NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

ABC has slowly reduced the amount of games they show on TV. I find the ABC presentation very bland (... horrible playoff songs every year ...... *****cat Dolls......) and outside of the main broadcasting team, I'm not a big fan of anybody else that works on the broadcasts.

I would love to see the NBA return on NBC. Sam Flood has done a terrific job with the NFL and NHL on NBC. I want to see what he could do with the NBA.

I'm not a "everything was better in the good ol' days" type of person but NBC was the best TV partner the NBA ever had. They had triple-headers, 2nd best theme song in the history of team sports, the best setting the scene guy in sports history (Bob Costas ... he was a horrible pbp guy though), best basketball pbp guy of all time (Marv Albert), outstanding presentation, and they were willing to show small market teams.

Not sure if the CBA even relates to which network has rights to the NBA, but I agree with you.

The production of ABC/ESPN is simply unacceptable. It's watered down, cheesy and bores even the most casual NBA fan.

Give us something with a bit more substance please, and less talking heads. I don't give a **** what Micheal Wilbon says, or Stu Scott, these guys don't know **** about basketball [relatively speaking].

Now with all that said, I'm not gonna sit here and complain or beg for change. I'm just simply pointing out that ABC/ESPN broadcasts put NBA fans to sleep, everything they discuss is so elementary and pointless. NBC seemed to strike a good balance between drawing the casual fan in while holding the seasoned NBA fan's attention.

As an aside: something that I think people don't keep in mind, is that back in the 90's, even diehard NBA fans weren't up to speed on their team and the league like they are now in the digital/internet age. So NBC had it good back then, in terms of reporting something and keeping the diehards' attention. Today, the reason I say it's watered down is because they [ESPN/ABC] usually discuss or talk about issues/topics that have already been beat to death by us on message boards. Therefore we have no real reason to give a crap what Magic, Jon Barry or those other idiots say. Just something to mention...

[BlueNGold]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

Today, the reason I say it's watered down is because they [ESPN/ABC] usually discuss or talk about issues/topics that have already been beat to death by us on message boards. Therefore we have no real reason to give a crap what Magic, Jon Barry or those other idiots say. Just something to mention...

I think this is more a case of not giving a damn what the people talking about the issues/topics have to say themselves than it is the issues/topics being beat to death online. I know I'm usually always interested in what the TNT guys have to say on things that happen.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

I think this is more a case of not giving a damn what the people talking about the issues/topics have to say themselves than it is the issues/topics being beat to death online. I know I'm usually always interested in what the TNT guys have to say on things that happen.

I do agree with you on this, but honestly, generally speaking ESPN/ABC do not talk about the same things TNT guys talk about. Let's be real, haha. ESPN/ABC's banter are all so corny, and understandably "mainstream".

[BlueNGold]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

I do agree with you on this, but honestly, generally speaking ESPN/ABC do not talk about the same things TNT guys talk about. Let's be real, haha. ESPN/ABC's banter are all so corny, and understandably "mainstream".

And half of it is the whole fake laugh routine where one of them says something that's slightly funny, or sometimes even not at all funny, and they all burst out "HAHAHHAHA" as if it was the funniest thing ever said. Can't stand that ****.

That's what I like about TNT and what puts them so ahead of ESPN/ABC. It just seems like it's your usual group of guys talking basketball and cracking jokes.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

Since the NBA has been on ABC/ESPN, the average basketball fan has become even dumber. Never thought that would be possible. I don't think that's a coincidence, considering how they dumb things down and how all their "analysts" and commentators are awful.

On the bright side, I hella just remembered that Mark Jackson is no longer part of the broadcast team. Hell yeah.

[aholbert32]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

ABC has slowly reduced the amount of games they show on TV. I find the ABC presentation very bland (... horrible playoff songs every year ...... *****cat Dolls......) and outside of the main broadcasting team, I'm not a big fan of anybody else that works on the broadcasts.

I would love to see the NBA return on NBC. Sam Flood has done a terrific job with the NFL and NHL on NBC. I want to see what he could do with the NBA.

