[bettilimbroke999]

There is almost no hope for NBA basketball this year, in fact after reading about the latest offer from the owners I really wonder if the owners ever really intended to have a season this year.

The 50/50 split, down from the 57/43 split in the players favor the previous 6 seasons is a dramatic change BUT the system changes are so large as to make one scratch their head in disbelief, essentially the NBA has chosen to sacrifice this season in an effort to reorganize the entire structure of the NBA.

The players essentially are ******, by that I mean if they reject this horrific offer they will be offered an even worse offer which they will obviously refuse and have only one choice which is to decertify the union and take their case to the courts, which will result in a loss of the season and probably as bad a deal as they are currently being offered anyway.

One part of the new proposal essentially eliminates guaranteed contracts (a staple of the NBA and one of the most valuable features for players) and instead allows the league at any time to demote the player to the D-league and adjust his salary down to 75k a year

The NBA is flat out recreating their entire system from scratch, every single problem they've had in the past financially and with the lack of competition causing the championship to always be won by only their very largest markets is being correct ALL AT ONCE.

I wish the books would post a line for whether or not there will be an NBA game played this year bc I would probably go huge on the NO, the owners have gone for the haymaker knockout blow in this negotiation and whether this year or the next the players are going to get a deal that is worlds worse than their previous one

[MichaelWaters]

yep horrible offer. but im cancelling my only gabling account today. dont even want to gamble anymore not even fun. it hurts too much if i could just not be in pain that would be great

[Tech N9ne]

The NBA is great product for gambling so STFU

[MendozaLine]

Are you Bipolar?

[MichaelWaters]

Are you Bipolar?

me?

[will2survive]

I've given up on the NBA season as we approach mid-November. I'm really going to miss it but I'm losing respect for the product due to the greed of both parties

[onlooker]

When they do make a deal, they need to offer NBA League Pass for free for the reminder of this season (if they settle), and next season. Something to give back to the fans, and try to keep them.

[King Mayan]

Bettil, you have seen the light... I would say only 10 owners want a season...

[bettilimbroke999]

Yea I'll admit it, after reading on nba.com what this current offer is its pretty fukin brutal, the NBA definitely went for the grand slam on this one and the players ARE GOING to get ****** in the ass. The funny thing here is that the players will reject this offer and simply accept it after going to court and realizing the courts arent going to force the league to do shit. This is a case of the NBA players have talents that are essentially worth nothing outside of the NBA, they can either take the 5 mil the NBA is offering and like it or take 1/5 of that and go play overseas for the ones that there are jobs for or apply for a job at McDs. Either way the players are honestly about to get David Sterns dick further up their ass than a 10 year old on a field trip to Penn State

[Bluehorseshoe]

I was re-thinking it. If the players could somehow all agree on it, starting their own league would work. I doubt they could pull it off because of the organizational task, (They can't do an 8 team, superstar league. They need to do twice as many teams or no one would care.) but if they found someone to structure it, it would work.

[Scorpion]

I wish the books would post a line for whether or not there will be an NBA game played this year bc I would probably go huge on the NO, the owners have gone for the haymaker knockout blow in this negotiation and whether this year or the next the players are going to get a deal that is worlds worse than their previous one

im ok w/ it

fukk the players, they make so much already

[ChuckyTheGoat]

If I was a top 50 NBA player, I'd tell agent I want $500k as retainer, to hold said-player over for next 12 months. Otherwise, move on to new agent, go to Europe, do whatever.

[Carseller4]

Only Union thugs would think 50/50 is not fair.

[seaborneq]

This negotiation is all about power, not money. Lebron got his wish to screw the Dan Gilbert last offseason. No owner wants to go through that again. The owners will be the last ones laughing. This is also a negotiation against mark Cuban and spending his money all wily nily. Take care of two birds with one negotiation.

[NYSportsGuy210]

I am willing to miss a season as long as they get this right and keep the league profitable and competitive like they do in the NFL every year. Although this is just going to make capping games harder and more random than it is in NFL right now because teams will start to all be somewhat equal in talent.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Funny thing is, noboby will even notice they're gone.

NBA really only interesting when you get down to Final 4 Playoffs, maybe final 8.

[seaborneq]

Players have no chance of even having dignity when it is all said and done.

[bettilimbroke999]

Players have no chance of even having dignity when it is all said and done.

Absolutely agree, this is not really a negotiation this is more like here is the best we're gonna give u (much much less than you were getting) and take it or leave it

The players have somehow had the huge upperhand in the past (idk how they did it 6 years ago but 57%, tons of guaranteed toxic contracts and no salary cap is fukin nuts) and apparently the recession has finally made the owners say fuk this we're redoin the whole system and could give a shit less if theres a season or not

[Inkwell77]

It's funny that y'all dudes seem so upset about this.
F the players, I hate the players, cry cry cry.

Y'all and Dan Gilbert could share a good cry together

[MoneyLineDawg]

Players don't deserve guaranteed contracts......How many ridiculous trades have there been just to "cut salary" or even send bad contracts to teams AND give them a good asset to take them

Too many players lighting it up in their contract year than collecting their paychecks and quit working hard

NBA system should be similar to the NFL (hard cap/ no guaranteed contracts).....Would make the whole league much more exciting

[Scorpion]

96.5% of the nba players are LAZY
fukk them

[Bradyd]

96.5% of the nba players are LAZY
fukk them

Yet they are in better shape than 96.5% of the country....

