Good News. Labor deal is 95.632% complete

[Roy H.]

Owners are apparently going to present a new deal tonight based upon negotiated deal points.

Gomesfan, check out hoopshype.com for updates.

[BASS_THUMPER]

A source tells Sports Illustrated's Sam Amick that a deal has not been reached, but reasons for optimism continues.

same thang they been sayin for months now

[Kiorrik]

http://www.nba.com/home/live1/

[Gomesfan]

:::::::::::Yaaaaaaaaawn::::::::::::

So sick og the BS, just watched the NBPA presser and its the same thing as ussual.... next week, draaag it out!

[Roy H.]

So, in summary:

The NBA has compromised a bit on the union's issues, but hasn't given in all the way.  The league has made a new formalized offer, which it's calling its best offer.  Billy Hunter says the offer "isn't the best deal in the world", but says he's going to take it to the team representatives.  That will take place early next week.

If the union takes the deal, we're looking at a 72 game season, starting December 15.  The season would finish about a week later than is presently scheduled.

[fairweatherfan]

Billy Hunter says the offer "isn't the best deal in the world", but says he's going to take it to the team representatives.  That will take place early next week.

That sounds like code for "we're probably gonna take it, but we're not happy about it".  They might make a last-minute push for some tweaks, but if they're taking it back they expect to pass it.  I think.

[Redz]

Billy Hunter says the offer "isn't the best deal in the world", but says he's going to take it to the team representatives.  That will take place early next week.

That sounds like code for "we're probably gonna take it, but we're not happy about it".  They might make a last-minute push for some tweaks, but if they're taking it back they expect to pass it.  I think.

boo hoo hoo

sounds like kids on the playground

[Chris]

Billy Hunter says the offer "isn't the best deal in the world", but says he's going to take it to the team representatives.  That will take place early next week.

That sounds like code for "we're probably gonna take it, but we're not happy about it".  They might make a last-minute push for some tweaks, but if they're taking it back they expect to pass it.  I think.

I think that may be a bit strong.  It definitely sounds like they are going to put it up for vote, mainly because I think they may finally be truly convinced it is the last and best offer (at least the framework anyways).  But I am not sure how confident they are that the players will accept it.

I think the real key will be how Fisher and Hunter present it to the committee on Monday/Tuesday (would it really have been that hard to get the guys in town today or tomorrow?).  If they present it like they did the last one, which supposedly they did a good job at selling it as a bad offer, then things are looking bad.  However, if Fisher and Hunter present it as the last offer they are going to get, and if it is not accepted, decertification is the only other real option...well, then it will probably pass.

I have a feeling things are going to get very interesting this weekend though, with different factions campaigning hard...and lucky for us, their favorite way to compaign is via twitter!

[Roy H.]

Nerdy, funny, and apt:

Only chance the players have: @TheNBPA hires James T. Kirk to reprogram the Kobayashi Maru test so there's some way to win it

Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz1dPsGwdok

[Chris]

Nerdy, funny, and apt:

Only chance the players have: @TheNBPA hires James T. Kirk to reprogram the Kobayashi Maru test so there's some way to win it

Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz1dPsGwdok

I don't know if it's more or less nerdy than the actual reference, but when I first saw that, I was wondering if this was referring to a hotdog eating contest.

[Roy H.]

Nerdy, funny, and apt:

Only chance the players have: @TheNBPA hires James T. Kirk to reprogram the Kobayashi Maru test so there's some way to win it

Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz1dPsGwdok

I don't know if it's more or less nerdy than the actual reference, but when I first saw that, I was wondering if this was referring to a hotdog eating contest.

Hot dog eating contest = less nerdy than Star Trek

In lockout related news, the owners concessions were:

1.  Luxury tax teams can participate in sign-and-trades in the 1st two seasons of deal;

2.  Luxury tax teams can use a 3 year, $3 million mini-MLE every year (as opposed to the original 2 year, $2.5 million exception every other year);

3.  Teams must spend to at least 85% of cap;

4.  Teams below the cap that spend up to the cap (think Miami Heat of last year) get an extra $2.5 million exception to use that season.  (Right now, they can't give anything but minimum contracts).

Those might not be huge concessions, but I've heard some union types calling this deal "worse than the deal we rejected".  In what manner is this worse?  It seems quite a bit better from where I stand.

