| July, 2011 |
Not known for being a risk-taker, Anthony Tolliver has suddenly become one. No, the  Minnesota Timberwolves forward is not looking to play overseas during the NBA lockout. Instead, Tolliver, recently married, is fully engaged in his real estate business and what he says is a risky apparel venture with a former NBA Development League teammate. tusconcitizen.com |
| “After I’m done with basketball, I’m going straight into entrepreneurship,” says Tolliver, who owns properties in his hometown of Springfield, Mo., and Richmond, Calif., through his company, Say You Can. tusconcitizen.com |
| He recently formed a partnership with Lanny Smith, a teammate from the Idaho Stampede. A 2010 knee injury ended Smith’s NBA aspirations, but he soon started Active Faith, a Christian-based apparel company. Tolliver had long been interested in the idea. tusconcitizen.com |
| Ekpe Udoh is not unlike the average college student, as the former Baylor star who returned to the classroom after a long layoff recently had this to tweet: I hate when the teacher calls on me and I'm zoned out. Get it together ekpe geeesh ESPN.com |
What makes the 6-foot-10 Udoh's presence on campus unique is that he is an NBA player, one of many who are looking to go back to school to work toward their degrees during the lockout. ESPN.com
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| According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Stephen Curry is making plans to re-enroll at Davidson, where he was the all-time leading scorer and led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in 2008. ESPN.com |
Los Angeles Clippers forward Al-Farouq Aminu wants to play basketball next season.  But if he doesn't, he isn't overly concerned about his financial situation. Aminu, a rookie last season, is one of four clients of agent Raymond Brothers who spread their 2010-11 NBA salaries over 18 or 24 months to continue receiving paychecks if the league-imposed lockout forces the cancellation of games. Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph, Dallas Mavericks forward Caron Butler and Detroit Pistons guard Ben Gordon, all Brothers clients, have similar setups. USA Today |
| Players normally receive bi-weekly paychecks from Nov. 15 to May 1, although some opt for a November to November schedule. But Aminu will receive payments from last season until Nov. 1, 2012. Randolph will be paid through May 1, 2012. USA Today |
| Financial stability in an extended lockout gives the players some leverage in bargaining negotiations. Owners are hoping players will be more willing to settle once they begin missing paychecks in November. But with money to stave off financial pressure, the players might be able to get more from owners. USA Today |
The lockout has been an obvious impediment in so many areas, but few are as crucial  as the roadblock it presents to injured players trying to rehabilitate their injuries. Players and their agents are forbidden from having any contact with their existing teams, including their teams' medical and training staffs. A player coming off a serious injury, like West, would normally spend hours at his team's practice facility, working with physical therapists and trainers that have spent years gaining that player's confidence and trust. That trust is especially necessary when a player is vulnerable, uncertain if he'll return to past form. NBA.com |
| But now, players are on their own, paying for doctors and trainers out of their own pockets -- one more expense with no paychecks coming in. West, though, has no choice. The 30-year-old opted out of the final year of his contract -- which would have paid him $7.5 million next season -- after suffering the injury. It is a gamble, to be sure, when no one knows what the new rules are going to be in a new collective bargaining agreement. But West believes he will get paid what a two-time All-Star should. NBA.com |
| Most players rehabilitating injuries have had to scramble to find comparable facilities. But West knew where he wanted to go. He'd grown up in the Raleigh area, playing at Garner High School, and has an offseason home there. NBA.com |
| West was fortunate. His injury did not require microfracture surgery. He has not suffered any anterior knee pain, a common malady during rehab. And ACL tears are becoming, if not commonplace, an injury whose recovery time has been reduced significantly in recent years, thanks to improvements in surgery and changes in philosophy. Twenty years ago, people were put in immobilizing ankle-to-hip casts after suffering ACL tears, and could go weeks before beginning physical therapy, which only served to atrophy their leg muscles, extending the rehab process. Now, physical therapists want their patients moving two or three days after surgery. NBA.com |
