NBA Offseason Discussion Thread

[No More Sorrow]

Yeah I'm assuming they don't get a deal done. The owners just have a i don't give a fuck, screw the players attitude. They couldn't care less. Unfortunate but that's how it is.

 

[Ghetto Anthony]

Deal done tomorrow or next week...I think...

plz

 

[Dademo]

LOCKOUT IS OVER!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[SAIYANS]

Don't fuck with me

 

[PHX]

The NBA may be coming home for Christmas.

Owners and players reached a tentative agreement on a new labor deal early Saturday that would end the five month old lockout and have the league up and running by Dec. 25 and include a 66-game season.

“We've reached a tentative understanding,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said early Saturday morning. “We’re optimistic that it will hold and we'll have ourselves an NBA season.”

Owners and players must vote to approve the deal to finalize the agreement. Players will have to reform the union and then ratify the deal to make it official.

Lawyers for owners and players talked for 15 hours on Friday. The framework of a deal is in place but there are B-list issues, including drug testing, early entry draft age and D-League assignments that both sides still have to agree upon.

“Once we present it (to our players) we're confident they will support it,” said union executive director Billy Hunter.

It was crucial for Stern to have a handshake agreement this weekend in order to start by Christmas, traditionally one of the league’s showcase dates. Stern has said on numerous occasions that the league would need approximately 30 days from an agreement to when games could be played.

Lawyers would need 10 days to two weeks to write up the agreement. That would be followed by an abbreviated free agency period and training camp which would likely include just two preseason games. Stern added that training camp should open by Dec. 9.

Stern, deputy commissioner Adam Silver, Spurs owner Peter Holt, the chairman of the labor relations committee, and attorneys Rick Buchanan and Dan Rube were representing the owners at Friday’s talks. The players were represented by executive director Billy Hunter, president Derek Fisher, vice president Maurice Evans, attorney Ron Klempner and economist Kevin Murphy.

Because the players filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league last week while the league filed a pre-emptive suit in New York, seeking to prove the lockout was legal, the talks centered on settling their lawsuits.

Prior to this week, the sides hadn’t spoken since talks broke down on Nov. 14 when players rejected the owner’s proposal that included a 72-game game schedule that would begin on Dec. 15. When the union dissolved, Stern said that the NBA was heading for a “nuclear winter.”

However, the decision by players to dissolve and file an anti-trust lawsuit appears to have worked in their favor. Although Stern had threatened that the next proposal from the owners would not be nearly as good as the last, owners are showing a willingness to tweak certain “system issues” related to the mid-level exception.

During the last work stoppage in 1998-99, the two sides didn’t settle until January and the 50-game season didn’t begin until the first week of February. Owners reportedly are reluctant to play only 50 games this season.

Under the proposed 66-game season, the playoffs and the NBA Finals would begin a week later than originally scheduled.

Fantasy basketball here we come.

 

[SAIYANS]

Christmas really will be Christmas lol.

I also heard League Pass will be at a special price, so I hope that is true. I don't however get training camp and free agency starting the same day, too confusing for teams.

 

[PHX]

I see one of the things they still have left is the early entry age so makes me wonder are they just gonna go back to letting high schoolers back in the league or at least in the D-league. Hope so.

 

[SAIYANS]

I feel sorry for the d league as it was just announced on Wednesday that they would have games televised more on NBA tv

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Yes, high schoolers with enough skill need to jump straight to the NBA.

 

[PHX]

I just never saw the point of forcing them to do 1 year in college before they enter in. A year can make some difference but not as much as they wanna lead you to believe.

 

[Kiffy Lube]

It did get out of control at one point with who they were letting in but some talent just don't need to waste their time.

 

[Slim]

So a tentative deal is done and the season is to start on Dec. 25th. Everything else like free agency and the sorts starts off Dec. 9th. Looks like there will be NBA this year.

ummm... yay?

 

[Troy]

Anyone else find it a bit suspicious that the first game of the season will be on Christmas day? Seems a bit suspect that they finally agreed to a deal where the season starts on one of the biggest days of the year which I am sure rates well for the NBA.

Be interesting to find out what the revenue is.

 

[Slim]

I'm still holding on to my original assessment of all this crap... I could careless what they do now. They showed their hand and showed exactly what they are all about. So... eh. They could start on New Years for all I care.

 

[Killswitch]

Best news out of all this is that thousands of ball boys, ushers, vendors, bartenders, parking attendants, waiters and waitresses, and any other arena/restaurant workers who make their money from having the NBA around will be back on the job again.