[Chris]

Nerdy, funny, and apt:

Only chance the players have: @TheNBPA hires James T. Kirk to reprogram the Kobayashi Maru test so there's some way to win it

Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz1dPsGwdok

I don't know if it's more or less nerdy than the actual reference, but when I first saw that, I was wondering if this was referring to a hotdog eating contest.

Hot dog eating contest = less nerdy than Star Trek

In lockout related news, the owners concessions were:

1.  Luxury tax teams can participate in sign-and-trades in the 1st two seasons of deal;

2.  Luxury tax teams can use a 3 year, $3 million mini-MLE every year (as opposed to the original 2 year, $2.5 million exception every other year);

3.  Teams must spend to at least 85% of cap;

4.  Teams below the cap that spend up to the cap (think Miami Heat of last year) get an extra $2.5 million exception to use that season.  (Right now, they can't give anything but minimum contracts).

Those might not be huge concessions, but I've heard some union types calling this deal "worse than the deal we rejected".  In what manner is this worse?  It seems quite a bit better from where I stand.

OK, those are pretty significant consessions in my opinion (based on my assumption that the owners know they can get pretty much whatever they want, if they wait long enough).

Particularly #2.  Not the extra money and year, but the fact that they would allow teams over the tax line to use the MMLE (yes, I just named it) every year is definitely significant.  That means that teams that might choose to go over the tax line to make runs at the championship, can continue to add players year after year.  I think the previous incarnation might have made it tough for teams to consistently contend, but this fixes that.

[Chris]

Nerdy, funny, and apt:

Only chance the players have: @TheNBPA hires James T. Kirk to reprogram the Kobayashi Maru test so there's some way to win it

Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz1dPsGwdok

I don't know if it's more or less nerdy than the actual reference, but when I first saw that, I was wondering if this was referring to a hotdog eating contest.

Hot dog eating contest = less nerdy than Star Trek

In lockout related news, the owners concessions were:

1.  Luxury tax teams can participate in sign-and-trades in the 1st two seasons of deal;

2.  Luxury tax teams can use a 3 year, $3 million mini-MLE every year (as opposed to the original 2 year, $2.5 million exception every other year);

3.  Teams must spend to at least 85% of cap;

4.  Teams below the cap that spend up to the cap (think Miami Heat of last year) get an extra $2.5 million exception to use that season.  (Right now, they can't give anything but minimum contracts).

Those might not be huge concessions, but I've heard some union types calling this deal "worse than the deal we rejected".  In what manner is this worse?  It seems quite a bit better from where I stand.

Do you have link to where these were from?  I am having a hard time finding a good source on this.

[nickagneta]

In what manner is this worse?  It seems quite a bit better from where I stand.

While not better is accurate quite a bit better is probably relative from where you stand.

My guess is that the players are looking at it as its quite a bit better in that instead of losing a basketball game by 50 they are counting that last second layup and they are only going to lose by 48.

I mean really, quite a bit better? The owners are getting 50/50. They are getting their punitive soft cap that will act as a hard cap. They are getting amnesty. They are still limiting the MLE significantly to teams over the tax. They gave in to sign and trades to teams over the tax which is something that barely ever happens.

How is this significantly better? Better yes but its better in that its better to have $1,000,010 rather than $1 million.

[Roy H.]

Do you have link to where these were from?  I am having a hard time finding a good source on this.

1.  

Marc Stein: According to my man @Chris Broussard, owners' new offer does enable tax teams to make sign-and-trades for first two years of new labor deal

Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz1dPyAJAOt

2.  

Ken Berger: Mini mid-level, as I reported earlier, goes from two years starting at $2.5M every other year for tax teams, to three years starting at $3M.

Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz1dPyTVEVq

3.  

Chris Mannix: The minimum payroll is going to be 85 percent. That's not a new addition to deal. It's in my report yesterday.

Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz1dPycPsoS

4.  

Another tweak, per source close to talks: Teams under cap who then spend up to it would get a little exception, worth $2.5M, to spend.  http://twitter.com/#!/ZachLowe_SI

I just read hoopshype's media twitter feed.  Berger, Woj, Broussard, and Lowe are the go-to sources, with Aldridge, Mannix, and Howard Beck, as well.