Optimism? Pshhh
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Optimism? Pshhh
I couldn't wait to get back to my computer because I knew my most recent post was still up, still blaring my naivety and optimism: a deal could be reached! Get ready! Stay tuned! Go ahead and read it here: Silly Optimism!
I needed to rip that down as quickly as possible and post the reality: the NBA is a mess. The league's latest negotiations have turned sour, and the two sides have not scheduled their next session. When we finally finished listening to NBA commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver, we returned to the lobby of this swanky New York City hotel to find its overnight guests dressed in Halloween garb. This seemed somehow appropriate given the horror of this latest bargaining session: 30-plus hours, a deal on the horizon, collapse, and now more canceled games.
Stern has announced the cancelation of NBA games through Nov. 30. He also said "there will not be a full NBA season under any circumstance." More cancelations are right around the corner. And then even more cancelations are around the corner after that. Because Stern made it clear that today's offer of a 50-50 split in BRI and what he called "concessions" on other system issues (keeping guaranteed contracts, contract lengths, etc) would likely be the best offer the union sees in a while.
"The NBA's next offer will reflect the losses that are starting to pile up," Stern said.
Just like they did during last week's meltdown, the two sides played another game of he-said, he-said. NBA Player's Association chief Billy Hunter explained that once Stern announced the NBA had "come up from 47 to 50" on their offer of BRI split, the union was frustrated. The union, it seemed, had assumed that if certain concessions were made on system issues, the NBA would come up from its offer of a 50-50 split. The NBA didn't. Hunter said a 52-48 split was the union's number -- they weren't willing to go any lower.
“We did what [Stern] said [he] needed and it was like their eyes got bigger,” Hunter said, referring to the concessions the union made on system issues. “They just wanted more and more.”
Hunter said the two sides seemed to agree there was no need to continue negotiating if the union was locked in at 52, the NBA at 50. (And please stop trying to apply common sense to this. It's just frustrating. No, there's absolutely no logic forfeiting $400 million dollars for the sake of $100 million per point of BRI split. Yes, these talks have reached a point of ridiculousness. Just yesterday, both sides said -- unequivically -- that there was a deal to be had if each side showed some flexibility.)
Stern didn't mince words during his availability. When asked why the two sides were no longer at the bargaining table, Stern said, "Billy left the room."
Relayed Stern: “Billy Hunter says, ‘We’re not going a dime below 52 … He closed up his book and walked out of the room.”
Of course, those on the union side dispute this claim. Sam Amick of SI.com wrote, "Union source counters Stern's view that talks ended because 'Billy left the room.' There was mutual acknowledgement that the meeting was over."
To paraphrase my favorite comment: Who cares?
Who cares who left the room and why? What's happening here is the destruction of one of the world's most popular leagues by the league itself. I understand domestically there is much apathy for the NBA, but the global following is impressive. And with each "there's no reason to continue negotiating," the NBA is losing another thousand fans.
Maybe all of this was predicted months, even a year, ago. Perhaps this is exactly what the NBA intended: a complete overhaul, a missed season.
It seems that way.
--Kate
Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.
I would fire all the current NBA players, hire new college kids via free agency and other scabs and play a short season...And Doug Collins would love to coach such players rather than go back to his TNT gig. The fans will come too. Look how successful that stupid Keano Reeves movie the REPLACEMENTS was? The fans love underdogs and will watch the "new" NBA games just to spite these greedy players who think they are "quasi-owners".
— sdeens- Just cancel the season already and be done with it. Everyone knows where this is headed. Canceling games on a monthly basis is just water torture for those non-players (support and stadium vendors etc) that depend on the games to make a living.— Wiseman6
Comment removed.- why arent we allowed to post comments on any philly.com sports article but this one?— zwarte piet
- Stern had to have known that Hunter expected him to move off 50/50 and toward 52.5 when they came back Friday morning. That's why Hunter was so optimistic after the Thursday session? Stern is cunning and deceitful. Even if Fisher convinced Stern that he could have gotten the Players to 50/50(according to reports), how could Stern not get confirmation from Hunter and others on the players side before meeting on Friday. Deceitful! Stern will leave a negative legacy. It should be 50-52.5/50-47.5 flexible band and call it a day.— philsix6
- Did someones wife just post?— rayzoe
- The one thousand people that go to the games on a daily basis care about this.These players while on strike sitting on their butts make more in a year then I make in 3..All of you idiots that put sports above more then picking lint out of your belly buttons need a life.If you think that the nba,nhl,mlb,or nfl cares about you or the bills you pay or the 15 million people out of work you are sadly mistaken.I wouldnt blink an eye if they all closed up and went away.And if everbody thought that way this country would be a better place..— TheRod
- OK, now that the smoke has cleared a little bit and folks can see what we are really dealing with you can see why I said two months ago that there would be no games till next year and I also want to add the words "if then". A new development I would like to report is watch for some key people to start stepping down from their positions. Oh yea this is going to get really ugly and if you have stock in any of these teams beware!— rayzoe
- I sympathize with Kate's frustration, but as she herself said "Who cares?" Both sides are contributing to the decline of the NBA.
Personally, I find NBA games boring! College basketball games are much more interesting. I'd much rather watch a Big 5 game than the Sixers!— Pete H - They're still fighting over the imaginary league that exists only as fantasy and hype, the one they've been shoving down our throats for years as ready to overtake MLB and rival the NFL. But a decade of relentless hype hasn't given them the growth they wanted, and now they have to deal with the reality that they aren't a rival to MLB or NFL, and have only won a slight lead over the NHL.
Instead, a decade of relentless hype hasn't even gotten them halfway to MLB, and only a handful of NBA teams aren't losing buckets of money. They say they're losing hundreds of millions a year, but take away the Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, Knicks, Spurs, and Mavs, and that number would be in the Billions.— Pelti - To me it seems that it will be cost many NBA owners less to keep the doors closed rather than open the doors this season. I agree with Kate, the NBA needs an overhaul that starts with contracting at least 4 teams.— jojotr44
- Comment removed.
- I don't care what the players make. It is so hard to make it to the NBA. The ones that make it deserve big money. What needs to be changed are the long term guaranteed contracts. That is what destroys franchises if someone gets badly hurt or if a player dogs it or a team made a bad mistake. In any case it ruins a team for years. If they miss a year to straighten that out and also make the players realize that a smarter structure needs to be established I think it will be worth it. You'd think both sides would understand this. Good reporting as usual Kate. I'm sure you're frustrated.— Ballgame
- A few weeks ago, beforte the last stalemate, Stern said that the 50-50 offer was never to be seen again. But, here it is today, and again, it's not to be seen again. So, in 2 weeks, we'll see the 50-50 offer on the table one more time.
— scootch - Comment removed.
- Kate, you deserve a lot of credit for hanging in with this. NBA players have hit the lottery and are thumbing their nose at it. They don't get it. They are going to walk away from millions of dollars over revenue sharing. 52% versus 50%. The owners shouldn't make money? Are you kidding? If the season is cancelled, there are players that are going to walk away from 20 million dollars. Once it is gone, it's gone. I think the players are about to learn a lesson they will never forget. By the way, the T'Wolves and Hornets may not return if there is no season. 30 players will be permanantly out of work in addition to the salaries lost if there is no season. Billy Hunter is leading the NBA and its players into oblivion.— syddan26
- WHO CARES???— Pete H
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
