The Official S2 NBA Lockout Thread!

[Draco]

JR Smith has made over $23 million in the NBA, he's rarely been a starter, and he is only 26 years old. I just wonder why in the hell a guy who has made that much money would go to China to play ball, especially considering his contract can now be voided if he can't play. Good luck collecting on that one, JR.

The NBA players are like the Keystone Kops in this lockout. Dumbest pro athletes, ever.

Maybe some basketball players enjoy playing basketball?

He could get injured playing pickup in the states as well. Not all players want to sit on their ass like Shawn Kemp during a lockout and get fat.

 

[mook]

If a player has a realistic expectation of being able to play 7 years of professional basketball, a year of lockout will eliminate 1/7th of his lifetime earnings. I don't really blame any of these guys for going out and trying to make some coin, even if it's a fraction of the amount they'd make in a regular season.

The meter is running on their careers. Who knows what their salaries will look like after the lockout ends. Even if you only make $75k playing in Europe, in 30 years at 9% interest that's a million bucks. Provided you take out lots of insurance so you aren't threatening your lifetime earning prospects, it's not a bad idea to think long term. You're 25, you want a wife, kids, retirement income when you're 60.

Obviously, for the average $2m/year player, it's a much better deal for them to just get an agreement signed now and start playing NBA basketball. But it ain't a bad idea to maximize your playing years to the best of your ability if the NBA won't let you play.

As for the guys like Kobe or Aldridge or Deron Williams who are easily set for life, well, they're competitors. They got where they are by having great motors. It's not exactly shocking that they find it really hard to turn that motor off just because the NBA won't let them play. It's probably less about the money and more about the knowledge that, again, the meter is running. They will only be elite athletes for a few years.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

If a player has a realistic expectation of being able to play 7 years of professional basketball, a year of lockout will eliminate 1/7th of his lifetime earnings. I don't really blame any of these guys for going out and trying to make some coin, even if it's a fraction of the amount they'd make in a regular season.

Totally; doing the math to extend the metaphor, the average working career of a person in the US is 45 years (21 to 65 years old), though when you include part time stuff during college and during high school, it's longer... but at the "professional" level for a college grad, it's 45 years. Losing 1/7 of your lifetime earnings is like having no job for 6.42 years.

When I thought about it in that light, I totally see why players are going to be highly eager to (for most all of them) earn money during a prime year of their career. The age bell curve means that most players are in their prime at any one time; these guys are going to lose a year of prime playing/earning if they don't play. Even your jobbers and bench warmers are most likely to be in their highest earning years...

I can't muster much sympathy for either side, but I can see where these guys are coming from, even if it does reduce their leverage conceptually.

 

[BBert]

So basketball is the only job these guys are allowed to have in their entire lives? If the NBA owners don't 'let' them play for the NBA, they are incapable of working? Before my millionaire rock star career started, I had to get a real job. I'm lucky. I still have it. The millionaire rock star career, not so much. Christ, even the fans think the players are entitled, like it's their birthright to be paid millions of dollars.

 

[RR7]

JR Smith has made over $23 million in the NBA, he's rarely been a starter, and he is only 26 years old. I just wonder why in the hell a guy who has made that much money would go to China to play ball, especially considering his contract can now be voided if he can't play. Good luck collecting on that one, JR.

The NBA players are like the Keystone Kops in this lockout. Dumbest pro athletes, ever.

He was a free agent, so there is no contract to void coming back here. And he signed there for 3 million dollars. Make 3 million, or don't make 3 million. Hmmm. Which choice would I make. beats playing for free like other guys are doing. Sucks he hurt his knee. As has been mentioned, he could have done it in one of the many charity games going on currently, or one of the many pick up games like the Rucker park ones Durant and beasley were in.

 

[RR7]

And without looking too deep into their post season set up, their regular season is only 34 games, compared to 82 here. So his 3 million guaranteed deal is the equivalent to a 7million plus NBA deal, in per game salary. More than he's ever made in the league. Not a bad decision, knee injury or not.

 

[jlprk]

The owners can't. control themselves, otherwise the wouldn't need a lot of the CBA rules. Like contracts for waived players counting against the cap...

I do think the league is a monopoly and agree with Ed that many facets of the league would be downright illegal if not for collective bargaining.

The ability to play overseas instead does not minimize the monopolistic nature of the league. Our courts only preside over our country, the rest of the world isn't relevant. The league restricts fair trade here in the USA.

Does it, though? It could also be argued that...

It could be argued only by you. As Denny and Ed O say, this is settled law. But keep tilting at windmills.

 

[jlprk]

I love John Hollinger--"We're going to miss an entire season over mid-level deals for tax teams. Congratulations, you're all idiots."

Hunter says there are about 40 remaining issues. The owners were hoping to stall until the players caved in on them. Hollinger's just writing to fill up space while trying to appear neutral.

 

[jlprk]

It's like the people who are representing the players (and maybe not necessarily the players themselves) are like the old school politicians who don't actually realize they're being recorded or that people know as much about stuff as they do.

Does that make sense?

In other words, they're the out of touch idiots who think because this tactic worked in the 1980's and early 90's, it'll work now! After all, it's how "I did it!"

No it doesn't make sense, but it does if you replace the word "players" with "owners."

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Just heard that the players filed for a voluntary dismissal of their lawsuit. Anyone know what this means for the lockout? Apparently there's a press conference about this in a few minutes.

 

[RR7]

I think they withdrew thr California case, and consolidating in Minnesota.

