NBA Writers Are Kicking Butts, Taking Names
by Jeff Clark on Oct 21, 2011 12:45 PM EDT
in Boston Celtics News & Links
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PrintThey're done being nice.
NBA Lockout: The 50/50 Fallacy, And 10 Myths Driving The NBA To Armageddon - SBNation.com
So... Okay! Good to know the mediation was a complete waste of time. But of course it was. Each time we've had some shred of hope that there's progress being made, that hope's been doused in gasoline, set on fire, packed into a t-shirt cannon, and rocketed into outer space. All in front of an army of NBA reporters who are slowly going insane.
NBA Players Association? You’ve had it - Ball Don't Lie
There are certain generations, in whatever form or field you want to discuss, that are going to be bent over a barrel no matter how much they contribute, and how much they scream about the injustice (and it is, and will be an injustice) until they're blue in the face. Jason Kapono(notes) told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that "players have been more than fair with their concessions." Of course they have. That's not the point. This was never going to be about a "OK, your turn" step down from 57 percent. This was always going to be a beating. This was always going to be, "please, just don't hit my face."
More after the break.
The lockout that never ends - WEEI | Paul Flannery
Hunter named names, saying that Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert told Hunter "to trust his gut," on a system that had not been negotiated. He said that Blazers owner Paul Allen walked into the negotiation and reinforced the message that it was a 50-50 split or bust. Hunter added that owners like Jim Dolan (New York), Mickey Arison (Miami), Mark Cuban (Dallas) and Jerry Buss (Los Angeles) wanted to make a deal but other small-market owners did not. The NBA loves to make the comparison to the NFL, but while the NFL had owners like Bob Kraft who cut through the rhetoric and helped pull a deal together, the NBA has Comic Sans Dan asking the union to trust him like they were just another sucker at one of his soon to be unveiled casinos.
NBA Lockout Talks Go Up In Flames, And Owners Are Holding The Matchbox - SBNation.com
Blame whoever you'd like. If you think that NBA players, coming off a season in which league revenue grew almost 5 percent despite the awful economy and a static, undersized national TV contract, are wrong to reject an offer than includes both a 12-percent paycut and massive changes to the salary cap system that will limit mid-rung players' ability to sign multi-year contracts, so be it. I am not going to convince you that the owners are railroading the very men who allow them to earn $4 billion in revenue. But I am going to argue that the owners who set this round of talks aflame are being duplicitous, selfish bullies.
After latest NBA impasse, good luck finding someone who cares - NBA - CBSSports.com Basketball
This is a circus now, the big tent setting up at posh locations all over the island of Manhattan with men in clown suits parading in and out at all hours of the day and night. Wasting our time, we come to find out. Except that the difference with this circus is that no one wants to see it anymore. Soon, the owners and players will be negotiating in a forest with no one around to hear them except each other. And after what happened Thursday, oh, do they deserve that. They deserve each other.
Slow clap.
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The players should put the owners out of business
Let them OWN that!
" Hell yeah I'm trying to gain an advantage out here. If you can't handle it, get off the court."- Kevin Garnett
"Stats are for losers."- Rahim Morris (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Then there wouldn't a league at all
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 21, 2011 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions
The players will still be playing somewhere
Wherever the best players are playing is what I’ll be watching.
I’ll dearly miss the C’s, but I I don’t like to see a side get fleeced due to ther other side acting shady.
It’s not what I want, but, the players posses the ability to do so and should make sure the owners are aware.
" Hell yeah I'm trying to gain an advantage out here. If you can't handle it, get off the court."- Kevin Garnett
"Stats are for losers."- Rahim Morris (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
But not all the players will be playing somewhere
Remember there are so many jobs that go around and only the top players will get jobs overseas. The players making league mininum won’t get a phone call.
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 21, 2011 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Eventually they will
Even the average to less player in the NBA is better than most foreign players not already playing in the NBA
Who knows (although even I doubt it), the players form their own league.
Either way, there will be jobs for the vast majority of current NBA players.
