NBA to players' union: BOHICA

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2011/01/19/nba- ... ith-playe/

The NBA sure doesn't sound like its in any hurry to compromise. But then, why would they?

[Cerebral_DownTime]

I really don't care who thinks they're right in this whole mess. They all come off like assholes.

Fuck it. Lockout. I don't give a shit.

[motherscratcher]

The guys don't want to waste their talents, so they're going to go on and play elsewhere. They'll play in Europe. Guys are saving their money. Everybody is blessed, and in this type of economy the money that we've made is more than sufficient enough to carry us and support our lifestyles.

"For (the owners) to try and do that, to have a work stoppage, they stand to lose a ton of money. They're playing with fire, because of the money they'll lose in TV ratings, ad revenues, new sponsors coming on board. ... There's no way to recoup the money that they're going to be missing out on."

Yes, I'm sure all of the players have been very frugal with their money. Well, except for Bosh, who will need to feed his family.

The players are screwed. The owners can hold out a hell of a lot longer than the players.

[Ziner]

A lock out of about 10 years would suit me just fine. Billionaires fighting millionaires, put me in the camp not giving a flip what happens.

I do think the players have a point, I think going to Europe is a real threat. At least to ride out the storm, imagine those euros if Wade, Lebron and Kobe rolled up over there (not that they are the ones that need to go, but shit Turkey got excited about AI).

[Orenthal]

In this economy food is expensive.

[swerb]

The players are fucked here, and I am loving every minute of it. The business model in the NBA is broken. A lot of teams are making little to no money and the ticket prices they are forced to charge just to get there is out of hand.

My kingdom for a lockout. The longer the better.

[jb]

A lock out of about 10 years would suit me just fine.

This. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The idea of some of these guys functioning in Eurpoe and Isarael for months on end makes me chuckle.

The Amsterdam team will be the new Heat.

This is utterly 180 bizarre backwards, quoth Maurice Evans:

"They don't want to do it because they don't want to have the LeBron James and the KGs (Kevin Garnetts) and the Kobes (Kobe Bryant) and all these guys in one spot where they can come in and look them in the eye and address them," Evans said. "It's easier to look at Mo Evans and Derek Fisher and Keyon Dooling and Etan Thomas and guys like us and Theo Ratliff (all of whom are members of the NBAPA executive committee).

"It's easy to come in and look at guys who aren't making $20 million (per season) and aren't franchise players, and say, 'Hey we need (salary) rollbacks. We don't have enough money. This model isn't working, blah blah blah blah.' But tell that to LeBron James. You can't lie to those guys, because you know it's working."

How it it easier to look at the minimum guys and say that?

[jb]

The players are fucked here, and I am loving every minute of it. The business model in the NBA is broken. A lot of teams are making little to no money and the ticket prices they are forced to charge just to get there is out of hand.

The key is that the owners can not waste this opportunity. They have to roll this shit back, and do it hard.

They need to make the NBA in person experience reasonable affordable, and they must institute a hard cap and a franchise tag.

[motherscratcher]

The players are fucked here, and I am loving every minute of it. The business model in the NBA is broken. A lot of teams are making little to no money and the ticket prices they are forced to charge just to get there is out of hand.

The key is that the owners can not waste this opportunity. They have to roll this shit back, and do it hard.

They need to make the NBA in person experience reasonable affordable, and they must institute a hard cap and a franchise tag.

This

I don't care who "wins" this negotiation. In the end, they will still all be millionaires and billionaires.

What I want is a league with competitive balance that makes it very hard, if not impossible, for players to collude like they did last summer. Cleveland will obviously never be an attractive locale like Miami, La, NY are. A franchise tag may be the only way for some teams to keep superstar talent around.

[e0y2e3]

Yeah, a straight hard cap has done wonders for the talent base in the NFL.

Fuck that watered down noise.

Things need to be changed - A LOT - but a hard cap isn't the end all be all.

You guys can keep watching the shitty watered down NFL, but that system blows ass, IMO.

[motherscratcher]

Yeah, a straight hard cap has done wonders for the talent base in the NFL.

Fuck that watered down noise.

Things need to be changed - A LOT - but a hard cap isn't the end all be all.

You guys can keep watching the shitty watered down NFL, but that system blows ass, IMO.

Yeah but there's parity (theoretically). Of course there are the teams that always seem to be good and the teams that always seem to be shit. But there is a general feeling that shitty teams like the Browns are where they are due to mismanagement and not due to any inherent unfairness in the system.

