- Share This Post
- Pin It
- 0
- 0
-
Sparkle (0)
It was D-Day for the NBA. Top negotiators for the league and players' association met once again in an effort to avoid cancelling regular-season games. Commissioner David Stern set Monday as the deadline for a new labor deal.
True to his word, after more than seven hours of negotiations failed to produce a deal, the Commish officially cancelled the first two weeks of the season - or 100 games. Stern says of the two sides "the gap is so significant that we just can't bridge it at this time."
The key disagreement is the revenue split between the players and the owners. Although the players have shown a willingness to drop their share from the previous labor deal, they have not come down as far as the owners demand. Other issues include a potential "hard" salary cap and other such mechanisms aimed at ensuring competitive balance between large- and small-market teams.
This week's cancellations mark the NBA's first work stoppage since the 1998-99 season was reduced to 50 games.
by Kapungo via Flickr Creative Commons license
No further meetings are scheduled but the two sides are committed to continuing the negotiations. Union president Derek Fisher emphasized that missing any games puts the entire season in jeopardy. He also stressed this was a lockout, not a strike, and that it was the owners' decision not to be playing basketball.
Based on average NBA attendance and the average ticket cost last season, those now-canceled games represent nearly $83 million in lost ticket sales - and that's before the first concession or souvenir is sold.
In addition, ushers, security personnel, parking lot attendants, arena employees and others all have to cut their hours cut or join the country's 14 million unemployed.
Players reacted quickly - and in some cases, strongly - on Twitter within minutes of the cancellations being announced. Most retweeted the following hashtags.
#LET US PLAY #StandUnited #ThisSucks
Miami guard Dwyane Wade lashed out at Stern saying the action hurt employees at arenas around the league, other businesses that thrive off NBA business and the league's fans in general.
Minnesota rookie-to-be Derrick Williams, the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, tweeted that going overseas may now be an option for him.
Some players, like Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619), have even been answering questions about the specific issues on the table.
Although it's unclear when the latest labor standoff will end, it's a good bet that the owners will ultimately win (they always do) along with overseas basketball fans who may get the chance to see some of the league's biggest stars play in Europe and elsewhere. The losers - American fans of NBA basketball. #thissucks
dare to dream
Also online at prettytough.com and womentalksports.com