| Using a TRX suspension strap where his right foot is placed in a stirrups, followed by jumps, squats and lunges on his left foot, West has strengthened all of the muscles in his left leg. He had been doing underwater running on a treadmill, but a couple of weeks ago he was cleared to begin jogging on a track. Sunday was 16 weeks to the day that he suffered his injury. He's gotten through what Holt calls the "danger zone" of eight to 11 weeks after surgery, when a patient often feels great but has yet to really put any strain on the leg. Setbacks often occur. So far, West has been a model patient. NBA.com |
| August, 2011 |
| It’s been 13 years since a lockout caused a work stoppage in the NBA. Walt Williams remembers 1998 like it was yesterday. “I thought, ‘OK, we’re going through this lockout, but there’s no way that it’s going to last that long,’ ” Williams said. “Basketball not being played? Are you serious? We’re going to be able to work this out.” The Washington Times |
But the lockout dragged into December. The players, Williams recalled, were starting to  panic. “You start to get a little scared. But we believed in what we were fighting for,” Williams said. Williams, who grew up in Temple Hills, played at Maryland and spent two years as a Washington Wizards broadcaster after retiring from the NBA in 2003, believes that many of the issues are the same today as they were during his playing days. The Washington Times |
| “During our lockout, the owners were basically trying to get a bigger piece of the pie, and we weren’t trying to give it up,” Williams said. “They were trying to squeeze us, get more revenue, stop us from changing teams, lower the salary cap, limit what we could earn. Back then, they also said that a lot of team were losing money. We didn’t believe it for a second.” The Washington Times |
| Reggie Jackson is driving a rental car. He's living in a modest apartment in the Los Angeles area and keeping a close eye on the rent. Anything he can do to keep costs down, he does. The Oklahoma City Thunder rookie is doing his best to navigate the NBA lockout. Not quite the start to the dream career that the 24th overall pick always envisioned. The Oklahoman |
| While most veteran players have had their paychecks suspended, they at least have, or should have, some kind of coin in reserve. Jackson has yet to receive his first pro check at all. Instead of signing his rookie contract last month, Jackson was forced to take out a loan. He says it's a small amount that only keeps him afloat. The Oklahoman |
| “I've grown up not being super wealthy. I went to college being broke and found a way to manage through that. So I'm just getting by. Basketball's never been about money and never will be. I'm living comfortably enough to where I'm satisfied. But I'm also not out there buying a big house and a big car. I'm not trying to do that. I'm OK with settling for less fancy things.” The Oklahoman |
| In recent years, Kenny Donaldson gently reminded some of UCLA’s former basketball stars that he could help them return to school to finish their degrees. As UCLA’s athletics assistant director of academic services, Donaldson hoped that any former Bruins who had left school early to play in the NBA would eventually find their way back to campus and work toward graduating. Yahoo! Sports |
Thanks, in part, to the NBA lockout, Donaldson’s had a handful of players take him up  on his offer this summer. UCLA’s American Popular Culture class now has four out-of-work NBA players – Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook(notes), Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love(notes), New Orleans Hornets forward Trevor Ariza(notes) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Baron Davis(notes) – among its students. In addition, Milwaukee Bucks forward Luc Mbah a Moute is taking two classes this summer. Having begun their professional careers, all of the players are paying for their tuition and books. Yahoo! Sports |
| Ariza, Love, Westbrook, Davis and Mbah a Moute aren’t the only NBA players who have gone back to school this summer. Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Randolph(notes) has rented an apartment in Baton Rouge within walking distance of Louisiana State University. He is currently enrolled in a math class and has signed up to take three classes in the fall. He has no plans to play overseas. Yahoo! Sports |
| “The students know I’m from the NBA, but it’s more fun because I can focus on my schoolwork,” said Randolph, who has promised his mother he’d get his degree. “I don’t have the basketball distraction. I’m a more focused student now after being in the real world for a couple of years.” Yahoo! Sports |
Before a star-studded audience of about 75 players in Los Angeles Tuesday, Bryant was  “up front” and “deliberate” in a speech in which he urged players to maintain solidarity and “stand behind the union” during the lockout, according to a person who was in attendance. Sources told CBSSports.com that another test of that solidarity could come next week, as top union officials were authorized Wednesday to contact deputy commissioner Adam Silver in the hopes of scheduling a bargaining session in New York before the end of the month. CBSSports.com |
