NBA players, owners decide to meet again today

Less than 24 hours after locked out NBA players turned down team owners' latest contract proposal, the two sides agreed to meet Wednesday to continue negotiations.

The owners and players union were to sit down together in New York at 1 p.m. Eastern time (10 a.m. Pacific).

Both union executive director Billy Hunter and NBA Commissioner David Stern had said Tuesday afternoon that they would be willing to meet Wednesday to see if they could get a deal done.

Stern had given the players a 5 p.m. Eastern deadline to accept the league's offer, or risk the next offer being less.

The players rejected that offer after meeting with 43 players, 29 of them representatives for their teams, Tuesday in New York.

The players now have been locked out for 132 days and have seen the entire regular-season schedule for the month of November canceled.

-- Broderick Turner

Photo: Players union president Derek Fisher speaks at a press conference, joined by union executive director Billy Hunter and other NBA players Tuesday. Credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

NBA players reject owners' offer

After a meeting with team representatives, the NBA players’ association on Tuesday rejected the league's latest contract offer.

After a 4 ½-hour meeting with 43 players and 29 of the 30 union representatives from NBA teams, players union President Derek Fisher and union Executive Director Billy Hunter said they had been given clear orders.

“Right now, the current offer that’s on the table from the NBA is not one that we can accept,” Fisher said in a news conference in New York.

Fisher and Hunter said they also were ordered to continue negotiating with NBA owners. Hunter said he would reach out to NBA Commissioner David Stern Tuesday night or Wednesday to see if they can set up a meeting.

Stern had given the players an ultimatum to accept the owners’ latest contract proposal by the close of business Wednesday or risk getting a weaker deal.

Fisher said they want to continue negotiating over the proposed split of basketball-related income. The players are seeking about 51% of the BRI, while Stern has offered about a 50% split.

However, Hunter said there are several other key issues to be resolved, including sign-and-trade restrictions by teams and the luxury tax penalty teams would pay for signing players.

“Without those improvements in the system, we don’t see a way of getting a deal done between now and the end of business tomorrow evening,” Fisher said.

Hunter said he'd heard through the “underground” that the NBA is considering canceling games through Christmas if no deal is reached by Wednesday. The NBA has already canceled games through November 30.

Hunter also said there was “very little discussion” Tuesday about possible union decertification.

Fisher said they all want to get a deal done so they can end the NBA lockout.

“But not under any circumstances will [we] negotiate from a position of weakness and being given ultimatums and demanded that we have to accept a particular deal,” Fisher said.

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-- Broderick Turner

Photo: Derek Fisher, president of the NBA Players' Association, speaks during a news conference, Tuesday in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Frank Franklin II.

 

NBA players union hopes to educate team representatives at meeting

When representatives from all 30 NBA teams convene Tuesday in New York for a mandatory union meeting to discuss all the issues involving the lockout, it will give the Players’ Association executive board a chance to inform them on what’s at stake, said a source involved in the negotiations who was not authorized to speak publicly.

NBA Commissioner David Stern has given players an ultimatum to accept the league's latest contract offer of a 49%-to-51% split of basketball revenue by the close of business Wednesday, or Stern said the next offer would be less generous.

There have been reports of discord among players, including some who want to accept the deal, others who reject the offer and still more who want to consider decertification of the union.

Tuesday’s union meeting is intended to clear the air with the representatives so they can take informed information back to their teammates.

“We know that tomorrow is when guys are going to get educated,” the source said. “He should know what exactly what’s going on when he comes out of [the meeting].”

Meanwhile, Lakers guard Steve Blake, who has three years and $12 million left on his contract, reportedly has been calling players in an effort to get the union to allow the players to take a vote on the latest offer by the owners. Blake reportedly has said it should be a “yes” or “no” vote.

Anthony Parker, a team representative for the Cleveland Cavaliers who will be a free agent after earning $2.9 million last season, said the players he has talked to want to reject Stern's offer.

“I don’t think they are doing anything out of respect,” the source said. “But they don’t know what’s going on. They haven’t been to the meetings. Derek [Fisher] is the [union] president. All they have to do is make one phone call.”

The source also said the 50/50 revenue split offered by the league would come after operating expenses for the owners. Thus, it wouldn’t be a “true” 50-50 split, he said.

The source also said various players are upset that former stars like Michael Jordan, now an owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson think the current NBA players are wrong for taking their stance.

“I’m disappointed with the former basketball players,” the source said. “It’s not right for them to say we should limit the [stars] of tomorrow. We supported the Jordan brand. We supported Magic and Charles Barkley. But then for them not to give the support back to us, it’s frustrating.”