[shari91]

Too many awesome posts in here to quote but...

Yea I'll admit it, after reading on nba.com what this current offer is its pretty fukin brutal, the NBA definitely went for the grand slam on this one and the players ARE GOING to get ****** in the ass. The funny thing here is that the players will reject this offer and simply accept it after going to court and realizing the courts arent going to force the league to do shit. This is a case of the NBA players have talents that are essentially worth nothing outside of the NBA, they can either take the 5 mil the NBA is offering and like it or take 1/5 of that and go play overseas for the ones that there are jobs for or apply for a job at McDs. Either way the players are honestly about to get David Sterns dick further up their ass than a 10 year old on a field trip to Penn State

You said it yourself but from the other side of the coin a week or two ago. The owners are the boss. They don't need these people. As you said.... go tell a LeBron to go make 1/5 of what he's earning overseas. Good luck pal. Not only will he hate the paycut but not being close to home will hurt too.

In most areas of life, the bigwigs pull the strings. In some sports leagues, the players have for decades. Now the NBA is catching up. When a team is shithouse, they can't sell out the arena, no one's buying jerseys, etc... someone has to bear the brunt of that. This whole time it was the owners. Now it's going to be shared a bit more. Want to join a union Mr James and Mr Bryant? Welcome to the world of collective bargaining you wankers. It's not about what's good for the guys making $20 mill a year or whatever... you join together so everyone tries to get a good deal. And what they're finding out now is that the other 99% of the players in the league are replaceable. Mr $500k x however many of those players is bringing you down. GL with this strategy because these owners aren't backing down. Sucks as a fan and bettor but I love it as a business grad. This is how it should be.

[stevenash]

Funny thing is, noboby will even notice they're gone.

Nobody notices when there are here too.

My uncle had fat cat season tickets for the NJ Nets at the Pru in Newark NJ.
I used to watch the Nets games on cable.
Pru holds like 19,000
Most home games are never sold out, usually 2/3 capacity, they always announce attendance like 16,000, total bull shit, there are maybe 11,000 to 12,000 in the arena when the PA guy says total attendance of 16,000.

The real NBA fan can't afford to go to the games, look around, those corporate execs sitting down low aren't real basketball fans, maybe Spike and Jack are real fans, but they have the money to sit front row.

If I'm not comped, I can't go to the Pru unless I want to sit upstairs, and I don't want to sit upstairs, I got the $200 to sit low, but why should I?

For me, and my wife to sit low, after parking I'm out 500 dead presidents just to get in the door, 600 after the game.

I can go to Foxwoods for a night on 600.

Screw this league, screw the watered down product, screw the "make it rain" incidents in the strip clubs, the thuggery, the gun toting player incidents.

My favorite quote still comes from Kevin McHale,
"when I played, I wanted to smack Lambier in the face the second he walked off the bus, today Kobe wants to hug LeBron at center court"

[Double Bogey]

The players are complete morons and their advisers are worse. They are completely dilusional to think they have any leverage. They should certainly look at the NHL because the same thing happened there. And even then some NHL owners feel they should have got more.

The players wernt sympathetic before, and certainly not after one of their attorneys says the owners are treating them like plantation workers. Show me a plantation where the average salary is 5 mil.

Guys talking about setting up a new league? lol no way. Although I'd love to see that train wreck and the owners pissing their pants with laughter.

[Naz18]

96.5% of the nba players are LAZY fukk them

Lazy at what?

[Emily_Haines]

I'll take 75k to play in the D league

[jjgold]

The NBA would be fine with new players
Owners will win
Lebron would play for 2 million a year
None of these guys are smart enough even to be janitors

[AikenJ]

I'll take 75k to play in the D league

lol the majority of the people in the d-league make near-nothing

[stevenash]

lol the majority of the people in the d-league make near-nothing

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=7239948

[Inkwell77]

Great article.

[lyon804]

The players are on a collison course to get run over. I find it hard to believe they think have ANY leverage. The owners are fed up over a failing system with TOTAL player control and are willing to reset the system and if that means missing 1 or 2 season's, then that is the cost of doing business. What these players need to understand is the owner's are billionaire's and will be fine if the NBA goes out of business. The players on the other hand will be in soup kitchen lines looking for EBT cards and potato soup in the not so distant future.


The players are kinda like running on a scooter playing chicken with semi truck.

Me, personally I would take the deal. What is a better alternative? Sometimes you have to suck it up and swallow your pride to survive and remain viable.

[DerekMadden]

When they do make a deal, they need to offer NBA League Pass for free for the reminder of this season (if they settle), and next season. Something to give back to the fans, and try to keep them.

too bad they care more about money than fans..

[BigBurk]

I expect the players to take the deal today. Even though the deal sucks, I feel they have nu choice but to anymore.

[RudyRuetigger]

you know what i would fukkin love?

everyone in every sport took a fukkin 0 off their contract so middle to lower class families can go see games without it being the "big trip" once a year.