| Bryant and Paul Pierce told players Tuesday it was important for them to “remain united” in the face of a lockout that has dragged well into its second month with only one full-scale bargaining session, the person who attended the meeting said. Among the players in attendance were Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon of the Clippers, Elton Brand of the 76ers, Tyson Chandler of the Mavericks, Russell Westbrook and James Harden of the Thunder and Corey Maggette of the Bobcats. CBSSports.com |
| “Our message is that there’ve been several proposals back and forth, and the last proposal by the NBA would be a giveback of $8 billion over 10 years,” Hunter told CBSSports.com. “The players understand and they’re supportive.” CBSSports.com |
Derrick Rose currently is on a tour of China with adidas, but if the Chicago Bulls star is  contemplating playing overseas during the NBA lockout, Charles Barkley has pointed advice. "Well, I think it would be a mistake for Derrick Rose to go overseas," Barkley said Thursday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "I think any great player has got too much at stake. You could go there and hurt yourself. If you are as great as Derrick Rose, why would you risk your NBA career and contract by going overseas? I just don't think that's very smart." ESPN.com |
| Barkley has advice for NBA stars, including the 22-year-old Rose, if the lockout is prolonged. And Barkley believes the lockout will wipe out the 2011-12 season. "If I were somebody like Derrick Rose, I would go back and work on my degree," Barkley said. "I think some of the lesser players are going to go over and play, because they can make some good money. But for someone like Derrick Rose, that's a bad idea." ESPN.com |
| "I have not heard many good things," he said. "I haven't heard a real sense of urgency to be honest. It feels like the owners have it set in their minds what they're going [to want] ... they haven't budged one bit. It's hard to negotiate when only one side is willing to negotiate, and that's what it feels like right now. If you're on the other side of a negotiation and you know the other side's not budging, how do you really talk to them? ESPN.com |
| "It's not going well ... for sure, it looks like the season's not going to start on time. It's really frustrating because the NBA's never been more successful. It's never made more money. From [the players'] standpoint, you don't understand why ... how do you lose money? I don't understand. The NBA made like $2.4 billion this year. So that's frustrating. Especially coming off a year where your team did well and you want to keep building on that, and you're being locked out and not being able to play." ESPN.com |
| Contrary to popular belief, Korver doesn't seem to think there's a job overseas for every NBA player that wants one. "I really don't think the opportunity's there for everybody like everybody seems to think there is," he said. "If something great came up, obviously you would look at it and probably take [it]. You only get to play basketball at a professional level for so long. You got to find something else to do. You get a little old. But I'm not actively [searching for a job overseas]. I just got married. I'm going to enjoy that and get ready for this basketball season. I still have hope that it's going to happen. We'll kind of see from there. ESPN.com |
| "If you're an All-Star, I think you can go over there and make some pretty good money, but if you're not, there's only so many teams that are reliable to pay. If something comes across, obviously you look at it, and if it's a good deal you probably take it. But I don't have my agent scouring Europe for a contract for me." ESPN.com |
As Atlanta forward Etan Thomas wrote in an essay for HoopsHype.com two months ago: "We know our history. We are fully aware of the fact that the players before us laid a foundation that we have a responsibility to cherish and preserve ... [All] the former players who were prepared to boycott the 1964 All-Star Game in an effort to be recognized as a union and negotiate their rights. ... NBA.com |
| "I guess the guys on the executive committee are concerned about this," said Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, the union's president from 1965 to 1974. "I don't know if a lot of the other players are concerned. A lot of work was done to make basketball the [top-paying] sport and they don't want to retreat from that. But they have to make the best deal for the players today. And also for the owners, to make sure basketball goes forward." NBA.com |
| Said Boston Celtics' HOF forward Tom Heinsohn, the NBPA president from 1958 to 1965: "If KG has said, 'We owe it to the old-time players to continue the league the way they've done it,' well, that's what they ought to be doing. That's what our group did. During that period of time, the players never got all they wanted. This is a situation where you have to deal with the real. The whole world, the stock market, everything is gone." NBA.com |
