Thursday, October 20, 2011
Griffin Predicts
I just listened to a Podcast that Clippers Forward Blake Griffin was interviewed on. He said that if he had to bet, the NBA would be playing by December 15. That was good news to my ears. Let's hope he's right!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The Best
This is the perfect example of two things:
1. This NBA lockout is idiotic and is going to stain the league for years to come.
2. Bill Simmons is one of the best sports writers/thinkers EVER. I mean ever.
"Behind the Pipes: Into the Arms of the NHL"
By Bill Simmons, Grantland.com
1. This NBA lockout is idiotic and is going to stain the league for years to come.
2. Bill Simmons is one of the best sports writers/thinkers EVER. I mean ever.
"Behind the Pipes: Into the Arms of the NHL"
By Bill Simmons, Grantland.com
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| The NBA needs to consider natural predators like the NHL |
A New Record
 |
| WOW |
I previously posted about a negotiation session that lasted 7 hours. I was blown away by that amount of time spent by momentary enemies in the same room. They have more than tripled that mark in the last two days. Between Tuesday and Wednesday negotiations took place at the feet of a federal mediator for over 23 hours. 23 HOURS! In a 31 hour time frame, the two parties sat together for 23 of them. I would be happy about this, but the leaked reports say that not much progress was made. But I thought they talked for 23 hours....no progress......? I'm confused too.
Monday, October 17, 2011
All-Star Tour
Well, I guess we don't have to wonder anymore about what the biggest names in the NBA will be doing now that they have the first two weeks of the season off. An exhibition tour is said to be scheduled for many of the biggest names in the sport to participate in. This will be a 4 continent, 6 game tour. Big time players such as Kobe, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Lebron James and Dwane Wade are all scheduled to participate. Let's hope that this doesn't become so profitable and so much like a rock n' roll tour that they decide to quit the negotiations!
Friday, October 14, 2011
The Players
I'm a day late. I over-promised and under-delivered. My bad. But, without further delay....
The players are mixed up in a Jekyll and Hyde situation in this lockout. They are, in a sense, not at fault for the extended lockout and drama created in the negotiations. The fact, plain and simple, is that the owners locked out the players. The players have not de-certified and gone on strike. That is the first misconception that the majority of casual fans are making about the lockout. The second victim role the players are occupying is actually in the negotiations. David Stern and the owners have been pulling some cheap negotiation tactics, hoping to win over not only public support, but also fool the players into buying what they are trying to sell. The owners presented their original proposal to the players that was filled with all kinds of nonsense and outlandish demands. They included a hard salary cap into their demands. The players obviously were outraged at this because it would place a very strict limit on their salaries. The owners, in their generosity and willingness to work out a deal, took the hard cap off of the table during the next round of negotiations. What is the big deal you ask? That would be like me re-negotiating my contract with my employer. However they told me that I needed to take a pay cut because they took a line out of the contract that said I had to shovel the snow and change the light bulbs. The problem being that I never had to change the light bulbs or shovel the snow. They can't use it as a way to negotiate a lower salary if it was never a part of the job description. The owners tried to come out looking like the good guys. Instead the players saw through their tactic and strengthened their stance and rigidity.
Come in Jekyll. The players are massively overpaid and need to admit it. The max players, the super stars, should be paid mega-dollars. The bench players and the role players are the ones robbing the owners blind. Concessions need to be made by both sides, including the players on this topic. The major roadblock from allowing this to happen is that the player representatives at the negotiations are, you guessed it, ROLE PLAYERS. You can guess Derek Fisher's reaction when the idea of the average player's salary. Nope, he's not thrilled.
Something has to give, I guess we'll just see who wins.
THE PLAYERS:
 |
| Jekyll or Hyde? |
Come in Jekyll. The players are massively overpaid and need to admit it. The max players, the super stars, should be paid mega-dollars. The bench players and the role players are the ones robbing the owners blind. Concessions need to be made by both sides, including the players on this topic. The major roadblock from allowing this to happen is that the player representatives at the negotiations are, you guessed it, ROLE PLAYERS. You can guess Derek Fisher's reaction when the idea of the average player's salary. Nope, he's not thrilled.
