CBA, lockout and labor negotiations

[elindholm]

Two full seasons? Holy expletive! I wonder whether the NBA would resort to replacement players, or if they would even have a mechanism for that?

 

[Folster]

Two full seasons? Holy expletive! I wonder whether the NBA would resort to replacement players, or if they would even have a mechanism for that?

I thought replacements could only be used if there were a strike, not a lockout.

 

[elindholm]

I thought replacements could only be used if there were a strike, not a lockout.

Beats me. I was just speculating. It's hard to imagine that the owners will allow even as much as a full season to go by without trying to generate some revenue.

In related news, I canceled my automatic renewal for League Pass today.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Too bad for players who opted out of scholarships for the draft this year. They could have had another year of free education.

 

[boisesuns]

Too bad for players who opted out of scholarships for the draft this year. They could have had another year of free education.

Free education, Tattoos, and more!


At this point, I could care less if they cancel games. The suns, with this roster (And even if they make some moves) aren't going to compete for a title and we know that. I'm not sure how they are going to be BETTER than last year either.

I do feel bad for the players who are in their prime, and rookies who won't be able to play. I also feel bad for people who will be working games and all the staff at NBA arenas who rely on NBA games for their income.

I have a hard time believing a whole season would be cancelled, let alone 2. Some NBA players are in their primes (Or almost out of it) and 2 years would really set be a huge loss for them.

If they lose even part of this season, it will be tough to recover for fans. If they lose even more time, people will not come back for a while. Especially if they see that the NFL can get it done, while the NBA and owners are still fighting.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Free education, Tattoos, and more!


At this point, I could care less if they cancel games. The suns, with this roster (And even if they make some moves) aren't going to compete for a title and we know that. I'm not sure how they are going to be BETTER than last year either.

I do feel bad for the players who are in their prime, and rookies who won't be able to play. I also feel bad for people who will be working games and all the staff at NBA arenas who rely on NBA games for their income.

I have a hard time believing a whole season would be cancelled, let alone 2. Some NBA players are in their primes (Or almost out of it) and 2 years would really set be a huge loss for them.

If they lose even part of this season, it will be tough to recover for fans. If they lose even more time, people will not come back for a while. Especially if they see that the NFL can get it done, while the NBA and owners are still fighting.

The NFL is still making a lot of money, most franchises do not want to lose part or all of a year's revenue. The NBA has some profitable teams but many of the teams would be better off financially by not playing at all this season. I think most fans realize that one league is in jeopardy and one league is in pretty good shape. If they don't realize it, I'm sure this news will spread once games are actually missed. There will be some hard feelings if the lockout continues throughout the season and some fans will stay away when the game returns but the NBA is a broken model and something extreme has to occur to fix it.

Steve

 

[BC867]

...the NBA is a broken model and something extreme has to occur to fix it.

Don't let the middle of the door hit your ass on the way out, David Stern.

Or, in his case, the back of his head.

 

[chickenhead]

When they NHL went into their lockout I think a lot more fans were aware of the financial problems--probably because a lot of them feared their teams was in danger of relocation and had been watching players leave for bigger contracts for years prior. In any case, the league has been much healthier despite the lost season, so hopefully this will be true of the NBA as well.

 

[Superbone]

All quiet on the western front. And the eastern front and everywhere in between.

What happened to meeting two weeks into the lockout? Not a good start.

 

[Mainstreet]

All quiet on the western front. And the eastern front and everywhere in between.

What happened to meeting two weeks into the lockout? Not a good start.

Per RealGM CBA negotiating will start in August.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/214807/CBA_Discussions_On_Hold_Until_August

 

[Griffin]

Per RealGM CBA negotiating will start in August.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/214807/CBA_Discussions_On_Hold_Until_August

It's kind of pointless anyway, because neither side is going to budge at least until the league starts cancelling games.

 

[Superbone]

It's kind of pointless anyway, because neither side is going to budge at least until the league starts cancelling games.

It's also pointless to wait until then. Agree that games are going to be cancelled unless some kind of compromise is made. Does either side want to miss games? I don't think so. I guess if it's going to be a game of chicken, then that's the way it's going to go down. But the owners and players need to use a little common sense.

 

[AzStevenCal]

It's also pointless to wait until then. Agree that games are going to be cancelled unless some kind of compromise is made. Does either side want to miss games? I don't think so. I guess if it's going to be a game of chicken, then that's the way it's going to go down. But the owners and players need to use a little common sense.

I think there are a lot of franchises that would rather miss games (even a season or two) than return to business as usual or anything near that. IMO, almost all the giving, almost all the compromising is going to have to come from the players side and I just don't think they will be willing to do that until things turn dire for many of them. I don't think it's a game of chicken at all, the owners are not bluffing.

Steve

 

[JCSunsfan]

I think there are a lot of franchises that would rather miss games (even a season or two) than return to business as usual or anything near that. IMO, almost all the giving, almost all the compromising is going to have to come from the players side and I just don't think they will be willing to do that until things turn dire for many of them. I don't think it's a game of chicken at all, the owners are not bluffing.

Steve

The nba is making more money than ever. The problem is players AND revenue sharing. Right now, in order for the system to work, small market teams have to remain under the lux tax, and large market teams have to go way over. But when large market teams do not, they make tons more money. When small market teams go over, they lose tons.

Small market owners have a choice, be competitive or lose money. Sometimes its both. Cleveland could not afford to put quality players around LeBron, so LeBron bolted for Miami. Its a catch-22 for those teams.

IMO, the real need is some sort of substantive revenue sharing AND a limitation on free agency, especially for star players. These things have to happen.

1. Teams must be allowed a franchise player tag. Salary must be appropriate but teams must be able to keep their primary player.

2. Some sort of signing bonus/non-guaranteed contract system must be implemented. I think it should be an immediate buyout clause on every contract. Teams should be able to buyout any player for something like 60% of the remaining value of his contract. It allows teams to get out from under those huge, bad contracts that just cripple teams. For most players, they will not be out any money since they will immediately become free agents. If they are worth at least 40% of their previous deal on the open market, they will lose nothing. Its a reasonable compromise.

3. Some sort of revenue sharing must be in place. I am not sure how TV revenues are split now, but that might be the place.

 

[Griffin]

There is some speculation that the players' union might decertify like the NFL players' union did. If they did that, the league could, in theory, void all existing contracts and then set up its own set of rules, forcing the players to accept and play or strike.

http://www.sbnation.com/2011/7/25/2...on-could-lead-to-league-voiding-all-contracts

The idea that every player could become a free agent, and that every team would have its full salary cap to get players (and no more than that) is intriguing. I doubt this will ever happen, but if it did, how would that affect the power balance in the NBA? Would many players elect to re-sign with their current teams?

The big market teams and those with attractive locations would again have a huge advantage getting top tier players. Who would want to play in OKC, for example? A few teams would try to do what Miami did last year, but most would probably aim for a more balanced roster in terms of salary distribution. Either way, it would not bode well for small market teams and cold weather teams.

How would that affect the Suns? Would they be able to rebuild in one summer at the same time as every other team is rebuilding? Would they be able to attract any superstars?