 -- Broderick Turner

Photo: Lakers guard Steve Blake drives to the basket against the Hawks' Marvin Williams, left, and Jamal Crawford during a game last season at Staples Center. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

NBA player reps to discuss league's latest offer on Tuesday

The latest offer from NBA owners was already rejected by the players’ union, but player representatives from all 30 teams planned to meet Tuesday in New York to discuss it again.

The deal was vetoed by union executives last Saturday, though owners gave the players until Wednesday to reconsider a proposal in which players would make 49% to 51% of annual NBA revenues. Union President Derek Fisher said last week there was “no way in the world” it would ever end up being 51% under the guidelines of the proposal.

If players do not agree to the deal, they could choose to dissolve the union and eventually file an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA.

The league has canceled about 450 games through the end of this month. More cancellations are expected if an agreement to end the 130-day lockout is not reached soon.

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Photo: Derek Fisher speaks to reporters after taking part in contract negotiations Sunday. Credit: Allison Joyce / Reuters

David Stern says NBA players have until Wednesday to accept deal

Setting the stage for four days of intense contemplation, NBA Commissioner David Stern late Saturday told players they had until the end of Wednesday to accept a deal that would provide them between 49% and 51% of basketball-related income as part of a new collective bargaining agreement.

Stern spoke at the end of an 8½-hour negotiating session presided over by federal mediator George Cohen, who made six compromise suggestions to players and owners. Stern said the owners were willing to adopt five of the proposals but that the players’ union flatly rejected them.

Lakers guard Derek Fisher, president of the players’ union, said players offered to take around 51% of BRI, down from their previous 52.5% demands. He said “there’s no way in the world” players would receive 51% of the BRI under the owners’ flexible proposal.

“We’ve made the effort,” Fisher said. “It just doesn’t seem to be good enough for this particular group of owners.”

Player reaction to Stern’s take-it-or-leave-it offer was swift on Twitter.

“U gotta love an ultimatum,” tweeted San Antonio Spurs guard Steve Novak. “How does basketball ever even get to this point?”

-- Ben Bolch

Photo: NBA Commissioner David Stern addresses the media following a failed labor negotiation last month in New York. Credit: Bebeto Matthews / Associated Press

NBA lockout: Union decertification could mean no 2011-12 season

Negotiations between NBA players and owners this weekend will have greater importance because of the threat of decertification lingering in the background.

Frustrated with the lack of progress in talks to end the lockout, some NBA players are considering an appeal to the National Labor Relations Board for decertification of the players' union, an extreme legal step that could take months to sort out and would threaten the entire NBA season.

If the union decertifies, players can sue the NBA under U.S. antitrust laws, likely claiming that the league conspired to deny their ability to market themselves by locking players out when the last collective-bargaining agreement expired July 1.

It would take months for courts to reach a final ruling on lawsuits filed against the NBA, according to legal experts.

"If the players decertify, you have to say that the odds are that there will be no season," said Bill Gould, a Stanford law professor and former NLRB chairman who wrote the book "Bargaining With Baseball."

"I don’t think you can get definitive resolution from the court of appeals until January at the earliest."

Talks on a new collective-bargaining agreement have broken down each of the last two weeks, though owners and players will try again to find a solution Saturday in New York. The NBA has already canceled the first month of the season, and further cancellations are expected if a deal isn't reached soon.

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Photo: Players union President Derek Fisher after a negotiating session last month. Credit:  Frank Franklin II / Associated Press

NBA players, owners might meet Saturday

NBA players and owners could resume their labor negotiations Saturday.

The NBA has a Board of Governors meeting Saturday morning in New York and the players union is discussing Thursday whether they want to give the negotiations another shot at ending the lockout, now in its 126th day.

Negotiations have stalled each of the last two weeks, with owners and players stuck on the much-publicized split of basketball-related income. Owners have insisted on a 50-50 BRI split while players have agreed to come down to 52% after making 57% last season.

All games have been canceled until at least Dec. 1, with more cancellations likely if there’s no agreement by the end of next week.

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Heat owner Micky Arison fined $500,000 for lockout-related tweets

Miami Heat owner Micky Arison seems to be a smart businessman. He's the founder and chairman of Carnival Cruises, and Forbes estimates his total worth to be $4.2 billion. You don't get to be that successful by doing dumb things ... like tweeting about the NBA lockout when the league specifically has said not to make any comments on the topic.