Something has to give, I guess we'll just see who wins.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
My Take
After mulling it over for a week, I am even more upset about this lockout than I was before. I keep changing my mind about who to blame and who is more at fault. The owners say the players are to blame. The players, most recently Derek Rose, argue that the owners are locking them out. Either way, we will not be enjoying the beautiful game come November 1. Over the next two days I am going to examine each side and discuss their roles in this mess. Today I'll start with the owners.
They recognize that there is a problem with the way the last CBA has played out. The numbers can be argued, but as a whole, the owners are not participating in a efficient or successful business model. There are a few reasons for that. They claim, first and foremost, that the players are making too much money. I agree that 57% of all basketball related revenue is too much for the players to control. However, that is not the only factor. What the owners have decided to ignore is their lack of business sensible decisions. The majority of the owners have been very successful in multiple different business ventures over the course of their lives. I can't understand why they seem to throw all of their knowledge and experience out the window when they invest in an NBA team. Overpaying for mediocre players is the biggest deterrent to running a successful NBA team. Rashard Lewis, who barely cracks the top 100 players in the league, is due to make over 20 million dollars each year until his horrible contract is up. RASHARD LEWIS!!!! In none of their previous business ventures would any of the NBA owners have so grossly overpaid for comparable talent. He is easily making 3 times what he should be. The point is, the owners and organizations are doing this to themselves. Poor decisions have put them in this position. They are fighting for checks and barriers in the system to stop themselves from themselves.
The biggest issue to watch going forward is the unity between owners. It is no secret that they are divided on the direction this lockout should go. A group of owners, those that have been able to control themselves, want to get the season and subsequent revenues started. Another group, the group that bought at the highest prices, want to tweak the system enough to ensure a good return on their investment. These owners don't want to lose games either, but recognize the flaws in the system (except of course their inability to correctly pay their employees). The third group of owners are the most dangerous. These owners are those that own both an NBA team and an NHL team. These owners want to miss the entire season if they have to. They won't stop until the system is blown up and the players have no choice but to crawl back and accept the new one. The same thing happened in hockey 3 years ago. They know it can work and they will do anything to make it happen. This division among the owners could be the key for the players going forward.
With their fearless leader David Stern at the helm, the owners are in a good position. He got worked over by Billy Hunter in the last negotiations and is determined to not be bested this time. Though their logic and argument has some holes in it, I'll always take the billionaires when they are fighting the millionaires.
Look for my analysis on the Players' position and argument tomorrow!
Please comment and let me know what you think.
 |
| Mark Cuban |
 |
| Russian Billionaire |
 |
| Donald Sterling |
THE OWNERS:
They recognize that there is a problem with the way the last CBA has played out. The numbers can be argued, but as a whole, the owners are not participating in a efficient or successful business model. There are a few reasons for that. They claim, first and foremost, that the players are making too much money. I agree that 57% of all basketball related revenue is too much for the players to control. However, that is not the only factor. What the owners have decided to ignore is their lack of business sensible decisions. The majority of the owners have been very successful in multiple different business ventures over the course of their lives. I can't understand why they seem to throw all of their knowledge and experience out the window when they invest in an NBA team. Overpaying for mediocre players is the biggest deterrent to running a successful NBA team. Rashard Lewis, who barely cracks the top 100 players in the league, is due to make over 20 million dollars each year until his horrible contract is up. RASHARD LEWIS!!!! In none of their previous business ventures would any of the NBA owners have so grossly overpaid for comparable talent. He is easily making 3 times what he should be. The point is, the owners and organizations are doing this to themselves. Poor decisions have put them in this position. They are fighting for checks and barriers in the system to stop themselves from themselves.
The biggest issue to watch going forward is the unity between owners. It is no secret that they are divided on the direction this lockout should go. A group of owners, those that have been able to control themselves, want to get the season and subsequent revenues started. Another group, the group that bought at the highest prices, want to tweak the system enough to ensure a good return on their investment. These owners don't want to lose games either, but recognize the flaws in the system (except of course their inability to correctly pay their employees). The third group of owners are the most dangerous. These owners are those that own both an NBA team and an NHL team. These owners want to miss the entire season if they have to. They won't stop until the system is blown up and the players have no choice but to crawl back and accept the new one. The same thing happened in hockey 3 years ago. They know it can work and they will do anything to make it happen. This division among the owners could be the key for the players going forward.
