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Interesting take on why players need to cave in....quickly!!!

I think Bill Simmons hit the nail on the head. He said that this will most likely end up like the writer's strike back in 2006. The NBA players are going to lose paychecks to ultimately get a worse deal than they could get now.

I think the writing's on the wall. The players don't want to look weak, but let's face it, the owners have time and money on their side. If I were the players I'd choose one thing/concession that I really want, and then say, "we love the game too much, and just want to play, we've agreed to everything the owners want, but we want (x). If we get (x), we'll sign the new CBA." That might be the only shot they've got to get at least one concession out of this.
 
The NBA players are going to lose paychecks to ultimately get a worse deal than they could get now.

...well, obvious to even the most casual observer....anybody who would cover their body from head to foot in jailhouse tats....can't be the sharpest tool in the shed!
 
To get this thread back on track:

If you could ask Billy Joel one question, what would be your follow up question?
 
Here's a completely off-the-wall idea:

The players' union could threaten to ditch the NBA and start another league in the U.S. Players could nullify their NBA contracts. New teams could be created as corporate entities. Players could receive shares from a certain class of stock, with voting privileges and share of revenue, along with base salaries. The new league could be set up within 90 days. It would remain to be seen whether this new league could run more profitably than the NBA and provide as well for its players, but players could earn dividends from their shares in the league even after they've retired. Their shares could have seniority based on when they are issued. Obviously, new coaches and new managers could be brought in.

If the good players that people want to see (i.e., the players that create market demand) leave the NBA for a new league, the owners' investment in NBA franchises would go belly-up. The value of those franchises is really based on the NBA having the best talent. The ones with the real power in this negotiation should be the elite players (and their agents), and their leverage is the potential to start another league that they own. Other than the top players, there's nothing that the NBA has that can't be replicated.

These powerful agents shouldn't be threatening to de-certify the union and sue the owners for anti-trust, they should be threatening to "de-certify" the league.

If players aren't willing to take these steps, it shows that the players ultimately want outside billionaire owners to take care of them and assume the risk of running a profitable league. If that's the case, the players should make some concessions to the owners and let the owners earn some return for their risk.
 
Here's a completely off-the-wall idea:

The players' union could threaten to ditch the NBA and start another league in the U.S. Players could nullify their NBA contracts. New teams could be created as corporate entities. Players could receive shares from a certain class of stock, with voting privileges and share of revenue, along with base salaries. The new league could be set up within 90 days. It would remain to be seen whether this new league could run more profitably than the NBA and provide as well for its players, but players could earn dividends from their shares in the league even after they've retired. Their shares could have seniority based on when they are issued. Obviously, new coaches and new managers could be brought in.

If the good players that people want to see (i.e., the players that create market demand) leave the NBA for a new league, the owners' investment in NBA franchises would go belly-up. The value of those franchises is really based on the NBA having the best talent. The ones with the real power in this negotiation should be the elite players (and their agents), and their leverage is the potential to start another league that they own. Other than the top players, there's nothing that the NBA has that can't be replicated.

These powerful agents shouldn't be threatening to de-certify the union and sue the owners for anti-trust, they should be threatening to "de-certify" the league.

If players aren't willing to take these steps, it shows that the players ultimately want outside billionaire owners to take care of them and assume the risk of running a profitable league. If that's the case, the players should make some concessions to the owners and let the owners earn some return for their risk.

This is an interesting idea, but where would the games be played in this upstart league? Would the Miller's allow some other owner to use their facilities? Would the games be played at the U or SLCC? I'm sure it could work more easily in a bigger city that has multiple large basketball arenas, but SLC is not one of them.
 
In my humble and not so informed opinion, the process it terms of players appears to me to be driven by what's in the interests of the star players, not the 80% or so of the rest of the players. Colton is correct that the non-stars could, if they had the will, upset the apple cart, but he too easily dismisses (or seems to) the intense social pressure to go along with the crowd. What scrub is really going to go out on a limb to oppose the Kobe's, LeBron's, etc. of the world? It would take tremendous courage to do so, knowing that a likely result is social ostracization, possibly being blackballed, etc.? The stars have the power, the rank and file very little, in practical terms. As in anything else, power is concentrated, and those without it face enormous obstacles, social, economic, and otherwise, to oppose it.

Do any of you really see, for example, C.J. Miles challenging Kobe on labor issues?
 
This is an interesting idea, but where would the games be played in this upstart league? Would the Miller's allow some other owner to use their facilities? Would the games be played at the U or SLCC? I'm sure it could work more easily in a bigger city that has multiple large basketball arenas, but SLC is not one of them.

Hypothetically, if something like this were to happen, the new league to could lease arenas from the owners/managers or rent space from major colleges.
 
Here's a completely off-the-wall idea:

The players' union could threaten to ditch the NBA and start another league in the U.S. Players could nullify their NBA contracts. New teams could be created as corporate entities. Players could receive shares from a certain class of stock, with voting privileges and share of revenue, along with base salaries. The new league could be set up within 90 days. It would remain to be seen whether this new league could run more profitably than the NBA and provide as well for its players, but players could earn dividends from their shares in the league even after they've retired. Their shares could have seniority based on when they are issued. Obviously, new coaches and new managers could be brought in.

If the good players that people want to see (i.e., the players that create market demand) leave the NBA for a new league, the owners' investment in NBA franchises would go belly-up. The value of those franchises is really based on the NBA having the best talent. The ones with the real power in this negotiation should be the elite players (and their agents), and their leverage is the potential to start another league that they own. Other than the top players, there's nothing that the NBA has that can't be replicated.

These powerful agents shouldn't be threatening to de-certify the union and sue the owners for anti-trust, they should be threatening to "de-certify" the league.

If players aren't willing to take these steps, it shows that the players ultimately want outside billionaire owners to take care of them and assume the risk of running a profitable league. If that's the case, the players should make some concessions to the owners and let the owners earn some return for their risk.

There's a .01% chance that this could work. There have been some pretty high profile summer-league games this summer. The biggest was probably the game that had players like: Durant, Melo, CP3, Lebron, etc. People clammored for someone to air the game, but no one would touch it with a 10 ft pole. Why? They either have relationships w/ Stern & Co. or they're afraid of what Stern could do to them. From what I've heard, Stern has a lot of the same qualities as Tony Soprano.

And while people are die-hards and will watch any basketball they can get their hands on (as evidenced by the literally dozens of fans who are attending the Impact League in Vegas - hope you picked up on the sarcasm there), the majority of people would view this league as nothing more than exhibition matches that mean nothing. Most people don't like to watch frivolous games that have no meaning. They like things with history and being able to compare players in the 80's to current players. But if you start a new league, those things go out the window.

And lastly, if they could pull something off like this, why haven't they done it already?
 
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