| Heinsohn sees pros and cons on both sides of the current debate. He mostly doesn't want either to kill a golden goose; the NBA, Heinsohn said, always has been a great place to make a living. "Some guys of my era, they're totally resentful," he said. "Hey, all I know is, when I got out of Holy Cross I signed for $9,000 and I got a $2,000 bonus for making Rookie of the Year [in 1957]. Ten years later, at my reunion, the average salary for my classmates was $5,000. I bought an 11-room house for $18,000. NBA.com |
| "It was a good thing that we had to 'participate' in the world -- all of us had jobs in the offseason. Over the years, even when I was playing, I made more money in the insurance business than I made playing basketball. The most I ever made was $28,500. The most Cousy made was $35,000. Russell made $101,000 because Wilt made $100,000 and Red gave him the extra thousand." The numbers are different now and have been for a while. NBA.com |
Concord's Matt Bonner has been a player rep for the NBA Players Association for the  last six years, dating back to the 2005-06 season when he was with Toronto, his second year in the league. This year, however, Bonner was voted in as one of the vice presidents of the NBPA Executive Committee, the group of nine players leading the union. Concord Monitor |
| "As a player rep you're basically responsible for reporting to your team and being able to get the general opinion of your team on certain issues and then report to the executive committee," Bonner said. "Once you're on the executive committee, you're part of the front line of all the processes. You go to the actual negotiation sessions, you can vote on by-laws within the union, it's just a much more involved role." Concord Monitor |
| "It's an amazing learning experience. It's kind of cool sitting across a table from guys like David Stern and Mark Cuban and arguing the business of basketball with them," Bonner said. "You get to these negotiation sessions and you're there all day and you leave exhausted and with a giant headache. It's mentally exhausting. The CBA is so complicated and has so many different facets and intricacies. But it's just a great experience being part of something that not only affects yourself and every player in the league, but also every player in the league for years to come." Concord Monitor |
| Carrying just my backpack, we went through a private security area where they screened only those of us going on the team plane to Toronto. It took three minutes to move through security, at most. We then boarded the chartered plane, equipped with seats like small sofas, and I sat down in my awesome chair. As if I didn't have enough room as it was, the plane was big enough that players didn't really have to sit next to each other, so the other seat on my side of the aisle was empty. SB Nation |
| Once the wheels were lifted and the plane took off, it was food time. For everyone on board, there was a spread of sandwiches, cookies, drinks, fruit and other stuff for us to pick on. And if that wouldn't do, the flight attendants were also available to bring hot meals, cereal, other drinks or whatever else anyone may have wanted. After eating, guys were hanging out, watching movies, listening to music and just relaxing. I was reading Love in the Time of Cholera. I kept the cover tilted downward. Way, way downward. SB Nation |
| We had a game in Philly after Toronto, so it was scheduled to be about a four-day trip. When you're on the road in the NBA, you get per diem for food, well over $100 a day. Sometime on board the plane, someone from the team came around and casually handed me an envelope with like $500 in it. During my short time with the Knicks, my go-to move was to get to the city we were playing in, buy three or four Subway five-dollar foot longs, put them in my fridge, then pocket the rest of the per diem. I was a little younger then, but looking back, I still think it was a pretty legit way to go. SB Nation |
| September, 2011 |
"I think we're a little behind but it's a positive that they agreed not to talk about it," said Dudley, who is training daily at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas. "I think it's a positive that they met and they both decided they're not going to take shots at each other in the media." Dudley said he has been one of the more talkative players (surprise!) at the previous meetings but compares leaving negotiations in Fisher's hands to trustying the Suns offense in Steve Nash's hands.azcentral.com |
| Kevin Garnett is in a dramatically different position during this NBA lockout than he was in 1998, when he had just completed his third season and was about begin an unprecedented six-year, $126 million contract. Garnett, now 35, has one year left on his Celtics contract at $21 million, meaning a missed season could likely end his career. But in an interview with the Globe, he stressed that the NBA Players Association should remain united, even if it means the cancellation of the season. Boston Globe |
