys. i even listed them for you. those are facts. how was i wrong?

how do YOU have 4 cups? did you get a ring for watching at home?

(that's all i got. i wish the canucks could do what those old islander teams did)

[Subhuman Yeti]

Up until a couple decades ago, the NBA did refer to the Finals winners as the World Champions.

There was the Olympic Gold Medal team (every 4 years and made up of college, AiA players
and other schmoes) and the NBA/World Champions.


Then someone started to complain about the NBA claiming World Champs.

So the NBA sent the Dream Team to the Summer Olympics and the Dream Team beat the shit out
of the world.
Magic Johnson was a God... WTF did you expect?!!


That was back then. And the NBA pretty much continued to call themselves the World Champs.


More recently since the World FIBA shit has existed and the winners are officially the World Champions
(like Lamar Odom) the NBA has started calling the Finals winners only the NBA Champions.


So fuck off, shitted for brains.

[NeverSurrender]

Who the fuck said anything about free agents then or now, until you just did? We are talking about re-signing their own just like you were then, until you reallized you had no clue.


No, I didn't get a cup, but i got to watch my team win more than one, while your team chokes like the Vikings. maybe if you would wait to plan the parade until after you have actually won, you might have a prayer.