With their fearless leader David Stern at the helm, the owners are in a good position. He got worked over by Billy Hunter in the last negotiations and is determined to not be bested this time. Though their logic and argument has some holes in it, I'll always take the billionaires when they are fighting the millionaires.
Look for my analysis on the Players' position and argument tomorrow!
Please comment and let me know what you think.
Monday, October 10, 2011
It Is Official. It Is Hard To Swallow.
While it was a foregone conclusion for most NBA fans, hearing the words, "NBA cancels first two weeks of the regular season" had to be a bit shocking. I for one, ready as I thought I was, was still taken back by the move. I will write a full blog post tomorrow with a complete reaction to the news. In the meantime, please enjoy this stomach punch of an article.
NBA Cancels First Two Weeks of Regular Season
NBA Cancels First Two Weeks of Regular Season
LOCKOUT COMPARISON
October 8, 1998: Labor negotiations were held for 4 1/2 hours, with little progress made.
October 13, 1998: The NBA cancels the first TWO weeks of regular season games due to stalled talks.
October 9, 2011: Both Sides of the labor talks meet for hours to try to come together. Little progress is made. The sides reportedly don't even talk about revenue sharing, one of the biggest rifts remaining between the two sides.
October 10, 2011: If an agreement can't be reached by the end of the day today, David Stern and the NBA will reportedly be forced to cancel the first two weeks of the regular season.
Look Familiar???
What do you think? How much time will be missed?
October 13, 1998: The NBA cancels the first TWO weeks of regular season games due to stalled talks.
October 9, 2011: Both Sides of the labor talks meet for hours to try to come together. Little progress is made. The sides reportedly don't even talk about revenue sharing, one of the biggest rifts remaining between the two sides.
October 10, 2011: If an agreement can't be reached by the end of the day today, David Stern and the NBA will reportedly be forced to cancel the first two weeks of the regular season.
Look Familiar???
What do you think? How much time will be missed?
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Who's Fault?
Someone is to blame! Who do you think is more to blame?
1. David Stern
2. The Owners
3. Billy Hunter
4. The Players
5. The Agents
6. All of the Above
Comment to Vote!
1. David Stern
2. The Owners
3. Billy Hunter
4. The Players
5. The Agents
6. All of the Above
Comment to Vote!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
50-50 Split and Secret Meetings
We were SO close! After another combined 10 hours of labor negotiations between Monday and Tuesday, a deal was almost struck. According to the owners, they were willing to accept a deal that would split the Basketball Related Income 50-50 with the players. We've done IT! Not so fast. As David Stern and assistant commissioner Adam Silver were convincing the owners to accept such a deal, Derek Fisher and the NBAPA interrupted with the news that they would not accept such a deal. WHAT! Just as it seemed that the start season would be saved.....
Stay tuned for more information...
Sunday, October 2, 2011
In the Thick of It
7 Hours is a very long time. I can't think of a lot of things that I would like to do for 7 straight hours. With that being said, I am very grateful that both the NBA and NBAPA decided to sit down for 7 hours on Saturday to discuss possible lockout ending plans. Did it lead to a settled lockout? No Dice! It didn't happen on Saturday, but 7 hours in the same room is a giant step forward considering the bad blood between these two sides. Talks are scheduled again for Monday. Let's see if we can hit 8 hours this time!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Blog Reader Comments
On the flip side, what is the best thing about the NBA Lockout?
I'll be sure to respond to your comments!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Contraction?
Dare I say it? The word sends chills down the spines of NBA fans in 30 cities across the nation. Well, in reality, only about 4 or 5 cities are potential targets for the death blow that is franchise contraction. The way the lockout negotiations are shaping up, it may be the best chance the league has to play this season.
The quick financial rundown goes like this. The players have enjoyed a large slice of the pie during the past two labor deals. As recently as last year, they players received 57% of all basketball related revenues. That number, Basketball Related Revenues, is key to this entire lockout. The owners feel that 57% is too much. In a ridiculous offer, Commissioner Stern and the owners presented a plan to the players that would give the players only 46% of the revenues. 57% to 46% is a LARGE drop. Hence, the stalemate that is the NBA lockout.