“I think the players are prepared either way,’’ Garnett said. “If this thing doesn’t go the way  everybody expects it to go and we have to miss the season, I think every player mentally put together a plan for themselves or communicated different options and are educating each other on that. So, I think each player at some point has put in his mind if we have to lose the season, this is the option for me. I’m no different from that. If we have to miss the season, then that’s what it is. It’s not what anybody wants but at the end of the day you have to stand your ground and let it be known that whatever you’re talking about, you’re serious about.’’ Boston Globe |
| “You know, ’98 was a learning experience for the young guys,’’ he said. “We had a lot of greats that were part of that whole process and what I took from it was that it wasn’t a whole lot of unity right there. Guys were all over the place as far as perspective. I can honestly say that from the perspective of the players [this time], that it’s very, very cohesive, very much on the same place, the communication, the dialogue is very open, so that’s a good thing. Boston Globe |
| Unsure when he might get back on the hardwood, NBA star Steve Nash took to the grass Tuesday to practise with the Vancouver Whitecaps. With the NBA and its players locked in a labour dispute, the hour of Major League Soccer training at Swangard Stadium was a chance for Nash to work on his conditioning. The Globe and Mail |
Nash shrugged when asked if he thought the NBA would be playing again before Christmas. “No idea,” he said, sweat streaming down his face. “I could see it going either way. It looks right now like we probably won't start on time. Hopefully, as we start to get into the time of year where everyone is missing basketball, we can start to concede on some points that each other are looking for and find a middle ground. That would be the best of both worlds.” The Globe and Mail |
| Coincidentally, as the lockout drags on and whispers of player organization grow louder, the negotiations between the NBA and NBPA toward a new collective bargaining agreement have picked up. This could be a result of the NBA beginning to take the threat of the NBPA and its members' ability to mobilize and market themselves seriously. And it's all been done via the internet. The NBA hasn't just locked their players out. They blacked them out. Literally. But instead of sitting back and watching its union fracture, the players have gone on the offensive and mobilized. The league may have blacked them out, but the players were warned by Billy Hunter… “Pack your flashlights.” Charged.fm |
| And of course, nothing would better prepare the NBA's 400 plus players for a lockout than giving them a visual timeline of important dates: For example, in the handbook, July 1st, October 1st, and November 1st are listed as the respective dates upon which the lockout begins, the pre-season is canceled, and regular season games begin being canceled on a rolling basis. Charged.fm |
As per the timeline, doomsday is November 15th. On this date, players who  negotiated deferred payments with their clubs will miss a check for the first time. Meanwhile, the players who didn't—and stopped receiving checks back on May 1st—would miss an expected check for the first time. By January 7th, 2012, if no agreement is in place, the handbook says that the NBA would likely cancel the entire 2011-2012 season, and unfortunately, July 1, 2012 is listed as the date on which the lockout would enter its second year. Charged.fm |
| For the handbook, the NBPA solicited input from members of the upper, middle, and lower class of NBA players, and ultimately provided insightful, simple advice on how to handle any and everything players spend their money on. Mortgages and rent? The NBPA says to consider refinancing if it makes sense for you, and NOT to renew the leases on any rental properties that are not one's primary residence. New car? Forget it! According to the NBPA, “Spending a significant amount of cash on a car that loses between 20 and 30 percent of its value the second it's driven off the lot is unwise.” Charged.fm |
| Billy Hunter, executive director of the players union, told reporters after Tuesday's meeting that the union is advising players that "they may have to sit out half the season before we get a deal." Derek Fisher, president of the players union, added, "it's discouraging and it's unfortunate, but that's the reality of where we are right now. We can't come out of here thinking that training camps and preseason (games) are going to start on time at this point." CSNNE.com |
"As you know, the meetings didn't go the way we planned for them to go," Charlotte  Bobcats forward Corey Maggette told Comcast SportsNet. "We're so far apart, between both sides. Hopefully Derek as well as Billy, can figure out a way to fix this, and the owners can work this out. Right now, we're unemployed," Maggette said. "When you're unemployed, you have to find another gig. it's not the NBA, but we need to find another solution." CSNNE.com |
