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NBA talks fail to reach agreement; lockout expected at midnight
The NBA said Thursday it will recommend a lockout after the professional basketball league and players failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. The current agreement is set to expire at midnight tonight.
"What we told the union at the conclusion of today’s session was that we would recommend to our labor relations committee in a call later today that we lockout at the conclusion of this deal, which is at midnight tonight,” league Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday at a press conference.
"Needless to say, we’re disappointed that this is where we find ourselves," Silver said.
In the collective bargaining agreement that is set to expire, players received 57% of basketball-related income. The NBA owners want to restructure the revenue-sharing agreement, which includes player salaries.
Union Executive Director Billy Hunter has offered 54.3% on the basis of projected growth over 10 years. But the league is losing money and the owners have basically offered a deal based on projected losses, Commissioner David Stern said.
During his tenure he has seen the average player salary go from $250,000 to $5 million, Stern said, “and I never felt that I had to apologize for the players” because the money was being generated by the system but now "it’s time for there to be a return on the investment that’s being made."
Stern solemnly told of the side effects a league shutdown would cause to workers in NBA cities.
"It is with some sadness that we’re going to recommend this to the committee because a lockout has a very large impact on lot of people, many of whom are not associated with either side and there are a whole raft of people who make their living on our industry.”
Stern said there will be some changes to the way NBA teams will be expected to operate with a lockout in place.
"A lockout has its impact," he said. "Our arenas will be closed to the players. Our practice facilities will be closed. There will be an entire set of rules out there. And to the extent that there are payments due and owing for the coming season, those will not be made. Payments that are due and owing for the past season will be made. That’s where we go."
The last time the league had a lockout was in 1998, which wiped out the first two months of the season.
A league also had a lockout in 1995 before the season started.
On Thursday, Stern said he expected the sides to try to set up a meeting some time next week, but he wasn't optimistic.
"There will be collateral damage as we go through the summer,” he said.
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Does that mean no basketball? What would the thousands of fat couch jockeys that cant play but watch and critique anyway do?
Oh oh. No NFL and no NBA? Couch potatoes all around the country are gonna be disappointed!
quite the blanket statement, i play basketball in a summer league, hockey in the winter and enjoy watching nba games from time to time, loving a sport and enjoying watching it has no correlation to one's physical activity or lack thereof *shrug*
Oh, wait, I know. They can just get lit and yell at the other sports on television.
I can understand how this could happen, players keep asking for more money in an economy that is not willing to pay more and the NBA knows this.
NBA fail. In Libya the national sport is Resistance Against the Western Oppressor, the season is year round. We have no time to play with balls.
what would you know? it is forbidden for you to play with your balls, as it is written!
Geez, our professional sports organizations are just as screwed up as our federal governmnet is. It's all greed all the time now.
Good riddance NBA, it's a garbage league! More exposure for real athletes and a real sport: HOCKEY!
Haven't watched an NBA game in years – just a bunch of thugs.
I'll stick with NASCAR.
And boom goes the dynamite
Dang, if this keeps up I may have to learn to like hockey. Won't be much on the sports channels but that, and oddball stuff (like ping pong or billiards on ESPN at 2 am).
Billiards and ping pong might be prime time then, haha!
Meh....
first the NFL now the NBA! THANK YOU GOD!!!
This is just getting stupid. The most overpaid people in America are bickering about not being paid enough. As trollie says, what about my alcoholism and screaming at the TV, huh? What about my right to eat 100 wings and nachos?
We need the 90% tax bracket back!!! They spend too much time fighting over having too much money.
Hey if you think the NBA is fake and their refs are paid off you should try watching pro wrestling. -NORM!!!
What's bad news for next year?
The bad news for next year.America is officially broke like GREECE debt. Obama declare federal cuts. This means no more sports channel for you. You will be sitting on TV or read new paper or play video games.
What's good news for next year.
There will be london game 2012.
Who are the Clevelanders going to hate now?
Bring on the MLS.