" Hell yeah I'm trying to gain an advantage out here. If you can't handle it, get off the court."- Kevin Garnett
"Stats are for losers."- Rahim Morris (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
That would be intrestring if they would form their own league
I probally pay to see that.
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 21, 2011 9:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Correction, it should read
Then there wouldn’t be a league at all. You want that?
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 21, 2011 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions
In end...
…it’s the owners’ sandbox. If the players want to continue to play in it, they are going to have to give in. If not, the players can go overseas to play in the sandboxes over there.
You missed Ken Berger...
Who appears to be drunk-tweeting, calling everybody “asshats” and “clowns”. He’s lost it.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
A writer for CBS Sportsline...
He’s probably been the most well-sourced and tuned-in writer during the lockout.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
From his column:
This is a circus now, the big tent setting up at posh locations all over the island of Manhattan with men in clown suits parading in and out at all hours of the day and night.
Wasting our time, we come to find out.
Except that the difference with this circus is that no one wants to see it anymore. Soon, the owners and players will be negotiating in a forest with no one around to hear them except each other. And after what happened Thursday, oh, do they deserve that.
They deserve each other.
What happened Thursday was irresponsible and gutless — which shouldn’t come as a surprise in sports, where the irresponsible and gutless go to make their millions (or billions) and play us for fools.
They have a name for this. It’s called asshattery. @sshattery with a circus tent over it, and soon, no audience — no one left who cares.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
The media is full of clowns on this. There’s been next to no legitimate coverage of this lockout. It’s all about them trying to make the owners out to be the bad guys so that they can wield their influence to force them to make a deal.
Media people like Berger don’t give a crap about the negotiations or who gets what, they just want a deal because without a season, they don’t have jobs.
So you dislike Tom Ziller basically?
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 21, 2011 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions
DShook.
That seems very illogical to me.
1) If the media wanted a season, they would attack the players who would be the first to fold, not the owners.
2) Why would the media attack the owners, many of whom own the very media sources they work for?
3) The media is not supposed to care about the deal… They are supposed to report the news with whatever expert analysis and insider information they can find.
If the media favors the players, then that can only mean that the owners are being extremely unreasonable, because the media has every reason to support the owners more than the players.
by Yogesh Raghunathan on Oct 21, 2011 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
More likely, the reason that certain writers are harder on the owners is because...
… their sources are players. A lot of sources leak info with a spin on it, and they rely on the media to be their mouthpiece. Their are presumably pro-owner sources, as well. I just don’t read enough of these guys to know who is aligned with who.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
At least for this upcoming season...
…I have to concur. No end in sight. Immovable Force meet Unstoppable Object.
Owners own and players play...... and if owners don't want to pay the players the owners have now they have to find others to play called scrubs
and then the fans decide what to watch or not watch and the players who didn’t want to play for that pay and have to go look somewhere else to play another day…..
everybody loses…..everybody
Is it Soup Yet?
and by the way I have no sympathy for either side but I understand owners have the right to be owners
if they make the wrong move here they can lose big big money…..tough call…if it were easy it would have already been over
Is it Soup Yet?
I guess my question would be
How do they bypass the fact the owners locked out. The players did not strike.
So long as the union does not decertify, the owenrs are stuck with this group for a while. The courts would have to interceed first. The owners would likely have to reform as a new league to start again. In the mean time, the players have the right to seek other employment.
If the players decertify, all bets are off. This is the real reason the players are pushing to avoid decertification.
" Hell yeah I'm trying to gain an advantage out here. If you can't handle it, get off the court."- Kevin Garnett
"Stats are for losers."- Rahim Morris (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
in that scenario, not everone loses PO
seems like the scrubs would win -
- imagine a team of unrecognizable celtics with little to no experience playing on opening night?
…wow, that’s strange to think about, but the unrecognizable players would feel their ‘winning’
seriously
Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk
Bruins dominated last night and played they're best game of the season.
Talk to me in December, I’m fine watching Hockey for a couple months.
