// NEW YORK — Armegeddon arrived suddenly for the NBA today, with the players’ union legally disbanding and saying it will file a lawsuit seeking triple damages under anti-trust laws rather than accept the final proposal put forward by NBA owners. Billy Hunter is now disempowered, David Stern says the season is in jeopardy, and the new man in charge is high-powered attorney David Boies, who represented NFL owners defending themselves against a decertification movement last summer and whose most famous case, Bush
Heisler column: Historic Blunder, anyone?
Optimism on life support, or anyone up for a Historic Blunder? Of course, NBA players would be out of their gourds to reject 50 percent of revenue because it’s not 51 percent, a difference of, oh, $400 million over 10 years … compared to the $780 million they lose in a 50-game season … or $2 billion if there’s no season. Who lets these guys out without babysitters? Of course, that also applies to the owners who are threatening to shut down for
Stern told AP: No tweaks
NEW YORK — Here is an update from the lobby of the hotel where the players are meeting: Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler are among the players meeting in a conference room, sitting nearby in the media workroom is Brian Mahoney of the AP, who is reporting some more of what commissioner David Stern told him Saturday night. Incredibly, because of its timing — right smack dab in the middle of the players’ meeting, we are getting word of Stern’s
Lockout update: Decision day for players, or not
NEW YORK — Billy Hunter is getting a break today from the cabal of agents who want to kick him out of his job. They are sitting on a decertification petition with more than 200 signatures, and a source in that cabal told SheridanHoops.com that it is highly unlikely the petition will be filed with the NLRB until Hunter meets with 30 team player representatives at a Times Square hotel. So Hunter has bought some time. What remains to be seen is whether
Owners’ proposal is viewable online
USA Today has obtained it and published it. Click here to read it.
Explaining the NBA lockout to the rest of the world, via the BBC
The lockout is illogical. Everyone here in America pretty much understands that, although folks who follow the NBA labor situation closely can comprehend how we’ve gotten to this particular juncture. Outside of the United States, the NBA lockout is incomprehensible to the vast majority of the world. Hopefully, through the global reach of the BBC, folks are now a little better informed. Thanks to colleague Chris Mitchell for arranging this interview I did with the BBC World Service. Click to listen.
Lockout update: Misinformation rules
NEW YORK — Players reps from all 30 NBA teams are arriving in town today, and tomorrow they’ll get debriefed on what is and what isn’t in the owners’ latest proposal. Up until now, they’ve been getting fed plenty of bad information in the two days since the owners and players went their separate ways at the conclusion of Thursday night’s bargaining session. Case in point: ESPN.com drew 5,000-plus comments on a story about how players could be sent down to the D-League
Lockout update: Player reps to meet Monday
NEW YORK — Player representatives from each of the 30 NBA teams will meet Monday in New York, and it is a guessing game as to what happens from there. Reject that deal that is on the table and demand further talks? Approve a vote of the entire player population but refuse to endorse the owners’ latest offer? Endorse the growing decertification movement? We will find out soon enough. In the meantime, some details have emerged of what is contained in the latest proposal. The