NBA doesn't need a lockout

Tommy · 05-19-05, 06:55 PM

By Warren Blatt, Sports Network NBA Editor

(Sports Network) - The NBA and the Players Association need to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement and avoid a lockout.

On Wednesday, NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik revealed that, due to the Players Association's change of heart regarding several key issues, no further negotiations between the parties were scheduled.

The current collective bargaining agreement expires on July 1st. The NBA is in the middle of the playoffs, and the league will be able to finish the postseason, as the finals are expected to end no later than June 23rd. The 2005 NBA Draft, which will be held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, is scheduled for June 28th.

"Our collective bargaining agreement expires on July 1. Without a new collective bargaining agreement there will be no season," commissioner David Stern said while testifying before the House Committee on Government Reform Thursday.

Some of the sticking points of the negotiations are the amount of years on long-term contracts, the amount of annual raises in long-term contracts, and changes to the escrow and luxury tax systems, which are designed to control salary growth and penalize the clubs that spend the most amount of money.

If the league and union, which endured a seven-month lockout during the 1998-99 season, before settling on the current deal, cannot come to an agreement, summer leagues and offseason conditioning programs at team facilities would most likely be cancelled. Teams played a 50-game season during the shortened 1998-99 campaign.

The NBA should have learned a lesson from the National Hockey League, which cancelled its 2004-05 regular season and has still not reached an agreement with the Players Association. Fans don't seem to care if hockey returns, and it looks like it is going to take a lot of hard work for the NHL to win back its fan base.

Players, teams and fans have had a tough 2004-05 campaign. On November 19th, the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers were scheduled to play a competitive game at The Palace of Auburn Hills. However the contest turned into an out of control melee. Indiana won 97-82, but the game had to be stopped in the final minute because of the fracas. Stern showed no mercy, as he suspended Indiana's Ron Artest for the remainder of the season for his part in the brawl. Stern also suspended eight other players for their roles in the melee that started on the court and eventually found its way into the seats and included the fans at The Palace.

On March 25th, another scary incident occurred prior to Indiana's 94-81 victory over the Pistons at The Palace. A telephoned threat that there was a bomb in the Pacers' locker room delayed the start of the contest by almost 90 minutes. Fortunately, nothing was found by the authorities.

Even though the two mentioned incidents involved just the Pacers and Pistons, the events have created a dark cloud over the entire league, which has had to take security measures through out the different arenas to make sure an event like the one that happened at The Palace on November 19th never occurs again.

The NBA players and the league do not need any more negative publicity. Fans want to see their favorite players like Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal do what makes them great on the court.

Fans don't want to be bothered by the specifics of the collective bargaining agreement, all they want to know is when their favorite team will take to the court for the 2005-06 season.

The NBA and the Players Association need to iron out an agreement that is fair for everyone. After all, this league knows what damage a lockout can do.

05/19 12:21:17 ET

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05-19-05, 06:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
Tommy Now go get your shinebox Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sportscapper Island Posts: 15,109	NBA doesn't need a lockout By Warren Blatt, Sports Network NBA Editor (Sports Network) - The NBA and the Players Association need to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement and avoid a lockout. On Wednesday, NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik revealed that, due to the Players Association's change of heart regarding several key issues, no further negotiations between the parties were scheduled. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on July 1st. The NBA is in the middle of the playoffs, and the league will be able to finish the postseason, as the finals are expected to end no later than June 23rd. The 2005 NBA Draft, which will be held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, is scheduled for June 28th. "Our collective bargaining agreement expires on July 1. Without a new collective bargaining agreement there will be no season," commissioner David Stern said while testifying before the House Committee on Government Reform Thursday. Some of the sticking points of the negotiations are the amount of years on long-term contracts, the amount of annual raises in long-term contracts, and changes to the escrow and luxury tax systems, which are designed to control salary growth and penalize the clubs that spend the most amount of money. If the league and union, which endured a seven-month lockout during the 1998-99 season, before settling on the current deal, cannot come to an agreement, summer leagues and offseason conditioning programs at team facilities would most likely be cancelled. Teams played a 50-game season during the shortened 1998-99 campaign. The NBA should have learned a lesson from the National Hockey League, which cancelled its 2004-05 regular season and has still not reached an agreement with the Players Association. Fans don't seem to care if hockey returns, and it looks like it is going to take a lot of hard work for the NHL to win back its fan base. Players, teams and fans have had a tough 2004-05 campaign. On November 19th, the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers were scheduled to play a competitive game at The Palace of Auburn Hills. However the contest turned into an out of control melee. Indiana won 97-82, but the game had to be stopped in the final minute because of the fracas. Stern showed no mercy, as he suspended Indiana's Ron Artest for the remainder of the season for his part in the brawl. Stern also suspended eight other players for their roles in the melee that started on the court and eventually found its way into the seats and included the fans at The Palace. On March 25th, another scary incident occurred prior to Indiana's 94-81 victory over the Pistons at The Palace. A telephoned threat that there was a bomb in the Pacers' locker room delayed the start of the contest by almost 90 minutes. Fortunately, nothing was found by the authorities. Even though the two mentioned incidents involved just the Pacers and Pistons, the events have created a dark cloud over the entire league, which has had to take security measures through out the different arenas to make sure an event like the one that happened at The Palace on November 19th never occurs again. The NBA players and the league do not need any more negative publicity. Fans want to see their favorite players like Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal do what makes them great on the court. Fans don't want to be bothered by the specifics of the collective bargaining agreement, all they want to know is when their favorite team will take to the court for the 2005-06 season. The NBA and the Players Association need to iron out an agreement that is fair for everyone. After all, this league knows what damage a lockout can do. 05/19 12:21:17 ET powered by www.sportsnetwork.com.
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