I'm not a "everything was better in the good ol' days" type of person but NBC was the best TV partner the NBA ever had. They had triple-headers, 2nd best theme song in the history of team sports, the best setting the scene guy in sports history (Bob Costas ... he was a horrible pbp guy though), best basketball pbp guy of all time (Marv Albert), outstanding presentation, and they were willing to show small market teams.

Great points. I completely agree that there were more games on NBC but there were less games total during the NBC days. ESPN shows games on Wed, Friday and some Sundays. TNT has Thursdays. Back then NBC would show triple headers but primarily on Sunday and TNT only had Thursdays. Since the majority of the country now has cable, I prefer the current setup with more NBA basketball on TV every week.

[aholbert32]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

Looks like Training Camp will be pushed back to Monday but FA will still start on Friday.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

Wonder why they decided now to do that? I thought from the beginning it made no sense to have FA officially start the same day Camps opened.

Anyway, some more info on the Amnesty Clause:

Folks are obsessed with the amnesty provision, which is coming into focus now as the players’ union and league work around the clock to finalize the collective bargaining agreement. I’d put the over/under on teams using amnesty ahead of this season at 3.5, and now that the Trail Blazers have indicated that they will not use it on Brandon Roy, I may well take the under.
Still, the provision will stay alive for the full length of the new collective bargaining agreement. Teams can use it only once, and only for “contracts in place at the inception of the CBA,” according to a summary of the draft agreement.
The idea is simple — cut a player with pay so his salary doesn’t count against the cap or luxury tax — but as I wrote last week, the details are complicated and carry several crucial questions. The two sides have now reached a broad agreement on some of the thorniest questions, according to a source close to the talks. Some bullet points:
• Teams will not be able to use the amnesty provision on a player acquired in a trade going forward. The CBA summary says teams can apply amnesty to a pre-existing contract. It does not say whether teams must already have that contract on their books, or whether that contract must simply exist. There had been hope, for instance, that the Nets could acquire Hedo Turkoglu’s contract in a theoretical Dwight Howard trade and then use the amnesty provision on Turkoglu instead of the less-expensive Travis Outlaw. Turkoglu’s contract is “in place,” in some sense, after all.
But alas: The sides have agreed that teams can use the amnesty provision only on players they have now. That is a bit of a disadvantage for teams such as the Thunder and Grizzlies that have no viable amnesty candidate, though it does provide a form of long-term insurance should any of their players become unproductive down the road.
• The salary of any player waived via the amnesty clause will continue to count toward the salary floor. This could be of major interest to a team such as the Wizards, who would fall so far under the salary floor (about $49 million per team) by using amnesty on Rashard Lewis as to make the provision almost unworkable for them this season. But if Lewis’ $20.6 million salary continues to count toward that floor — and not against the cap — even after amnesty, the provision is more useful in the short term. Regardless, the Wizards indicated last week that they will not use the amnesty clause on Lewis this season. That makes some sense, considering this center-heavy free-agent class doesn’t have much to offer a team trying to develop its own big man (JaVale McGee).
• Teams will not be able to use the new “stretch” provision on players they acquire via the amnesty process. The stretch provision will allow teams to waive a player and stretch the annual cap hit well into the future. For instance: If you release a player with two years and $20 million left on his deal, you could stretch the cap hit over five seasons — twice the number of years left on his contract, plus one. The goal is to soften the short-term impact on cap flexibility so that teams will be more willing to waive players they don’t want.
The catch: Teams can use the provision only on “new” contracts, or deals that don’t yet exist. But what of amnesty-related contracts? If a team bids on Outlaw and “wins” him, is that a new contract the team can “stretch” later should Outlaw continue to struggle? Or is it an “old” one, and thus not eligible to be stretched because it is linked to a pre-existing deal?
The answer is: The team will not be able to use the “stretch” provision on such a player.
• Finally: If a team bids on a player in the amnesty waiver process, it is bidding on the full length of his contract, not just the first season. In the event the Blazers change course and use amnesty on Roy, that would mean any team that bids, say, $4 million on the guard will be bidding to pay him at least that amount in each of the four remaining seasons on his deal.
This is where we stand at the moment, according to a source close to the process. Things could change in theory, but with players scheduled to begin voting on the CBA on Wednesday afternoon, that seems unlikely.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

False Alarm, Aholbert.

