Peachtree Hoops: NBA Lockout: League Cancels More Games, Players File Lawsuits

[Hawksquawk]

The NBA announced on Tuesday that it had cancelled more regular season games which at this point was inevitable. However, the Christmas day games survived the cut although they are likely to be next in line. The league notified teams that all games scheduled from December 1 - December 15 had been cancelled due to the ongoing CBA negotiations.

While the league was busy chopping games off the schedule, groups of players were busy filing antitrust lawsuits in Minnesota while another was expected to be filed in northern California. Plaintiffs in Minnesota include Anthony Tolliver, Ben Gordan, Caron Butler and rookie Derrick Williams. 

Attorney David Boies says that the players are not seeking a preliminary injunction to lift the lockout but are looking to restore free-market conditions. 

The plaintiffs argue that the lockout "constitutes an illegal group boycott, price-fixing agreement, and/or restraint of trade in violation of the Sherman Act" and that the owners' final offer for a new CBA would have "wiped out the competitive market for most NBA players."

Dig in because this is just the beginning. 

Editors note - My apologies for the downtime around here for the last few days but it should reflect my overall mood associated with the current state of the NBA. As a fan, I feel empty and helpless because from where I sit it seems so minute. So what if somebody's $5.4 million salary gets knocked down to just $5 million. I can guarantee that is more money than most people reading this blog will ever make. In addition the harm being done to the game is going to take years to repair. 

Second, as someone who writes about this sport, I am overwhelmed with the concern over what we are going to do around here until the league does come back. As many of you can probably tell, writing about labor negotiations isn't nearly as fun as writing about Josh Smith jump shots. I have a feeling that recapping court room decisions won't be nearly as fun as writing about a hard earned playoff win over the Magic either. 

With that said, I want to reiterate that we are in this for the long haul. In the meantime we appreciate those of you that are still visiting the site and we look forward to the celebration that will take place once this whole thing finally ends. 

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