| Added former Celtic Tony Allen, now with the Memphis Grizzlies: "I don't care what job you have; NBA player, whatever, you don't want to miss any checks. None of us want to be out of work. But hey, we have to get the best deal we can. If we have to wait a minute on that, we have to wait." CSNNE.com |
| Just keep in mind how we got to this point: After the players agreed to a salary cap, a rookie wage scale, a maximum player salary and a luxury tax designed to slow the escalating contracts, can they really be expected to just say no to whatever money the owners kept offering? ESPN.com |
Or, as Lewis puts it, "You sign me to a deal, you think I'm going to say,  'No, I deserve $50 [million] instead of $80 [million]?' I'm like, 'Hell, yeah.' I'm not going to turn it down. You can't blame the players. If anything, we don't negotiate the deal. We've got agents that negotiate the deals with the team. Y'all need to go talk to the teams and the agents." ESPN.com |
| "But the lockout is not just about me losing a lot of money," Lewis said. "The [2010-11 season] we had in the NBA was a great season. The Memphis Grizzlies got in the playoffs ... and you didn't know who was going to win in the playoffs. From the Memphis Grizzlies to the Lakers, you had no idea who was going to win. Miami didn't win the championship. I'm sure fans are anticipating to see how they're going to do next year. The Boston Celtics, the Lakers, Kevin Durant, [Carmelo Anthony] in New York. 'Superman' [Dwight Howard] -- is he going to be in Orlando or L.A.? So much going on. I'm anticipating it myself -- and I play in the league." ESPN.com |
"If it's about small-market teams not profiting, if the owners are really  using that as a bargaining tool, if you're really concerned about it, then why aren't you profit-sharing like the other leagues are doing?" Celtics center Jermaine O'Neal asked after a workout at the Impact Basketball facility in Las Vegas Tuesday, after word had spread about the latest impasse in the labor talks. ESPN.com |
| "Someone needs to compromise," Maggette said. "The owners have to compromise. We need to have revenue sharing with the teams that are not making money. That's important. I play[ed] for one of the teams that's one of the worst [in revenues], Milwaukee. We've got to have [sharing] with guys like the Lakers and the big-name teams that's making tons and tons of money. Donald Sterling's another guy that makes money even if he loses. We need to figure out a way to get that going." ESPN.com |
As a veteran nearing the end of his career, Chauncey Billups is  motivated to get an NBA deal done. [Billups] has 14.1 million reasons to push Derek Fisher and the National Basketball Players Association to take whatever deal the league puts on the table just to ensure the season starts on time. For the Knicks point guard, who turns 35 Sept. 25, his 14th NBA season is supposed to produce the biggest payday of his career. But if the lockout cuts into the regular season, that $14.1-million salary ... slowly will disappear every two weeks, each time the check is missed. "I don't want to lose that money," Billups told Newsday by telephone from his home in suburban Denver. "Nobody wants to lose the biggest payday they are ever going to get. I'm never going to get another payday like that again." FanNation |
Decertification seems to be a hot button issue today in the media.  So I'd like to address it. I've read yesterday's stories and find the position of these agents interesting. I have made myself available to each and every agent. But not once have I heard from them. If they are so concerned about the direction of the union, then why have they not contacted me? Each and every one of them mentioned has been in meetings with me. I've answered their questions, I've been told they support you, their players and our Players Association. So if there is a genuine concern, a suggestion, a question, call me. Email me. Text me. I'm working tirelessly each and every day on behalf of the over 400 players that they represent. Working for nothing but the best interests of THEIR guys. I don't make a commission, I don't make a salary for serving as President. I have NO ulterior motives. None. SI.com |
| Jared Dudley on players appearing to lack leverage during negotiations: The perception is probably the reality. Everytime we go in, we're trying to give them more and more. Obviously, let's be honest with you: we're all well off here. We make a lot of money. For me to give back a million dollars each year, it's a lot of money. But for us to play basketball and help the game out, I'm willing to do that. But to cut everyone's contract 40 percent, I might as well sit out a whole year. I can sit out two years. That's basically what's going to happen if I gave back 40 percent of my new contract. The Salt Lake Tribune |
| Jared Dudley on the NBPA's frustration level: We expected this. My frustration is at a five [out of 10]. Because when I was a rookie we knew there was going to be a lockout; why would anything change? Why would they want to start now? So for me being a player rep, I'm letting everybody know: Hey, this is what they're offering. At the end of the day we're not that dumb, to be honest with you. A lot of us went to college. A lot of us graduated. A lot of us are visual learners. Billy puts it out the platform: This is what they want, and this is what they're not willing to concede. The Salt Lake Tribune |
