NEW YORK — NBA labor talks are now midway through their sixth hour, and there are two new faces in the room: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, and New York Knicks guard Roger Mason of “How u?” fame. The union’s economist, Kevin Murphy, is absent today, and union attorney Ron Klempner is present but sounded last night as though he had lost his voice — probably from his persistent yelling that the players are not going to acquiesce on everything on the owners’ wish list.
So while we await the end of tonight’s bargaining session, let’s have a look around the Web at what new information is out there today (noticeably absent is ESPN.com’s report that sign-and-trade deals will remain. I reported that on this site last Sunday.)
Alan Hahn of Newsday, via Twitter: “Heard accomplishments yesterday: length of guaranteed contracts, mid-level exception and amnesty. Also got “solid answers” on BRI issues.”
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, via Twitter: “Signs of labor optimism: Team execs cancelling scouting trips, preparing for free agency. Agents quietly reaching out to teams on players.
Ken Berger of CBS Sports.com: It is clear that the owners’ ideal BRI split is 50-50, but the time for seeking the ideal was July, August and September. It’s late October, almost November, so there needs to be one final push from the owners on BRI to make the system changes more palatable to the players. It is the players, remember, who already have given up more than $1 billion over six years compared to what they would’ve gotten under a 57 percent system by offering to go as low as 52.5 percent. They players should be willing to meet the owners somewhere in the middle, but not all the way to 50 percent. If this deal getting done hinges on the owners getting their 50-50 split come hell or high water, then I am scared for basketball humanity. Here is how it can get done — and, once again, silly me, I am being logical and sensible about this. The difference between the players’ position of 52.5 percent and the owners’ offer of 50 percent is approximately $100 million a year. As Hunter alluded to Thursday morning, there are tradeoffs to be made between system issues and movements in the BRI split — in other words, an economic move by the owners would make some of the system restrictions they are seeking more palatable.
Sam Amick, SI.com: “For all the optimism, there is reason to reserve judgment if only because of the nature of the meeting. This was the kind of small-group session that has yielded positive results before, only to see progress halted once the respective pitches didn’t get past the larger group of constituents. … But what happens when hard-line owners like Cleveland’s Dan Gilbert and Portland’s Paul Allen re-enter the conversation Thursday afternoon? Or when the stars such as Boston’s Kevin Garnett or the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant weigh in on the fact that the 53-percent-BRI-line-in-the-sand has long since been crossed by the union?