"Phil is obviously a good coach. You don't win that many games without being a damn good coach, ... Remember one thing: He's been very fortunate. He picks his spots. That's all I can say." - Red Auerbach
04 + 07 = 11
Yeah, if the Bs start playing better, they'll be a welcome distraction...
Plus, the World Series is on for another week or so, so that’s a plus.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
I no longer care
The owners can take their loss and go back to what ever business they made their money in before they became owners; the players can go back to…………school? driving a truck? selling sneakers? Until they start taking personal responsibilirty for the future of the sport I love………..I don’t care!
That's one thing I think we can all agree upon
I blame the owners a lot more, some people on here blame the players a lot more. Either way both sides don’t give a crap about the fans right now and neither side is faultless. Besides the actual money they are losing casual fans every single day and yet there is no urgency.
I blame both.
No matter what though your right, the ones that really get hurt is the fans that actually give a crap about the NBA.
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 21, 2011 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions
But you care at least that eensie-weensie bit
—to be posting here during a lockout.
What are the owners going to lose? You don’t think they have insurance for this? Palease. Stern and the owners had plenty of time to come up with Plan B. Join the club. Foreclose on me. Please. This is a toy for these owners. A TOY to play with.
The only people that lose are the people that work the facilities, the support businesses and the locals who make it when the fans arrive.
The players lose money.
The fans have to play with themselves.
Give me a break!
If you have a car, and I don’t…does that make it a toy that someone owes me? The owners lose credibility, money, and good will. Wake up. Everything is not measured in dollars. The players are losing the same thing. Neither side comes out of this smelling like a rose.
by thirstyboots18 on Oct 21, 2011 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions
This is a business. Everything IS measured in dollars. Sorry to break it to you. That is what they are fighting about.
by johnnymost on Oct 24, 2011 11:48 AM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions
It's only a toy for some owners
There are guys like Sarver who lost a lot of money elsewhere and thought of his nba team as an investment not a toy. There are also owners who sold their teams out of desperation (hornets are owned by the league, 76ers have just been sold recently, etc.)
Be honest, it's a toy for most owners
People like Paul Allen, Wyc and Mark Cuban can leave the NBA and it wouldn’t effect their bank accounts one way or the other.
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 21, 2011 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions
jerry reinsdorf, bulls owner as well
he publicly said as much
I dont care what the D.N.A. Says, the Guy wearing number 12 Cannot be Kirk Hinrich, he is definetly Kurt. Kirk can actually play basketball!
link?
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 21, 2011 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions
These teams are like tax shelters. These guys need losing companies so they can shift money around. It is a game to them.
by johnnymost on Oct 24, 2011 11:50 AM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions
I'd love to...
But our boy Steve is now an NBA employee, so he may not be allowed to be 100% candid.
But yes, we all miss Steve. You should try PMing him, though; he still checks in here from time to time.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
If Green Bay residents can own their football team.......
Then the great city of Boston could do the same with the Celtics right?
I don’t how it works, but if the little town of Green Bay can own and
field championship football teams, then surely Boston can do the same
with the Celtics? That would be pretty cool since Celtic fans are the
best fans in the world.
That business model won't work in today's society
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 21, 2011 6:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Owner love?
Astonishing. Why? Gladwell make such a strong case that these are not routine brick and mortar businessmen, but vanity hobbyists, no different, really, than race horse breeders. Seriously! Does anyone buy a sports franchise as a cash cow? Its rings, glory or bust. Hence the overpaying and poor business plans. Why this evokes sympathy….?
Oth, the players need to get it that we are in a recession and that no one is going to take them seriously as exploited laborers. Ever.
"Celtics bring order and structure to a chaotic world"
Who cares if it's a traditional business or not, though?
It’s definitely not a charity for the purpose of making players rich. If owners want to eat their cake and have it to, that’s a legitimate position for them to take.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
Roger , that
“If the owners want to eat their cake and have it to that’s a legitimate position for them to take”. That’s a position, all right, but, Roy, in what sense is it “legitimate?”