In the NBA, it seems like they current system is stacked against markets like Cleveland. That may be false, but it seems that way.

A hard cap and franchise tag might not be the best answer, but I'm all ears for better ones.

[Ziner]

Yeah, a straight hard cap has done wonders for the talent base in the NFL.

Fuck that watered down noise.

Things need to be changed - A LOT - but a hard cap isn't the end all be all.

You guys can keep watching the shitty watered down NFL, but that system blows ass, IMO.

Yeah but there's parity (theoretically). Of course there are the teams that always seem to be good and the teams that always seem to be shit. But there is a general feeling that shitty teams like the Browns are where they are due to mismanagement and not due to any inherent unfairness in the system.

In the NBA, it seems like they current system is stacked against markets like Cleveland. That may be false, but it seems that way.

A hard cap and franchise tag might not be the best answer, but I'm all ears for better ones.

Dude you are wasting your time SoulDawg:Mark Sanchez::e0y2e3:NBA vs NFL systems

[e0y2e3]

There are varying degrees of soft caps that can come into play. I wouldn't mind a combination of a hard and soft system to be honest.

Also, don't forget the current NBA system was set up for teams to have a better shot at keeping their own talent than any of the other leagues, LBJ and Bosh (and now Melo) are a new breed that apparently have been so rich for so long money doesn't matter. It also doesn't help that LBJ did more recruiting of other FA's in his first week in Miami than he did his entire time here.

I'm all good with the franchise tag idea (even though look at how often franchised players are dealt in the NFL and you'll be surprised)

I just don't want a watered down parity bull-shit league. I like the loaded top in the NBA (and the entire West has been loaded for the playoffs for most of the last decade), keep it that way, just make it easier for teams again to help keep their own. You guys can have your epic Seahwaks-Bears match-ups in the second round of the playoffs.

You wanna win a title? Draft well.

Biggest reason the NBA is having all of these money problems, BTW, is because the owners are jack-asses that can't help themselves from giving away ridiculous contracts. System was and is fine as a financial basis theoretically, owners just exhibited (and continue to exhibit) so little self control they crushed their NOI. EOD: these sweeping changes to the system have to address 2 things, easier to resign your own players and a security system in place to prevent owners from acting like coke whores that just cashed their welfare checks every FA.

[FUDU]

I don't know, I thought I read "Fuck an NBA lockout, I wouldn't have anything to talk about".

As a Cavaliers fan all I know is this is the worst season to have the worst record.

[e0y2e3]

As a Cavaliers fan all I know is this is the worst season to have the worst record.

Yup.

Best shot is getting a Jeff Green type out of this draft if a certain PG from Duke isn't good to declare.

Fucking awful.

[motherscratcher]

As a Cavaliers fan all I know is this is the worst season to have the worst record.

Yup.

Best shot is getting a Jeff Green type out of this draft if a certain PG from Duke isn't good to declare.

Fucking awful.

Yeah, well, it's not like the Cavs are going to improve much so they should be in the lottery for at least a few years.

The only shitbomb that could screw that up is if they lose the entire next season. I've heard it suggested that if there is no basketball between the 2011 and 2012 drafts, they may seed the draft order based on the previous 3 seasons, which would fuck the Cavs worse than that gorilla fucked Clarence Beaks.

I think it was Cass who floated that idea a while back.

[e0y2e3]

There will be a season next year. It'll be shortened but the players union will fold, always do.

[FUDU]

Sally Struthers is most certainly rooting for a lockout, the list of hungry NBA offspring will be long, and for the cost of just one cup of coffee.....

[motherscratcher]

There will be a season next year. It'll be shortened but the players union will fold, always do.

then the Cavs should be hoarding any and all 2012 draft picks they can possibly get their hands on. There should theoretically be 2 drafts worth of talent there.

And the Cavs are going to suck hard.

[e0y2e3]

BTW: Amick is reporting that this meeting is in fact happening and all of the above shite was just posturing.

[jb]

Yeah, a straight hard cap has done wonders for the talent base in the NFL.

Fuck that watered down noise.

Things need to be changed - A LOT - but a hard cap isn't the end all be all.

You guys can keep watching the shitty watered down NFL, but that system blows ass, IMO.

A system that creates a level playing field of meritocracy so that the league is 10 times as popular as a niche urban professional league?

Yeah, that sucks.

Hard cap. Control costs. Force FO's to play even and make smart choices. If talent supply is the problem, contract.