The Mess Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter Find Themselves in

Like I said several weeks ago, if you’re relying on Billy Hunter and Derek Fisher to try and resolve a business problem, you’re f*cked. Two dummies and the owners know it. What a fuc*ing joke.

The DFish side deal story has to be bogus. If DFish could actually deliver the union at 50-50 he would have gone back to the players and asked them to back it, then either get Hunter to buy in or get rid of him outright. Hunter is working for the players, not the other way around. Bottom line, if the players were actually onboard with 50-50 we’d have a deal by now.

i said it right from the beginning, both owners and players are messing up their product, but i clearly told many of you here because of the economy the players would lose this battle, its just a matter of time now..

I don’t believe any of these stories. Some writer made this story up that caused Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter to respond.

Damn. An anonymous media report is posted that quite possibly could be based on lies or misinformation and this is taken as proof of infighting and problems.
As if it doesn’t make logical sense for someone to leak a story like this to discredit the union, sow discord amongst the players and finally get them to cave just as their paychecks stop coming in?
Like, that didn’t seem likely to anyone?
Because it’s below David Stern and the NBA owners? Because they’re honorable and forthright individuals?
The same League that brought you “rogue” operator Tim Donaghy?
This is stupid. According to David Aldridge the owners threw their nuts on the table this weekend. They said you take a 50/50 split and get screwed on the system, or you take a 53-47 percent and get all these system concessions you want.
So, basically, the owners have not changed their position on BRI split AT ALL over months of negotiations.
Think about that for second. All this dickering and they are at the exact same figures they were at on BRI before this whole dispute started, with the only concession being will allow you to only have nominal negative changes to the “system” instead of wholesale changes that greatly reduce player power.
And just when that deal gets thrown down, the deal that looks incredibly unreasonable given all the back and forth, that’s when this news breaks?
Coincidence? Yeah, ok.
The owners want the players to reduce their percentage by 10 percentage points.
Consider the current deal. If you apply a 47 percent figure to BRI, the players would get $1.78 biilion, which is down from the $2.16 billion they got this past year. That’s $380 million, which is all the losses the League reported PLUS an extra $80 million for good measure.
But, considering total revenue of $4.3 million, that means the owners go from earning a total of $2.14 billion to earning $2.52 billion.
You think all that money isn’t worth spreading a rumor about?

STERNS COINTELPRO AT WORK

So, yesterday we have an owner busted for tweeting about how he’s not all on board about locking the players out and today we have rumors of major divisions within the player’s ranks and incompetent union leadership. Anyone see a trend here?

Andre
I’ve said that from the beginning. Just because the “workers” make tons of money doesn’t mean they aren’t “workers.”
As David Aldridge noted, (And I tend to trust his writing because he’s willing to miss a scoop to get stuff right), this whole thing was about fixing some economic issues, but mainly about reestablishing who was in control. Like I said from the jump, the owners want to get to a point like the NFL where not only is it never questioned who is in charge, the players just accept that reality as the way the world works.

any of those who think there is not a crack among the players union and think like billy hunter’s nephew allenp need to get a grip on reality. those who have truly kept up with this lockout know the PLAYERS will LOSE this time.
back in 1999 a handful of players helped end the lockout and history will repeat itself… watch…

Everyone knows the players will lose. They’ve already lost as they conceded over 4% of the BRI. The players are just trying to minimize the losses. Allen and anyone else with a brain can see that. We got Taj Gibson’s #1 fan in here commenting like we don’t recognize that.

From Billy Hunter’s letter to the players:
As you know, NBA players have received 57% of BRI for many years. In an effort to make a deal and save the season, in past meetings we have offered to reduce our share to as low as 52.5% with certain system issues in our favor. On Friday, considering the many system points we had already conceded, I hoped and expected the owners would move towards our proposed BRI number. Instead, Commissioner Stern insisted that the NBA would move no further than 50%, and I ended the meeting.

In my view, a 50/50 split of BRI does not adequately compensate the players for our services to the NBA. Remember that BRI does not reflect the total revenues generated by the NBA. The NBA is allowed to take hundreds of millions in “expense credits” before sharing any revenue with the players ($543m in 2010-11). Given this, under the NBA’s proposal, the players would receive only 44% of total revenue generated by the league. By comparison, we received 50% of total revenue under the previous CBA, and our 53/47 proposal would reduce the player share to 46.4% of total revenues. In addition, compared to our former 57/43 split, the owner’s proposed 50/50 shifts more than $300 million per year to the owners, which equates to more than $3 billion over a 10-year deal. A move of this magnitude guarantees operating profits for all owners irrespective of quality of management and does not allow players to adequately share in the growth of the league

Allen, you listen to Hunter on Simmons podcast? It’s obvious he’s retarded when it comes to speaking with and using the media. The NBPA really need a better PR group. It’s as if they got LRMR working for them. Pathetic.

