The proposed deal also includes more players demotion to the NBA D-League. Sources have said that the deal also includes raising the age limit to 20 years old instead of 19. The D-League clause, as reported, says that it will only affect the 14th and 15th players on the team. The D-League clause is part of the "B List" negotiations, and they could change it when talks resume Monday. The other main points will not be up for discussion as Stern says so.
"We both recognize the seriousness of what we're facing," Stern said. "I think both sides would like to begin the season on Dec. 15th, if that's possible. I think our teams want to start playing. That desire is matched by our players. We've done the best we can to cause that to happen. I think the events of the week and the offer that we presented had the desired impact of causing us both to focus intensely on whether there was a deal here to be done. We very much want to make the deal that's on the table that would get our players into training camp and to begin the 2011-12 season.
"I don't have a crystal ball. I just have the ability to hope that it will come to that and that our players will accept this revised proposal from the NBA."
24 hours of negotiations were made, but however, the union is disappointed, according to several sources. Stern says that if they don't accept this deal, there will probably be no season and Stern make this go back to a 53-47 split in the favor of the owners. As I look at the deal from what it says in several articles, I think the players could take it. However, it just seems as if the players want more in the income.
"It's not the greatest proposal in the world," NBPA executive director Billy Hunter said of the proposal. "But I have an obligation to at least present it to our membership. So that's what we're going to do."
For Monday's meeting, the players union will either reject the offer or vote out of the majority of the 450 players who will do so.
"We don't expect them to love every aspect of our revised proposal," Stern conceded Thursday. "I would say that there are many teams that don't like every aspect of our revised proposal.
"(But) we moved as far as we could and now we're at where we're at."
Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry said that the players will be ready to walk if the deal is not good enough.
"For us to take a bad deal at this point, as players, would be not good for the game of basketball and it won't be good for the players going on into the future," Terry said. "In life and society there are three classes: There's the upper class, the middle class and lower class. And what the owners are trying to do right now, what their proposal is, get rid of the middle class so you have one or two guys on each team making 'X' and the rest of the guys crunched down at a smaller number and then no middle ground."
Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo agreed with Terry that deal may not be good enough, but it will be enough to accept: "But I think some players are desperate enough to take anything right now."
That right there just kind gives all NBA fans a glimmer of hope that there will be a season. In my opinion, a 53-47 split would have been fine. Listen: I mean, in what company gives it's labor 60 percent of it's income? What company does that? Anybody? The players should be lucky that we even made it to the 50-50 split. Don't expect getting anymore. The best bet would be a 51-49 split in the favor of the players, but that's about it. And that, to me, looks like it should be able to work.
Honestly, I really don't know what to predict, but my heart says that the players will accept this. If they deny the latest and revised proposal, there will be no season. Just imagine how many will effected by this. Much more jobs look like it will be lost and the NBA will just plummet completely. And when talks resume next year, what makes us think that they will get even better for the players? We'll be back to the 53-47 split that we started out with. We'll back at square one. It's really no point. This is the best deal maybe. Sure it may use some tweaks, but they can resolve that during Monday's meeting with the remaining issues. In fact, I like some of the rules. The 20-year-old policy is actually nice. It limits the chances of seeing busts coming in the NBA. Though I miss seeing players draft straight from high school, doing this would be much more beneficial for most teams.
Right now -- and, really, I never thought I would say this -- but I think I might side with the owners on this now. Seriously. First of all, remember what I said earlier? What company or league gives it's labor the majority of the income? About 60 percent of the income? Like, really, come on...seriously? Plus, the owners have to operate things that even let the players play: stadiums, tickets, endorsements, and all kinds of stuff. Plus, we'll save a bunch of jobs for the year. Think of how many people in all 30 arenas that are working in there will be unemployed? That is not going to look pretty. Look at what happens to the fanbase of the league. Plus, the owners are working on trying to save this league. Look at all the players joining forces to create superteams. No! No! No! Look at what has happened to the Cavaliers and Raptors since LeBron left. Many teams are falling already like the Bobcats, Timberwolves, and even place where basketball is the biggest -- Indiana. These teams could all be contracted thanks to these superteams. And we do not want that to happen.
The owners are doing the right thing. The best bet is for the players to accept this. It keeps them in shape because there are some NBA players out there that are probably not doing as much as others and are being lazy. Seriously, we don't want anyone coming to training camp becoming overweight, fat, and lazy. And we're gonna see a bunch of that if we lose a season. Look at Shawn Kemp! We don't want anyone to be Kemp-ed.
For me, I like the owners side and my final stance: the players need to accept this deal.
Or else, this league is gonna look haunted in the near future.
