OFFICIAL Lockout update thread
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13092664p-13937550c.html
Reports have the owners and players reaching agreement on two key issues
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, June 15, 2005
The sounds you hear are of chain links and padlocks being unloaded by the ton.
They're about to be securely fastened on all NBA operations across the land, right on out to Arco Arena and the Kings' practice facility.
"Lockout" is a frightening word in professional sports, and it could come down on the NBA. It would have a ripple effect that will hammer the Kings, a franchise that desperately needs the offseason to recharge and retool. And there are the Kings fans who can't quite understand why so many millionaires fail to agree on how to divvy up the mountains of cash.
In simple terms, the existing collective bargaining agreement will expire July 1. Both sides of the labor table met Friday to try to settle many issues - from drug testing to length of contracts to a minimum age to annual raises. Reports out of Auburn Hills, Mich., where both sides met during the NBA Finals, were that accord had been reached on contract length and minimum age. But if those reports are false, or if the sides don't come to terms on the other issues in a hurry, the league will lock out the players for the second time in seven seasons, which NBA Commissioner David Stern said would be a "mistake of epic proportions."
And all hands agree that this lockout would be more damaging than the 1998-99 one that stretched seven months, wiped out half the season and plastered the league with a black eye.
"If we don't have a deal by July 1," Stern said in a recent news conference, "we won't make a deal anytime soon thereafter."
Said NBA agent Andy Miller, whose clients include Kings guard Cuttino Mobley: "Say now that there's somewhere between three and 20 open issues. When July 1 rolls around and no contract is in place, that goes from somewhere between 21 and 500 open issues that could open up.
"The thing will multiply by an exuberant amount. Put that in with the acrimony that's there, and it becomes a bloodbath."
And a complete NBA standstill, with everything frozen in the heat of summer. For a team such as the Kings, that means owners and front-office personnel and coaches cannot explore free agency, trades, contract extensions or even use Arco or the practice facility to make calls. For the players, it means the money stops cold, and they scramble to find a place to lift weights, to take jumpers, to stay sharp.
For the fans? Bitterness.
"Makes no sense to me, and, really, it seems insulting that these people can't figure this out," said Lawrence Hill, a 54-year-old season-ticket holder who likes to take his three sons to games, while attending a summer league basketball game at Capital Christian. "It has me not thinking of coming back as a fan. Enough already."
Should a lockout occur, NBA players such as Bobby Jackson and Matt Barnes said they will become residents of Basketball Town in Rancho Cordova, working on their games while hoping both sides of the labor dispute can work out their differences.
"It would be a real shame if this happens, because the NBA is on top right now," said Barnes, a Del Campo High School graduate who played last season with the Kings and Philadelphia 76ers and is a free agent seeking a job. "It'll really hurt guys like me."
And guys such as Kevin Martin, a Kings rookie last season who said last week that he needs as much polish and work as he can get.
Jackson said there's too much to lose with a lockout. The Kings guard pointed out that one of the issues on the table is length of contracts, of which he can speak. He signed a six-year deal with the Kings in 2000 because he craved the security.
By all accounts, he's a real bargain, making $3.1 million last season, good for ninth on the team and 167th in the NBA. He could have earned more, he said, had he signed a shorter deal.
"If I did it again, I'd hope for a shorter deal," Jackson said. "You can see both sides. You hope this thing can work itself out, because a lockout doesn't help anybody."
NBA owners want shorter deals to avoid Chris Webber-type situations. The Kings signed Webber to a maximum seven-year, $122 million deal in 2001, and the money was fine for the product until the power forward's body started to break down in 2002-03. He was traded in February to the 76ers, who absorbed the balky knee and the final three years and $62.1 million of his deal.
Kings owners and upper management said they aren't allowed to talk about labor issues because of fines. President of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said, "If you can pony up a million dollars (to cover the fine), I can talk about it." But Petrie did say, "Everything will be shut down (without a new deal). But (we're) still planning (for the future), and you have to be ready for any resolution."
Kings fans said the players come out looking greedy. Players are already handsomely paid compared to the common man, and fans wonder how much cash is enough.
"Come and work a real job like some of us, and then let's see you have an issue," said Barbara Wallace, a 37-year-old who attends a dozen or so games each year.
Players say they want what's fair. So do their agents.
"Anytime this comes to the forefront, it involves a lot of emotion, especially people like the Kings fans who are so connected to their team," said Bill Duffy, a Bay Area-based agent. "On the other hand, this is the players' livelihood. ... It isn't greed, and as much as we appreciate the players and how they play, they're not always qualified for other careers, because they have put their heart and soul into basketball. ... They're hired talent. They're no different than a horse in a race."
Right now, the race is to July 1.
(Cont...)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2088589