 

[jlprk]

Today, by unanimous vote of the executive committee and player representatives, the National Basketball Players Association disclaimed its status as your collective bargaining representative. As a result, we will now function as a trade association to assist and support NBA players

• As mentioned, we cannot engage in collective bargaining with the owners.
• We can no longer assert any labor law rights on behalf of players, and we will be withdrawing our unfair labor practice charge before the National Labor Relations Board.
• We can no longer prosecute individual grievances on behalf of players. We will communicate in the future regarding the status of any pending grievances or appeals.
• We can no longer regulate agents. Our status in regulating agents derives from our authority under the National Labor Relations Act as the players' bargaining representative. With that status ended, likewise our agent regulation program is terminated.

The NBPA will always be here to assist individual players in asserting your rights outside of the labor laws and to improve business conditions of all professional basketball players in the NBA. So, for example, among other things, we will seek to:
• Engage in group licensing activities;
• Create opportunities for players to enhance off-court income;
• Enable and encourage players to engage in charitable and civic activities to benefit both your fellow citizens and your communities;

This is exactly what Republicans in Wisconsin and Ohio tried to do. Pro-owners should rejoice! Why the long faces? This is the chaos you want in government. Why not in sports, too?

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

KBergCBS Ken Berger
"This is now a consolidated class action on behalf of all the players," Boies said. "If we had not done this, the courts would've done it."

 

[jlprk]

Coon twitters that this just consolidates two legal cases into one to save time.

 

[Denny Crane]

I read on s2 that jr smith hurt his knee playing in china.

 

[julius]

If a player has a realistic expectation of being able to play 7 years of professional basketball, a year of lockout will eliminate 1/7th of his lifetime earnings. I don't really blame any of these guys for going out and trying to make some coin, even if it's a fraction of the amount they'd make in a regular season.

If they're worried about making money, they could've signed a CBA and not lost that 1/7th of their salary.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Oh, OK. Nothing important then. Carry on.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

mccannsportslaw Michael McCann
If NBA players lose in Minnesota, their lawyers will be second guessed for not litigating in labor-friendly California and 9th Circuit

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

KBergCBS Ken Berger
Boies called league's statement "ridiculous. Weren't the ones that filed suit prematurely 3-4 months ago before there was a controversy."

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Re:

NBA's statement calling this move "inappropriate" and "shopping for a forum" was just read to Boies at his office by a reporter.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

tribjazz Brian T. Smith
Rick Buchanan, NBA executive VP and general counsel: "We assume that Mr. Boies was not happy with either the reassignment of the case ...
.. from Oakland to San Francisco or the fact that the new judge scheduled the first conference for March 2012. This is consistent with ...
.. Mr. Boies’ inappropriate shopping for a forum that he can only hope will be friendlier to his baseless legal claims.”

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

pinwheelempire Pinwheel Empire
Boies on settlement talks: "They've (the nba) made pretty clear they have no interest in talking to us.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

pinwheelempire Pinwheel Empire
Basically short of court ordered negotiations (which might not work) don't expect the NBA Lockout to end soon. #nbalockout

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

basketballtalk Kurt Helin
As a source close to the labor talks told PBT today, the only real hope of a season is court-ordered negotiations. t.co/BX9iMZ0S

 

[PapaG]

He was a free agent, so there is no contract to void coming back here. And he signed there for 3 million dollars. Make 3 million, or don't make 3 million. Hmmm. Which choice would I make. beats playing for free like other guys are doing. Sucks he hurt his knee. As has been mentioned, he could have done it in one of the many charity games going on currently, or one of the many pick up games like the Rucker park ones Durant and beasley were in.

The contract in China can be voided. It's not guaranteed for injury, because there is no union in China. I have a good friend who played in the same league three years ago that JR is playing in, and he gave me this info. He also said that everything there is a crapshoot, and you never know if you're going to get you next paycheck.

I'm well aware that JR Smith is an NBA free agent, as I posted about it more than once last season.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

tribjazz Brian T. Smith
The latter. RT @AschNBA This really has boiled down to who picks up the phone to call whom? Lunacy. Or lawyercy.

 

[jlprk]

You can buy stock in the Celtics corporation, that doesn't give you ownership of any NBA team except the one in Boston.

you can't buy stock in any of the other 29 unless your "competitors" say so. I think that's a more valid point to make than bringing up a non-voting share of Celtics stock.

If what you're proposing was "the way it was", Larry Ellison could just buy up all the Boston Celtics stock he wanted to until he owned 51% of the team. The NBA doesn't work that way.

He's not talking about an owner buying part of a team. Draco's talking about how you or I can buy shares in most teams.

I inquired into buying shares of the Sonics in the 70s but my broker didn't want to get into it. I think team stock is traded on something like a penny stock exchange or something.

 

[PapaG]

And without looking too deep into their post season set up, their regular season is only 34 games, compared to 82 here. So his 3 million guaranteed deal is the equivalent to a 7million plus NBA deal, in per game salary. More than he's ever made in the league. Not a bad decision, knee injury or not.

It's not guaranteed for injury. Perhaps he'll get some special exemption, but I doubt it. Unless you've actually played in that league, of course, and know more than my close friend who spent 4 years playing there.

 

[PapaG]

KBergCBS Ken Berger
"This is now a consolidated class action on behalf of all the players," Boies said. "If we had not done this, the courts would've done it."

"With our shopping for a sympathetic court, we've found that Minnesota is our best option."

 

[PapaG]

Re:

NBA's statement calling this move "inappropriate" and "shopping for a forum" was just read to Boies at his office by a reporter.

Clearly that is what Boies was doing. The feigned outrage is a nice touch, though. The fun part will be watching Boies argue against the same basic case he won for NFL owners in the 8th Circuit.