He, like most people, does not understand how media members works. Stern knows EXACTLY how they works.
I’m telling y’all, most people don’t like reporters and that leads them to downplay their influence. Then they don’t understand media rules about information gathering, sourcing and “fairness”. Once you understand what most reporters will challenge, where their weak points are and what they accept as facts, you can control your message.
In this dispute, the media was already aligned with owners. Why? Because players have transitory careers. The League is more permanent. Media companies are dependent upon the League to produce content so that they can distribute it to their viewers and readers. Plus, many media people, like most Americans, resents the large salaries of players on the sly. They see these semi-educated, urban individuals pulling in millions, with often poor attitudes and it bothers them. They like what the players can do, don’t particularly like the players because their daily interactions with them can be demeaning and difficult. While they have the same issues with organizations, those organizations are more permanent, and there is more fracturing as far finding sources. So, media members have to suck it up and deal, or they can find snitches to feed them info.
It’s much more difficult to crack the players’ circle.
Anyway, Hunter should have drilled the message about the 50/50 split instead of assuming that people would understand that. He should have drilled the message about the shorter time span, the total revenues made. He should have asked for a full PUBLIC airing of the total finances for all teams, including all salaries taken by owners, high level executives and family members.
He should have requested transparent negotiations, because then, if the media ignored the info, he could accuse them of bias and FORCE them to examine the documents.
Instead, he’s preferred back room deals which always favor the more powerful group, and he’s seen the media as antagonists instead of mere tools.
Stern sees media members as tools. He uses them, then discards them until he needs them again. They can’t be his adversaries because they lack they cache.

Cache also works…..they lack the reserve of information/memory to become more than a box of tools. Ken Berger and Howard Beck are two exceptions….

From the beginning Hunter was arrogant, and most recently operating without enough poilling of the players — not only arrogant but autocratic. It backfired on him.

Lets see if the courtroom battle today can help end the war.

Damn……AllenP. You do a better job explaining the entire lockout and negotiating better than 99% of the media.

All the lockout talk aside, SLAMfam gets real predictable sometimes. Current Laker faces unsubstantiated stories/rumors/book accounts that reflect negatively on his character, Eboy/NBK/JTaylor quickly pounce and slam him without any hesitation/evidence. Seed/Lakeshow/other Laker apologists come in and defend. And vice versa, when current Heat is in similar situation. Sometimes, it’s just like the Dems and GOP in here. Supporting a faulty cause solely to oppose the other side. Y’all better than that!

Right after NFL lockout was resolved the signed an extremely lucrative new TV contract with their networks to take advantage of the newly agreed to CBA. Hunter is well aware Stern and the owners are going to do the exact same thing as soon as the new CBA is agreed upon…

What the hell does that have to do with the lockout? Wrong page.

Also, Simmons asked why he didn’t try to use the superstars to get out the message and he responded with basically “The delivery might get screwed up”. He’s conceded the media war. Which I guess it’s alright because the players will probably get the blame regardless.

My bad Huey I’m just getting fed up with people bashing the Union/Hunter based on misinformation/understanding. I’m just not sure what else he can do. ESPN wants to cover CPaul on Family Feud or KD playing flag football than presenting the legitimate issues a the heart of the Union’s stance. Coincidence I think not, it’s quite convenient to show players on game shows or playing around while the “fans” are missing games or arena workers aren’t getting paid to make a subtle (but highly bias POV) statement. Please read JWhitlock’s last 4-5 pieces Huey. Obviously he has an angle to work but the info is telling. These same owners (many of which are Repub’s) are looking for extravagant handouts from the NBAPA, but when it comes to the rest of nation they vote contradictory to that ideal (i.e. college loans, welfare, etc.). It’s just hypocricy in it’s lowest form…

Heals, I’m weary about reading anything written by Whitlock. I’ve known him since his KC Star days, and his integrity has seemed compromised for awhile.

ALLEN FOR YET ANOTHER EPIC WIN…. AND COSIGN HUEY ON WHITLOCK, DONT READ ANYTHING HE WRITES ANYMORE.

It’s splits on both sides within the owners side too their are some owners who would talk the 52 I can’t see how anyone can call the players greedy when they have made concessions on everything and the owners haven’t gave sh*t. Most of these teams that lose money don’t know how to run a franchise ie michael Jordan donald sterling ect ect

Reports indicate Billy Hunter stormed out; Stern laughed maniacally; Jesus wept
There’s nothing wrong with reading wild speculation about the NBA if that’s the only news to read. There is no season, no off-season acquisitions, and no pre-season, so feel free to occupy your time as you wish. That’s why I’ve began to drink (see my site)

Anyway, what have I been saying all along? 4 year (5 year birds), 50/50 split, reduced MLE. I’ve said since the summer that was the best deal possible and that if the players dont take it they’ll take a worse deal… I wish I couldve gotten some nice Vegas odds and made some $ on this lockout ishh