“On Tuesday, we had our entire board there and they had  about 10 to 12 owners in the room,” Evans said. “I think it was a prime opportunity that was missed, and regretfully so. We could have stayed there all day or over the next two or three days to hammer out a deal. We were ready. It was a missed opportunity. I can’t describe it as anything other than a missed opportunity. We had significant people – the decision makers – in the room, but we weren’t able to capitalize on that. Now, time is running out.” Hoopsworld.com |
| “While we respect the agents’ opinions and what they’re able to do alongside the union, it’s not particularly their fight,” Evans said. “We, as in the union, are very much capable of handling this matter. We need their support – we don’t need them working against us. I think players need to understand that their agent works for them. A lot of players in our league seem to think that they’re hired by their agent, but that’s not the case. That has to change. They can’t always go to their agents for every source of information. Oftentimes, they’re misled and that’s unfortunate. Not all agents have their player’s best interest in heart. They have vested interest as well.” Hoopsworld.com |
| What's so unrealistic about the owners' proposal? Jermaine O'Neal: You put in a system where every team profits? There's no business structure in the world like that. … You can't hold players hostage for decisions that have been made in the past. We hear that a lot from the league, "Guys aren't living up to the contracts." What do you do? Basketball is no different than any other workplace. You get guys that perform. You get guys that overperform. You get guys that go under, whether for injuries or whatever. It's just one of those things. USA Today |
| Over the past few months, as Chauncey Billups read and heard stories about the decertification of the NBA players' union, one thing seemed odd to him: it was always the agents calling for decertification. To Billups, the notion of agents telling players they need to decertify was backwards. After all, the agents work for the players, not vice versa. ESPN.com |
| Billups will turn 35 next week and he's one of the most respected players in the league. His back story of having been at every level of the pay grade has enabled him to relate to the different types of players he's talked with. The 14-year veteran had two mid-level contracts before finally reaching eight figures annually in 2007. And now that he's scheduled for the biggest payday of his career ($14.2 million), the season is in jeopardy. But Billups said he's willing to forgo that to get a good deal for the players going forward. ESPN.com |
| "It's a tough situation for me," he said. "Selfishly, I want that money. I earned that money over a long time. I feel like it should've come to me a long time ago, but it didn't. But I remember the first lockout in 1998 and all those guys who were in the position I'm in now -- Charles Oakley, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan. They were finally getting their balloon payments but they stood up and said, 'Listen we're going to do what's right and make sure the league is in good shape when we're done.' I remember that vividly. So now I want to make sure the Derrick Roses and all the young guys coming up have the opportunity to one day be able to get paid. ESPN.com |
| The reaction of several players seemed to be “we knew this was coming.” “If you didn’t expect to miss any games, then you haven’t been prepared, you haven’t been listening,” said Suns forward Jared Dudley. “We’ve talked to (union director) Billy Hunter, we’ve talked to everyone. This has been planned for three or four years, (the owners) knew it, right when it was time to deal they weren’t going to do this. They want us to miss checks. They want us to feel the burn. We knew this.” ProBasketballTalk |
Across the country at the University of Connecticut, Celtics  sharpshooter Ray Allen echoed that sentiment, saying that he would be willing to give up a full season to get a fair deal. Rashard Lewis said basically the same thing Wednesday. “Our thing is you have to to have a stance,” Dudley said. “It’s not like we’re not willing to give back. We just want the split to be somewhat fair… We have our line, the line we’re not going to cross, and if that means missing a season we might as well miss a season anyway because they are talking 40 percent cuts. If you’re talking 40 percent, everyone could miss two years.” ProBasketballTalk |
Wilson Chandler does not view himself as a trail blazer or trendsetter. His  decision to sign overseas was sparked solely by a desire to play basketball, something that won’t occur in the NBA until at least mid-October. “It’s going great for me,’’ Chandler said by phone. “I’m just learning some different things, trying to learn the new people. Practice is cool. Coach Cleamons is a great coach so it makes things easier for me. He’s been a successful assistant coach in the past and I think I can learn a lot from him.’’ Boston Globe |
