From Howard Beck of the New York Times: “A critical weekend for the N.B.A. labor talks will begin Saturday morning with an owners meeting, during which the league’s hard-liners will insist that no more financial concessions be made to players, according to a person briefed on the agenda. The owners’ faction includes between 10 and 14 owners and is being led by Charlotte’s Michael Jordan, according to a person who has spoken with the owners. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in
Archives for November 2011
More Euroleague: Maccabi-Madrid
On Thursday night, Jordan Farmar’s Maccabi Tel Aviv squad was able to squeeze by a strong Real Madrid squad led by Rudy Fernandez in Round 3 of the Euroleague, 88-82. It was Day 126 of the NBA lockout in America, but Israeli spectators were treated to a star-studded game featuring three current NBA players – Farmar, Fernandez, and Serge Ibaka of the Thunder, plus eight players who were either former draft picks or NBA players – Sokoflis Schortsanitis (Clippers), Keith Langford (Spurs),
Gibson Column: DaJuan Summers Left To Fry Under Tuscan Sun
BARCELONA — Somewhere in Tuscany, DaJuan Summers is negotiating a buyout with Montepaschi Siena after playing only four games. Between the offers, counter offers and number crunching, I hope both sides can put down their pens long enough to look at each other and ask: What were we thinking? On the one hand you’ve got Siena, fresh off a Euroleague Final Four appearance as well an Italian Championship, their sixth in as many years. On the other, DaJuan Summers, a 23-year-old whose
Involuntary Decertification Possible in NBA lockout
// Updating what I am reporting in the above video, there is more news: As many as 50 NBA players held two conference calls this week to discuss decertification as a fallback option. This was a strategy that was employed in the summer-long 1995 lockout, forcing Charles Grantham from power as he was replaced by Simon Gourdine. This time, it would be a revolt from within the ranks aimed at stripping Billy Hunter of his power, and it would fall under the category
Hunter, Fisher defend walkout and deny rift; NBA labor talks to resume Saturday
NEW YORK — If he had to do it all over again, Billy Hunter still would have walked out of the negotiating room. That was the defiant tone Hunter struck Thursday as the NBA players’ union held a news briefing at its headquarters in Harlem after owners and players decided they would resume discussions Saturday afternoon for the first time since their acrimonious blowup last Friday. At that meeting, after two days of discernible progress, Hunter and the players’ union representatives walked out of the room
NBA talks to resume Saturday
NEW YORK – NBA labor talks will resume Saturday. That is the word from Roger Mason of the players’ union executive committee; which just concluded a meeting at union headquarters in Harlem. Mason said the emphasis on the split of BRI keeping the sides apart was a “misperception.” “It’s about much more than 50 or 52 or whatever. There is still a system that hasn’t been addressed,” Mason said.
How to watch NBA games during the lockout
The NBA lockout has me in the cuckoo’s nest, but boy have I been enjoying the first couple nights of the 2011-12 season. You couldn’t have asked for a better Opening Night doubleheader Tuesday on TNT, when the Bulls visited the defending champion Mavs, followed by the shootout between young gun Kevin Durant and old hand Kobe Bryant. On Wednesday, we got a taste of the resuscitated rivalry between the Knicks and Heat, which only figures to get better over the next couple of
Adam Silver is becoming Gary Bettman
And that is a shame, because one week ago Adam Silver was in position to become the next commissioner of the NBA — a commisssioner who actually would have been beloved by the owners — after being the lead negotiator on one of the most lopsided labor deals in the history of professional sports. But Adam is a lawyer, and lawyers operate differently than the rest of us. When lawyers are facing off against other lawyers, they don’t want to win