CBA Judgment Day Thread

[StartOrien]

I liked the first paragraph.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Commissioner David Stern says his "gut" tells him there will be no NBA games on Christmas without a labor deal by Tuesday.

The latest from Stern reads like an Onion headline. He's just constitutionally unable to reign himself in, isn't he?

[The Walker Wiggle]

Other points of interest, according to Stern the owners' proposed amnesty clause won't remove a player's contract entirely from his team's salary, rather it will cut the dollar amount in half, spread over twice the time.

And from Stern's perspective the two greatest impediments to a deal are the luxury tax - nobody is surprised to hear - and contract lengths. Since the union has reportedly already conceded to shortening future Bird Rights contracts from six to five years, and other free agent contracts from five to four years, this is the issue that worries me.

[Chris]

Commissioner David Stern says his "gut" tells him there will be no NBA games on Christmas without a labor deal by Tuesday.

The latest from Stern reads like an Onion headline. He's just constitutionally unable to reign himself in, isn't he?

Perhaps.  Although I think its accurate.  I really think the mediator is a last ditch effort before the two sides go into lockdown (I personally thought they went into lockdown after Monday).  So, if they cannot at least make significant progress next week (I have seen the quote elsewhere saying him referring to the owners meetings on Wednesday and Thursday), then there is little reason to think anything will change in time to save the Christmas games.

I really think this is one of those times when he is being taken a little bit out of context by people who are saying that he has set a "deadline".

[The Walker Wiggle]

I really think this is one of those times when he is being taken a little bit out of context by people who are saying that he has set a "deadline".

Well, Stern all but wrote the headlines himself.

And consider how Stern has publicly positioned federal mediator, George Cohen - giving him a single day to bring the two sides together with two months of cancelations at stake. On Cohen's side, reports are that he wanted to hold bargaining sessions at his DC office beginning Tuesday and continuing through the week. But was told by Stern that wasn't possible. The commissioner would rather hold board meetings in New York Wednesday and Thursday on the still unsettled revenue sharing system.

And how's this for out of context, Stern also said that Hunter's characterization of negotiations, "caused my head almost to explode." As well as, "You may have to have both of us in tomorrow with lie detectors."

Other information that's come out - free agent contracts would be capped at four and three years under the league's proposal and rookie contracts would be extended to six years.

[Chris]

I really think this is one of those times when he is being taken a little bit out of context by people who are saying that he has set a "deadline".

Well, Stern all but wrote the headlines himself.

And consider how Stern has publicly positioned federal mediator, George Cohen - giving him a single day to bring the two sides together with two months of cancelations at stake. On Cohen's side, reports are that he wanted to hold bargaining sessions at his DC office beginning Tuesday and continuing through the week. But was told by Stern that wasn't possible. The commissioner would rather hold board meetings in New York Wednesday and Thursday on the still unsettled revenue sharing system.

And how's this for out of context, Stern also said that Hunter's characterization of negotiations, "caused my head almost to explode." As well as, "You may have to have both of us in tomorrow with lie detectors."

Other information that's come out - free agent contracts would be capped at four and three years under the league's proposal and rookie contracts would be extended to six years.

Did you hear the interview, or watch his interview last night on NBA TV?  He made it 100% clear that he was not setting a deadline, just making a rational guess that, if they can't come up with a deal on Tuesday, after each sides meet alone with Cohen on Monday, and then sit down on Tuesday to see if there are any new solutions, then it is a more than reasonable assumption that neither side is going to budge in time for Christmas, particularly pointing to the fact that both sides are more likely to start making worse offers, the more games (and money) are lost.

Stern certainly was spinning a lot of things in his media tour last year, but I really think that statement about the Christmas games has been made too much of...particularly considering he said some much more interesting things, and really threw Hunter under the bus a couple times.

As far as meeting with Cohen the rest of the week, if neither side budges on Tuesday, what is the point?  I think it would be much more valuable to get all of the owners in the same room on Wednesday and Thursday, with the hopes that maybe they can talk it out, and come up with a new proposal as a group.

I am not sure I understand the rationale that these guys need to be sitting in a room for hours on end to get a deal done.  All that becomes is an expensive staring contest when both sides are not willing to budge on certain issues.