How does contraction fit into the equation? If two teams were contracted, there would be less employees(players). Thus, the amount of money that the players are looking for would be the same, while letting the owners take their 50+% that they are demanding.
The candidates?
- New Orleans Hornets: They don't even have an owner.....
- The Sacramento Kings: The Maloof Brothers can't pay their bills. That is generally not a good business practice. Sorry Jimmer.
- The Charlotte Bobcats: MJ was a better player than owner.
I guess we'll wait and see. Who do you think should be contracted?
The quick financial rundown goes like this. The players have enjoyed a large slice of the pie during the past two labor deals. As recently as last year, they players received 57% of all basketball related revenues. That number, Basketball Related Revenues, is key to this entire lockout. The owners feel that 57% is too much. In a ridiculous offer, Commissioner Stern and the owners presented a plan to the players that would give the players only 46% of the revenues. 57% to 46% is a LARGE drop. Hence, the stalemate that is the NBA lockout.
How does contraction fit into the equation? If two teams were contracted, there would be less employees(players). Thus, the amount of money that the players are looking for would be the same, while letting the owners take their 50+% that they are demanding.
The candidates?
- New Orleans Hornets: They don't even have an owner.....
- The Sacramento Kings: The Maloof Brothers can't pay their bills. That is generally not a good business practice. Sorry Jimmer.
- The Charlotte Bobcats: MJ was a better player than owner.
I guess we'll wait and see. Who do you think should be contracted?
Monday, September 26, 2011
Malcolm Gladwell and the Economics of the Lockout
I recently devoured one of the best books I have ever read, Outliers: The Secret to Success by Malcolm Gladwell. Not only is Gladwell an extremely talented writer and one of the best thinkers of our day, but he is an avid sports fan.
Bring in the NBA Lockout.
Gladwell hasn't been the loudest critic of the Angel of Stern (Commissioner Stern) and the NBA owners, but his arguments are some of the most thought provoking to date. In his two contributions to the best new sports website around, grantland.com, Gladwell has carefully punched holes in the Owners' reasoning behind locking their players. His latest assault, has been blowing up the bloggersphere and twitter. It attacks Stern's overused claim that the economic model of professional basketball is broken. To avoid getting a watered down version from me, please read it for yourself here:
"The Nets and NBA Economics"
As always, Enjoy Responsibly.
Bring in the NBA Lockout.
Gladwell hasn't been the loudest critic of the Angel of Stern (Commissioner Stern) and the NBA owners, but his arguments are some of the most thought provoking to date. In his two contributions to the best new sports website around, grantland.com, Gladwell has carefully punched holes in the Owners' reasoning behind locking their players. His latest assault, has been blowing up the bloggersphere and twitter. It attacks Stern's overused claim that the economic model of professional basketball is broken. To avoid getting a watered down version from me, please read it for yourself here:
"The Nets and NBA Economics"
As always, Enjoy Responsibly.
LOCKOUT COMPARISON
(Commissioner Stern: 1998)The last time the NBA experienced an extended lockout was in 1998. In an attempt to put the current lockout into perspective, let’s compare our current labor negotiations to those of 1998.
September 24, was a key date in 1998. It was the day that the NBA canceled 24 preseason games and postponed team training camps indefinitely.
A similar bridge was crossed one day earlier this time around. Last Friday, September 23, the NBA canceled 43 preseason games and postponed the start of training camps. It is surprising how eerily similar the time lines of the two lockouts are shaping up.
This will be a common feature in NBA Lockout Talk. Please leave suggestions in the comment section of different lockout topics you would like to read about and discuss!
(Commissioner Stern: 2011)
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Doesn't Look Right: D-Will in Turkey
Arguably the biggest NBA start to jump overseas during the extended NBA lockout, Deron Williams hit the ground running in Turkey on Saturday. In his first appearance with his new club, Beskitas, Williams put up big numbers with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in just over eighteen minutes. With Williams success overseas, it may sway other NBA All-Stars decide to take their talents across the pond. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The What and Why
I'm just a fan. I'm a fan hoping for an NBA Season. I'm also a fan looking for any NBA talk available during the extended lockout. I hope to gather thoughts, insights and updates about the NBA and the labor negotiations together on one accessible forum. Please read, leave comments and give ideas.
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