Monday, January 24, 2011

Fisher Confident Owners, Players Will Get Deal Done

Derek Fisher, the president of the NBA's Players Association, doesn't believe a lockout is necessary even if an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement can't be reached before the current one expires.

Getting a deal done soon is impractical, according to Fisher, because of the difficulty of negotiating while games are being played.

"Getting the process started as early as we did has been a great thing, and even though there hasn't been much movement. I still think we're in a much better position in regards to what happens over the next few months going into the offseason when a lot of the heavier work will be done," Fisher told NBA.com's Art Garcia.

"Unfortunately that leaves the NBA with a decision in terms of locking out or not on June 30th. It's a tough proposition during the season to make a lot of headway, but we're working hard and we'll keep trying to do the best job we can do."

The union would prefer the league keep operating as usual as long as progress is being made in negotiations.

It isn't known how the league would feel about continuing activities like the Summer League with no definitive agreement in place.

The two sides remain far apart on most core issues, despite both the league and the union trading proposals over the last 11 months.

The players rejected a proposal submitted by the league during last season's All-Star Break that called for an overhaul of the economic system that includes a reduction in salaries of $750-800 million, a hard cap, the elimination of guaranteed contracts and revenue sharing.

The union countered this past summer with a plan that would reduce the percentage of revenues guaranteed to players, currently at 57 percent, without suggesting what that lower percentage would be.

Fisher maintained the players are committed to avoid the second work stoppage in league history to threaten regular-season games.

"I don't think that's any different than before," said Fisher. "Not just during this round of negotiations, but any round of negotiations. It's never been the Players Association's desire to have a lockout, but at the same time we have a responsibility to do what's right for everybody in the NBA in terms of players. We have to stick to those principles."

10 comments:

  1. I don't know what to make of player unions, I mean they already make so much money, just for playing a sport... I'll have to watch what happens

    following

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  2. I completely agree with you guys. Players are making tens of millions of dollars each year and they're afraid of little paycuts to keep the league running. Capitalism at its best lol.

    I really hope there is no lockout, I don't know what I would be doing without basketball haha.

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  3. The player association is a freaking joke, they make more than enough money to entertain us and give nothing back.


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  6. Hope to see things get resolved, always hate seeing any sport have to deal with this...

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  7. Sports has become too bureaucratic, it used to be about the game!! lol, sounded a bit melodramatic there, eh?

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