Peachtree Hoops: NBA Lockout: League Issues Players Revised Proposal

[Hawksquawk]

NBA Lockout talks ended around 11 p.m. on Thursday night between the league and the players association. In those meetings, David Stern issued a revised proposal to Billy Hunter and the union. Talks adjourned shortly afterwards as Hunter agreed to take the proposal to the player reps for discussion. Before excitement from NBA fans longing for basketball breaks out you should read what a somber Hunter had to say following the meeting.

"It's not the greatest proposal in the world, but I have an obligation to at least present it to our membership," union executive director Billy Hunter said.

The players association will wait until either Monday or Tuesday to meet with the players representatives face-to-face in New York. Once there they will have to make the difficult decision whether or not to accept the deal. 

David Stern was asked following the meeting if this new offer was the best/last proposal coming from the league before reverting back to his "reset" offer if the players don't accept the deal. Stern also indicated that the league was prepared to go forward with a 72 game schedule that would begin on December 15 if the union accepted the proposal in a timely manner. 

Effectively the entire situation is still teetering on an edge and could fall off the cliff at any moment. Neither Hunter or Fisher endorsed the deal and looked somber as they exited the meeting. Indications are that the proposal was only slightly tweaked and didn't come close to meeting all of the union's concerns. If the player representatives reject the deal then they will likely begin the decertification process if they don't choose to do so before. 

For fans all I can offer is hold your breath and hope that this thing gets done. If the league does revert to the "reset" proposal and the union seeks decertification, then this thing is headed for the unknown and will likely put the entire season in jeopardy. 

I have tried to remain neutral in these proceedings because I am not so much of a fan of business negotiations as I am of the game. This lockout has forced me to read and learn much more about the business side. When this began I was of the opinion that 57 percent stake in basketball related income was an extremely large piece of the pie for players in this economic climate. However, during these negotiations, the union has negotiated its way down to nearly a 50-50 split. That in itself is an unbelievable concession to be made. 

I am disappointed that the owners are unwilling to take that seven percent gain in basketball related income and be able to meet the players' demands on system issues. Its those system issues where I think the owners are not unified as small market teams are using these negotiations as a chance to try and level the playing field against somewhat against the large market teams. From where I sit and it still appears that only one side , the players, have made a lot of concessions from the old CBA and the owners are still asking for more. 

So this is where things stand. The good news is that a proposal is going back to a party that could accept it and put things on the fast track to having NBA basketball once again. The bad news is that I am not sure how much confidence anyone should have that this deal as it is proposed will get accepted. 

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