NBPA Director Billy Hunter Placed on Indefinite Leave of Absence

It appears that the end has come for Billy Hunter. His disastrous reign at the NBA Players Association looks to be over, this despite desperate efforts to hang on to the top job. Yahoo! Sports reports that the union has placed Hunter on an indefinite leave of absence today: “Hunter was informed of the decision on Friday morning, and it is the first step in a process led by NBPA president Derek Fisher to have Hunter removed as executive director, sources said. Union general counsel Ron Klempner has taken over as interim executive director. […] The union’s leadership has retained outside counsel to help it through the suspension of Hunter, and plans to push the membership to oust Hunter, sources said. In a memo sent to players on Friday morning, Fisher said: ‘Unfortunately, it appears that Union management has lost sight of the NBPA’s only task, to serve the best interests of their membership. This is the reason I called for a review almost a year ago. The findings of that review confirm this unfortunate truth and we must now move forward as Players. Immediate change is necessary and I, along with the Committee Members, are committed to driving the process as difficult as it may be.'”