NBA owners and players agree to a deal

[Arles]

Looks like the NBA has learned on what not to do from the NHL and may get this right. Interesting about the 19-year old age limit and shorter contracts. Both seem to be a decent win for the owners - with the players getting a higher cap.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2091539


NEW YORK -- NBA owners and players agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement Tuesday, averting the possibility of a lockout.

The league called a 5 p.m. ET news conference in San Antonio prior to Game 6 of the NBA Finals, with commissioner David Stern and union director Billy Hunter announcing their agreement, ESPN Insider Chad Ford has confirmed.

The deal came on the fourth consecutive day of talks between the sides. The league's old seven-year agreement is due to expire on June 30.

The league and its players' association on Monday night were close to agreeing on a new CBA that would institute a new 19-year-old age limit, reduce contract lengths and raise the salary cap, according to sources close to both negotiating committee.

The potential agreement would run for six years and would allow the two sides to avoid a July 1 lockout.

The two negotiating committees were to meet again on Tuesday morning in New York, NBA spokesperson Tim Frank said. Union spokesperson Dan Wasserman declined comment on the story.

A source close to the NBA negotiating committee and a source close to the union's negotiation committee claim that all of the major issues between the sides had been agreed to in principle as of Monday night, and the purpose of Tuesday's meeting was to work out some of the finer points of the agreement that weren't addressed during a lengthy, breakthrough negotiation session Friday.

The players now have the opportunity to ratify the new agreement during a summer meeting on June 28. It might take several more weeks for the final agreement to get drafted, possibly delaying the start of the free agent period scheduled to start July 1.

[korme]

Hmm, 19 year old age limit I frown upon. Amare and LeBron would not have had chances to display their talents had this been in effect.. Same goes all the way back to Moses and the like.

[Ksyrup]

The NBA needs to take a page from the other leagues and stop announcing stuff during the finals. Coach hirings, collective bargaining agreements, etc. How about putting the focus on the game? Oh wait...now I understand.

[digamma]

Hmm, 19 year old age limit I frown upon. Amare and LeBron would not have had chances to display their talents had this been in effect.. Same goes all the way back to Moses and the like.
All this means is that kids who would go straight out of high school will go to prep school for a year.

[Lathum]

I love the 19 year age limit. For every LeBron and Amare there are 10 Kwami's. I think this will greatly improve the college game.

[Mustang]

The NBA needs to take a page from the other leagues and stop announcing stuff during the finals. Coach hirings, collective bargaining agreements, etc. How about putting the focus on the game? Oh wait...now I understand.

Unless they think the potential of a lockout is causing people to not pay attention to the NBA finals so, by coming out with this labor agreement during the finals they are hoping that people come back and pay attention. Personally, I don't find that will work because ....


Ohh look.. a pretty cloud..


Sorry, my mind strays when I try to pay any attention to the NBA..

[albionmoonlight]

Hmm, 19 year old age limit I frown upon. Amare and LeBron would not have had chances to display their talents had this been in effect.. Same goes all the way back to Moses and the like.
But the league still wins. Right now, the NCAA is a free marketing machine for the NBA, and they want to use it to the extent possible. Sure, the LeBrons and Amares lose in the short term, but it is good for the league in the long term--and what is good for the league in the long term is good for the players in the long term, IMO.

Now, as to whether the player's union should be sacrificing the interests of the future LeBrons for the good of the league/players as a whole--that is another question. I have no problem with it, personally, but I think I remember someone (John Galt?) pointing out how it really isn't fair to bargain away the interests of someone who did not have the opportunity to be at the table.

[albionmoonlight]

All this means is that kids who would go straight out of high school will go to prep school for a year.
You think? I think that a year at Kentucky or UNC or Duke will put them in a much better position for that first shoe contract than a year at some obscure prep school. Certainly, some kids won't go to college no matter what, but if they have a year where they are forced to wait between high school and the NBA, it seems like most would want to spend that year getting their face out there as much as possible.

[digamma]

I love the 19 year age limit. For every LeBron and Amare there are 10 Kwami's. I think this will greatly improve the college game.
I think it is fool's gold for colleges.

As I mentioned above, I think you'll see a lot of kids go the prep school route. Others will reclassify as juniors after their junior year by attending prep school then or the special (I think they are called "selected") high schools.

Kids who do go to college may still leave after a year.

I think it has a very minimal effect on the college game, if not a negative one by increasing the popularity of prep schools and causing more continuity problems for college programs.

[Joe]

dumb

[Young Drachma]

Hmm, 19 year old age limit I frown upon. Amare and LeBron would not have had chances to display their talents had this been in effect.. Same goes all the way back to Moses and the like.

Amare would've. He was 19 by draft day.

[Gary Gorski]

Finally - a league that appears to do something right. I realize not very many people around here like the NBA but for those of us who do this is a great sigh of relief because had they pulled an NHL I'm sure the end result would have been just as bad. The NBA has alot of good things going for it right now so this is very very good news

[Young Drachma]

So the age limit would be imposed this year? Seems unfair to me.

[mckerney]

I love the 19 year age limit. For every LeBron and Amare there are 10 Kwami's. I think this will greatly improve the college game.

Yeah, this will greatly improve things. High schoolers may enter the draft too early, but we all know someone who is 19 or 20 and has spent a year or two in college wouldn't make that mistake.

http://www.freep.com/art/1999/msu99/r6/r6.6.jpg

[JPhillips]

Gary: Will there be a TPB patch for the new deal or will we wait until the next version?

