Michele Roberts is a smart person. You don’t go from being a public defender to major law form partner to becoming the first female head of a major professional sports union without having a healthy combination of savvy, smarts and substance. So what was she doing last week when she told ESPN that the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, with its maximum salaries, age limit and rookie salary scale, is “un-American?” (And by the way, that “un-American” comment clearly struck a nerve with
Those who thought David Stern’s retirement would remove the bombast in collective bargaining between the NBA and its players association underestimated Michele Roberts. The veins may not be popping out of the temples; the face may not be as menacing as Lord Voldemort’s; the sound level may not be at Metallica decibels; but the new head of the players association made it clear again last week that Stern’s absence will make negotiations no less adversarial. Roberts repeated criticism of certain elements of the current
Over the summer, Carmelo Anthony had the chance to put himself in position to be a part of one of the top contending teams in the league. He was a free agent, and the Chicago Bulls believed the small forward was the perfect offensive force to complete their team compromised of mostly defensively-dominant players. Of course, Anthony decided to be loyal (the extra $20-plus million probably helped) and remained with the rebuilding New York Knicks. Unfortunately, he got to see on Wednesday
In an attempt to quicken the pace of games and time spent on replay reviews, the NBA has opened a brand new replay center focused on just that. The replay center will help referees to make the right calls on reviewable plays, in a much more timely fashion. With the ability to view multiple different camera angles on one screen at a time, the refs will have what they need to expedite these often lengthy periods of review. The facility is
Kevin Durant rolled in on a scooter and spoke with Oklahoma City media on Tuesday for the first time since his surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his right foot, reiterating that he wouldn’t rush his return to the court. [Read more…]
If it were possible to detect a belly laugh from the hereafter, I’m sure there would have been something bordering on a thunderclap last week when the NBA announced Sunday’s Brooklyn-Boston preseason game would be 44 minutes instead of 48. On second thought, it might have been closer to a booming “WTF?” Wilt Chamberlain has been dead for 15 years, but I can guarantee the mere suggestion of reducing the length of games still irritates him. “Forty-four minutes,” Wilt would bellow. “You
Michele Roberts, the person, believes an age limit that keeps 18-year-olds out of the NBA is un-American. She also believes a maximum salary in a thriving industry is abhorrent. And she feels a system set up to prevent owners from overspending is flat-out ludicrous. Again, those are the opinions of Michele Roberts, the person. Not Michele Roberts, the new boss of the National Basketball Players Association. In her new job, max salaries, salary caps, luxury taxes and age limits are economic realities
The Sixers have made waves with their willingness to rebuild by all means necessary, so nothing GM Sam Hinkie does should come as a huge surprise. Still, for a rebuilding club, the prospect of trading the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year would certainly raise a few eyebrows. According to Zach Lowe of Grantland, Philadelphia tried to do exactly that by shopping Michael Carter-Williams heavily during the 2014 NBA Draft back in June. [Read more…]