But that's just what Arison did, with several lockout-related posts on his Twitter account last week. And Commissioner David Stern responded by fining Arison a reported $500,000 for the tweets.

"It was more about his timing," Stern said in an interview with the New York Post, without mentioning the amount of the fine. "We're trying very hard to get a deal done with the players, or we were, and we don't need any external distractions to that focus."

Stern added of Arison: "He believes his tweets were taken out of context and understands our concern about them. And he's very much on board with the other 29 owners about the deal that we want."

Arison's lockout-related tweets were quickly removed and he hasn't addressed the subject since.

It started when someone made a post on Arison's Twitter account, saying "Fans provide all the money you're fighting over you greedy ... pigs." Arison responded, "Honestly u r barking at the wrong owner."

Then someone else posted on Arison's account: "Know it's not ur fault at this point, it's become child's play. Grown men making stupid decisions over money." Arison replied, "Exactly."

The initial poster then responded: "Then can you bark at the other owners? This is RIDICULOUS!!!" To which Arison replied: "Now u r making some sense."

There was more, including Arison's retweeting of some other people's lockout-related comments. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense, seeing that Charlotte's Michael Jordan and Washington's Ted Leonsis had already been fined for similar offenses.

Maybe Arison just needed to get some things off his chest. It's not like he can't afford it. If the going rate is $500,000 for a day's worth of Twitter outbursts, he can feel free to speak his mind some 8,400 more times before going broke.

That would keep Arison busy tweeting for the next 23 years. Hopefully the lockout doesn't last quite that long.

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-- Chuck Schilken

Photo: Micky Arison. Credit: Michael Cohen / Getty Images

NBA lockout: Derek Fisher vs. foxsports.com

Derek Fisher is demanding a retraction of two recent foxsports.com stories, saying they were "libelous and defamatory" in a statement released Tuesday night through his publicist.

The president of the National Basketball Players Assn. was annoyed that a foxsports.com column Monday suggested he had met secretly with NBA Commissioner David Stern and was willing to accept the owners' hard-line proposal of a 50-50 split of basketball-related income. The players association publicly has toed the line at accepting 52% of BRI.

The column also alleged there was a rift between Fisher and players association executive director Billy Hunter.

"The implication that I am doing anything but working in the best interests of the players is disgusting, defamatory and a flat out lie," Fisher said in the statement. "I have issued a letter through my attorneys demanding a retraction for the libelous and defamatory stories the site and reporter have continued to publish.

"Regardless of the media reports, the Players Association, our staff, Executive Director and Executive Committee are unified and working side by side to serve our players. There should be no more distractions. We must continue to negotiate a fair deal for our players."

How much of the Kardashian-Humphries wedding was real?

Writers from around the Tribune Co. discuss the topic. Check back throughout the day for more responses and weigh in with a comment of your own.

K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune

Carlos Boozer's defense is more real than the Kim Kardashian-Kris Humphries wedding. Phil Jackson's artificial hip has more substance. The Clippers' title hopes are more legitimate.... You get the idea.

Anyone who bought Kardashian's 72-day attempt at reality show fodder, er, marriage to Humphries should consider gullibility training. Dennis Rodman's marriage to Carmen Electra lasted longer. Enough said.

Counting freebies for the $10-million wedding, sponsorships and paydays, Kardashian's take has been reported at close to $18 million. That can buy a lot of tissues.

In her statement, Kardashian sniffed, "After careful consideration, I have decided to end my marriage." Careful consideration? Some TV timeouts during sporting events last longer.

There's surely some truth to fond attractions, er, feelings between Kardashian and Humphries. But any reality TV "star" is as in love with his or her bank account as another human. And it won't take death for Kardashian to part with her financial windfall either.

Should Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries keep their wedding gifts?

Kim Kardashian and NBA forward Kris Humphries reportedly registered for more than $172,000 in wedding gifts. Do they deserve to keep their presents even though Kardashian filed for divorce after only 72 days of marriage?

The New York Post took the question to etiquette experts. The answer was a resounding "no."

“The rule of thumb is if the marriage ends after just six months, you should return the unused gifts,” said Lizzie Post, author of Emily Post’s Etiquette 18th Edition. “After just 72 days, the gifts must be returned to the wedding guest."

What about the people who spent four hours watching their two-part wedding special on television? Should they be compensated for their time?

Kardashian and Humphries (a free agent who played last season for the New Jersey Nets) allegedly made $18 million off of their wedding. About 5 million people tuned into the show. If the money were divided evenly, each fan would earn $3.60 for their wasted time.

Sounds like a good starting price.

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-- Melissa Rohlin