2
Nov
2011
Will Any NBA Games be Played this Year?
You have to start asking yourself if there will be any NBA games played this year. NBA commissioner David Stern recently announced that all of the games in November have been cancelled and a full season will not be played. “It’s not practical, possible or prudent to have a full season now,” Stern said. The question now becomes whether or not there will be any games played at all this season.
The Two Sides are Close but does it Matter?
The big issue that is preventing a deal is the total percentage of basketball related income that each side gets. In the previous deal the players got 57% but the owners are demanding that percentage drop at least to a 50-50 split. The players have come down from 57% but they have refused to budge off 52%. It would seem that 2% would not prevent a deal but both sides seem entrenched in their positions. “Derek Fisher and I made it clear that we could not take the 50-50 deal to our membership. Not with all the concessions that we granted,” NBA Union executive director Billy Hunter said. “We said we got to have some dollars.” The owners have gone as far as they are going to go at 50% while the players are unwilling to move any further off the 52%. So, yes, 2% could be the difference in having a season of NBA lines or not having one.
What Now?
There are some owners who believe the 50-50 split is too high so it is extremely unlikely the owners will move at all. If there is to be any type of a season, with NBA lines on the board, then the players will have to move off their 52% number. Both sides have said they would rather lose the season than to move any further. If enough NBA players start talking to Hunter then perhaps something could get done. The star players and the ones you always see on TV have said that they are going to hold firm at 52%. Many of the other players in the league have said they just want to play. It will be interesting to see if the NBA player’s union can hold things together or if the “average” players start to put pressure on Fisher and Hunter to make a deal once they start losing paychecks.