| Chandler lives in a four-bedroom apartment in Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang, with a population of 8.7 million. “I just wanted to play,’’ said Chandler. “I couldn’t wait around to see what was going to happen. I just wanted to play and be able to get that game rhythm. Boston Globe |
Let's say a deal does not come in 2-3 weeks. Are we  looking at a February start at best? Nick Collison: "I can kind of see the writing on the wall. These guys (owners) are going to try to make us bleed a little to try and get what they want. That's their game plan, because clearly they haven't tried to negotiate. That's kind of our stand. We try to meet in the middle somewhere, but I think they're a little more interested in trying to break us and force a deal down our throat." The Oklahoman |
| For you personally, you're set. You've been in the league since 2003. You got a four-year extension last year and a $6.5 million bonus. Why be so deeply involved in the CBA? Nick Collison: "All of us realize how fortunate we are to play in this league. A lot of players in the past who didn't have it as good as we have it fought really hard to get certain things for players. I think we all feel a responsibility to get a fair deal for the rest of the guys, current guys, younger guys." The Oklahoman |
The more the NBA season looks in peril, the smarter Memphis  coach Josh Pastner appears for adding Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Damon Stoudamire and Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton to his staff. If Walton were still in Los Angeles, he would have no access to the Lakers' facilities, either. So here he is -- 1,800 miles away -- coaching, recruiting and working out daily with full access to a training staff as he rehabs from a back injury that nearly forced him to retire during the 2009-10 season. ESPN.com |
| "I've got a bunch of Grizzlies players I'm working out with, my shooting coach is coming this week, and I've got a training staff and strength coach here at my disposal," Walton said. "I can do all of this during my time off when we're not practicing [during individual workouts], coaching or recruiting, so I make sure to stay ready for when the lockout ends." ESPN.com |
| Stoudamire won't be shocked if Walton is on staff longer than anticipated. He said he's waiting to see if the players really do take a stand and sacrifice the whole season. "I don't think they'll ever get what they want out of it," Stoudamire said. "It's millionaires battling billionaires, and you know who's going to win that battle." ESPN.com |
| You said recently that the players won't back down. But does that stance start to change as more games get wiped out? Kevin Durant: Yeah, I can easily say that when nothing's been canceled. That's kind of tough. But I think we are going to stick together. We want our voices to be heard. We don't want to give in. But it's going to be tough to miss some games and miss some time. But as players, we're going to try to stick this thing out as long as we can. Oklahoman |
SLAM: About the lockout. What have you learned about collective  bargaining, labor negotiation, that you weren’t aware of before all this came down? Dwyane Wade: Ahh, how tedious it all is. You know, sitting in a room and from the outside you think there are these amazing conversations going on. A lot of times, there aren’t. You know, it’s a lot of Kindergarden-type bickering back and forth. To me, it’s a waste of time to point fingers. We’re all in this together to try to build this game. We have to come to a middle [ground] for both sides to be successful. You know, so that’s one thing I was very surprised about. SLAM Online |
| SLAM: You have so many more years in your career, so is this something you would like to become more involved in as time goes on? Or is it just a turn-off? Dwyane Wade: I guess it depends. When you go into negotiation with someone, it’s like when you’re trying to have a conversation with somebody and they turn their back on you and they cover their ears. They won’t listen, they won’t talk to you. That’s kinda how negotiations are, a little bit. I don’t want to go to too many of these. Hopefully this is the last one I go to through my career as an athlete. SLAM Online |
| SLAM: Your sons are old enough now to understand what’s going on. How do you explain to them what’s happening right now? Dwyane Wade: Yeah, I mean, a little bit. My older son, ‘Dad, why you not playing?’ I just let him know that you know what, Dad wants to play, it’s not that I don’t want to. The owners have decided to lock us out and we’re trying to reach an agreement so that we can all get back on the court again without too much more litigation and labor stuff that’s going on. SLAM Online |
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