[jbmagic]

Finally - a league that appears to do something right. I realize not very many people around here like the NBA but for those of us who do this is a great sigh of relief because had they pulled an NHL I'm sure the end result would have been just as bad. The NBA has alot of good things going for it right now so this is very very good news


i agree its great news there not going to be a lock out.


any good news with total pro basketball 2005, will there be a new patch to fix the bugs people have reported? wil it come out soon?

with all the other sports sims games coming out with patches, i am hoping TPB does the same soon :)

[Gary Gorski]

In terms of TPB it depends on how much changes the CBA makes - if there are huge amounts of changes then it will probably take a new version.

In terms of a patch for fixes I'm not aware of any outstanding bugs that have been reported. A few people have had difficulties with their system config or accidentally messed something up in a season that I've fixed but nothing to change the code. However if there are issues that Im not aware of that need patching then another patch would be put out.

[stevew]

What about locking out this particular officials union? Would be the best thing that could happen to the game right now.

[stevew]

I think it is fool's gold for colleges.

As I mentioned above, I think you'll see a lot of kids go the prep school route. Others will reclassify as juniors after their junior year by attending prep school then or the special (I think they are called "selected") high schools.

Kids who do go to college may still leave after a year.

I think it has a very minimal effect on the college game, if not a negative one by increasing the popularity of prep schools and causing more continuity problems for college programs.

Yeah, I agree. If anything, a player may start to "redshirt" in HS.

[NYFAN]

I think more kids would go to college and potentially leave after a year... why would they want to spend another year in a prep school / high school setting? Either way they don't make money, at least going the college route you are getting better coaching, playing at a higher level, and are receiving year round training by said coaching... I would think NBA teams would be very wary of someone who is "scared" to play in college, and as a result played another year in HS...

I agree that this may have some unanticipated effects, but doesn't it seem a little illogical that players are now going to take a 5th year of HS over a year of college?? The only downside I see is that they are afraid they'll be a bust in college, but if that's the reasoning, I think NBA teams would be aware of that and very wary of drafting them... it seems like a no win situation for them to stay in HS...

And then if they do go to college they could actually potentially realize that maybe an extra year or two could help them... I think the hardest part is to get the kid to go there in the first place for one year... God knows that financially they are receiving a heck of a lot more from a college than a HS... Colleges can legally give them a lot, and I don't think it would surprise any of us if they were getting more... The only other logical thing I could see happening is if kids decide hey, I really want to get paid, I'm going to Europe....

I really can't see many bad side effects of this deal. Aside from losing out on a LeBron every 10-15 years (for one year of his life) you are going to be bringing in more physically ready players, more mature mentally players, and hopefully more skilled players.

[Crapshoot]

Yeah great rule - can't have those damn kids making money - its not right I tell you! Instead they out to go to college sports, where everyone makes money - except the players.

[Pacersfan46]

Yeah great rule - can't have those damn kids making money - its not right I tell you! Instead they out to go to college sports, where everyone makes money - except the players.

I bit nieve, are we?

[sterlingice]

Yeah great rule - can't have those damn kids making money - its not right I tell you! Instead they out to go to college sports, where everyone makes money - except the players.
Yes, yes- the evil NCAA is out to take advantage of those poor kids who are getting nothing out of it. Apparently two wrongs do make a right since both are taking advantage or each other.

SI

[Gary Gorski]

Yeah great rule - can't have those damn kids making money - its not right I tell you! Instead they out to go to college sports, where everyone makes money - except the players.

That's right - we need to keep cutting those 12 year vets off the gravy train to make room for that high school prospect that we hope will be able to get off the bench sometime within the next three years. Much better to pay an unknown 18 year old a guaranteed 5-15 million over three years to ride the bench than a 12 year vet 1.2 million to at least provide some experience for one year.

And I didn't catch the part where it says that these kids couldn't graduate high school and make money. There's nothing stopping them from playing overseas or in another league or something - oh yeah, the free ride (plus "perks") they will get to the college of their choosing where they will have an entire season of free pub thanks to CBS, ESPN, SI and the other thousands of media outlets.

Sheesh - this doesn't stop the Amares and LeBrons of the world from getting paid - all it does is delay it by one year while in the meantime they get to play ball on a national stage plus get a chance to get some education (I know, its a shocking concept - why should multimillionaire 19 year olds need to know anything especially regarding money and how to handle it) and in the process it lets the guys who have paid their dues in the league get one more paycheck. Its a win-win for everyone involved except the kid who proves he doesn't have what it takes (yet) to make it in the NBA when he flames out as a frosh in college.

And for the kids who can't qualify for college because of their grades it's not like a JUCO player hasn't ever been drafted before. The NFL drafted two players who sat out an entire year this year. If these kids have the skills they will get drafted at 19 even if they failed to qualify to go to Duke or UNC or whatever.

[ShaqFu]

The Developmental League set its minimum age to 18, so how does this work? Will high school grads be able to tryout/sign with a Developmental League team? The reality is that you are going to force kids to go to college for a year and you have to question how many colleges are going to waste a scholarship on a one-year player like that.

[Peregrine]

Well a lot of colleges are already willing to "waste" scholarship on talented players they only expect to be there one year. Are you going to turn away Carmelo or Marvin Williams because they'll only be around a year?