NEW YORK — Jonathan Schiller of the law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner, which is representing NBA players in their legal fight with owners, said today in an e-mailed statement that there will be “preliminary settlement discussions with the NBA immediately after Thanksgiving with regard to the lawsuit filed recently by the players.” Schiller and his partner were not even players in this drama two weeks ago, but the negotiation has changed ever since the union filed its disclaimer of interest. Now,
NBA sides have been meeting secretly; 66 game season eyed
At a certain point, the sides had to start talking again, right? And after two dozen negotiating sessions that played out in public, with both sides issuing their spin in comments to the media afterward (with the exception of sessions mediated by George Cohen), we are now learning that secret meetings have been taking place yesterday and today — presumably in an effort to settle all matters related to the NBA lockout, which would include litigation and collective bargaining matters. Adrian Wojnarowski
Weijia Column: Marbury saved J.R. Smith
BEIJING — Who is the brightest star after the first week of play in the Chinese Basketball Association? Of course it is Wilson Chandler, who had 43 points and 22 rebounds in his first game. But the one who attracted the most attention was J.R. Smith. You may have known that, because the news and video of Smith’s injury traveled fast. Smith left the court with his teammates’ help. The next day, he went to Beijing alone for physical examination without the permission
Deron Williams scored 50 points for Besiktas, but …
… his teammate, Semih Erden (who also plies his trade for the Cleveland Cavaliers) broke his thumb and will be out at least two months.
Hubbard column: In a thankless league, we still manage to, well, give thanks
In the spirit of the approaching holiday, I spent a modest amount of time researching the word “turkey,” because I wondered how it might symbolize the essence of the current NBA. There seemed to be a logical connection. One web site pointed out that the poultry bird became a popular food item because it was an excellent source of meat, and beyond that, it was “easily shot.” Our heroes at the NBA have done an excellent job of shooting – themselves
Sheridan column: Boies wavers on whether he’ll call NBA
NEW YORK — The next logical step in the illogical NBA lockout is for David Boies to call Jeffrey Mishkin, or for Jeffrey Mishkin to call David Boies. The latter attorney, Boies, who represented Al Gore against George W. Bush in the 2000 U.S. presidential election, now represents NBA players, and Mishkin is the outside counsel for NBA commissioner David Stern and the owners. It would take approximately 2 minutes for their secretaries to put that call together. And after obfuscating and posturing
Angry at the NBA? Read this
In between episodes of banging my head against the wall, I opened this e-mail today from a group calling itself NBA Fanifesto that is offering angry NBA fans a place to vent their frustrations. “NBAfanifesto.com exists for one simple purpose: to allow NBA fans to express their collective disapproval, frustration and resentment with the lack of progress in the NBA’s collective bargaining negotiations. In this depressed world economy, greed, stubbornness, and ego have kept millionaires and billionaires from agreeing about how
Heisler column: OK wackos, whose move is it?
The 1 Percent Solution (Cont.): Let’s see, a 2 percent difference, divided by two warring parties is … Anyone? Anyone? OK, it’s still insoluble for NBA owners and players, now reportedly down to back-channel contacts, which may just mean Tim Frank and Dan Wasserman, the p.r. guys, found themselves in the same line at Starbucks. On the other hand, if the side at 50 percent of revenue isn’t in touch with the side at 52 percent while their lawyers prepare to sue each other