Btw, the players ‘charity’ riff is a straw man. No, salaries have been matter of market price and they are trying to contain the market. But by the same token, the owners arent in this to get rich (like a bunch of middle class struggling small business guys). They are rich. They are in it to get rings. That’s a different gig.
"Celtics bring order and structure to a chaotic world"
Again, I see no reason they can't have both
The NBA generates billions of dollars in revenue. A lot of folks act like it’s ludicrous for the owners to expect to make a small profit, when that kind of money is coming in. Is it really that crazy an idea, to want to own a team and be competitive and make money?
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
Not really
Because if your a owner of a sports team or a normal small business, your goal is to make profits and to make sure you don’t lose your shirt. That’s what the owners are doing and I see nothing wrong with that.
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 21, 2011 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions
not true
Look up Tax Shelters. The Super Rich need to find a way to spend their money on losing businesses so they hide their money instead of paying taxes on their profitable businesses.
by johnnymost on Oct 24, 2011 12:00 PM EDT via iPhone app up reply actions
It is a business so why should the owners be saved from themselves at the expense of the players?
The owners want to be guaranteed profits, even with bad management and huge bad contracts. Since when can you take huge risks in business with absolutely no chance of being punished? The players agree there should be givebacks in this CBA (they haven’t asked for an increase on any major issue) but there has to be a limit. If it’s purely a business only those who know what they are doing should make a profit. Do you think every business should be guaranteed to be profitable? That is not how it works in the real world.
The owners aren't asking anybody to save them from themselves...
They’re negotiating a collective bargaining agreement. They feel they have the leverage, and they’re going to make a business decision with that leverage.
This isn’t about the league assuming no risk. This is about the owners wanting to make a small profit when their league is making billions of dollars every year.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
I have some ideas for the owners to make the NBA more profitable...
Step one: Improve the image of the NBA around the league. Replace David Stern with a fresh face with a good reputation. “Retire” any names associated with fixing games and gambling. Bring more transparency to the officiating process by being consistent with calls whether you’re a rookie or a super star. Take a harsh stance on flopping. Have better marketing for the NBA draft. It should be a much bigger event than it is and bring more transparency to the process to move away from any fixing conspiracies. Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love, John Wall etc. are high character kids with incredible skills, who make the future of the NBA bright. They can bring back the excitement back to the NBA while improving its image.
Step two: Stop giving out outrageous contracts. Fill up the empty seats in the stadiums by making the game experience more affordable. If more people can experience the NBA live and meet the stars there will be a much sounder fan base for the future. Instead of individual teams signing broadcast deals with the local networks, it should be the NBA making these deals. Combine all the markets into one NBA market so you don’t have the issue of small market teams struggling while larger market teams enjoy so much profit. This would also help increase competitive balance by decreasing the advantages of large markets. Make NBA league pass more affordable and accessible for people around the world. Have more pre-season games internationally to build fan bases around the world.
Step three: Start marketing heavily towards the youth. Start having NBA players more involved in schools and camps so these kids can meet their favorite stars and become inspired. Start programs where you give away a few tickets to local high schools for weekend games. Try to broadcast the marquee games internationally especially with so many international players being so popular. Hedo Turkgalou is incredibly popular in Turkey, I’m sure there would be T.V. stations that would pay good money for the rights to broadcast Magic games in Turkey. Timberwolves have a small market? maybe Spain would like to broadcast a few games to cater to Ricky Rubio fans. Toronto with its many international players might be popular in Italy, Brazil, Spain etc. increasing their market size considerably.
There are many ways to increase profits without isolating fans and losing games.
by Yogesh Raghunathan on Oct 22, 2011 1:23 AM EDT reply actions
I would add to that
Put advertisements on the jerseys. It’s not the most popular option, but let’s face it: the NBA is awash with advertising as it is, I don’t see any reason why the jersey should be sacrosanct.
by IsItTheShoes on Oct 22, 2011 5:32 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
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