From the Post's Michael Lee:

League has informed teams that there won’t be any delays – training camps will open on Friday.

[aholbert32]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

False Alarm, Aholbert.

From the Post's Michael Lee:

Still think they would be better served to start it on Monday. Some teams will have 5-6 players in camp on Friday.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

NBPA has converted WED union meeting into conf. call so players needn’t travel. Electronic union vote to pass labor deal: 6PM WED to 4PM THU

So let's say the NBAP gets all their votes in by tomorrow night and the CBA gets ratified then, would the first official league day still be Friday or would it get moved to Thursday?

[OSUFan_88]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

So let's say the NBAP gets all their votes in by tomorrow night and the CBA gets ratified then, would the first official league day still be Friday or would it get moved to Thursday?

It won't matter what the players do, the owners vote Thursday.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

A memo was sent out this afternoon from the players’ union urging ratification of the new collective bargaining agreement.
Players have until 4 p.m. Thursday to vote “yes” or “no” on the deal.
In the memo, a copy of which was obtained by SheridanHoops.com, union director Billy Hunter wrote: “Although the players made significant financial concessions, including taking a reduced share of Basketball Related Income, collective salaries will nonetheless increase over the course of the CBA, the players retained important system issues, and achieved gains on non-economic issues.
The document goes on to list the terms of the agreement. Among them:
_ An expected increase in annual collective salaries and benefits from the current $2.17 billion to more than $3 billion by the end of the 10-year agreement.

_ Neutral review of commissioner David Stern’s financial discipline for players’ on-court conduct.

_ A minimum of 16 days off for each player during a season (beginning in 2012-13).

_ A new benefits pool funded by BRI that permits players to receive post-career health and welfare benefits.

_ Increases in player appearance fees as sponsor events to a minimum of $3,000 ($4,000 if he does more than eight).

_ A new optional annuity under which players, beginning in 2012-13, will have the option to directly defer portions of their salary to an annuity plan with favorable interest rates to be paid to the player upon retirement.

_ The amount teams can pay toward buying an international player out of his contract is increased by $25,000 each season ($525,000 in year 1 of the CBA, $550,000 in year 2, etc.), and the rule now also applies to American players who are playing overseas.

_ Players will receive 66/82nds of their salaries for the 2011-12 season.

_ Players can receive up to 50 percent of their salary as an advance prior to Oct. 1.

_ A joint NBA-NBPA Committee will discuss issues related to the Draft and the D-League, including the age limit.

_ No player with more than 3 years of service may be assigned to the D-League without their consent. Assigned players are paid under their NBA contracts.

_ Beginning in 2012-13, players can be tested a maximum of two times during the offseason for steroids and performance enhancing drugs only. The number of total tests given to players will be limited so that a majority of players will receive no more than 4 tests throughout the course of the entire year. Players may not be tested at the arena on a game night.

_ Players can agree to wear a microphone for one nationally televised game per month, one locally televised game per month, and up to two playoff games per round, and no player can be subject to discipline for content captured as a result of wearing a microphone.

_ Training camp compensation increased to $2000 per week beginning in 2012-13, and the per diem goes up to $120 per day.

_ Housing reimbursements for traded players are increased to $4,500 per month for three months following a trade.

123456loko

[Dice]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

Looking at the B-list items of the CBA, the players got a lot of concessions out of that as well.

So the players better not be complaining about 'jack' since most of the economic re-structuring went their way.

The owners as well better not say anything about high salaries, player collusion and competitive balance because they are agreeing to this deal.

[Dice]

Re: NBA Lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

Half-way being official. Players ratify the deal. The owners are expected to vote within the next 2 hours.

http://ken-berger.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/33758482

NEW YORK -- NBA players on Thursday approved a new collective bargaining agreement in electronic voting, paving the way for owners to formally ratify the deal and open training camps and the free-agency period, two people familiar with the results told CBSSports.com.

The players voted via email from 6 p.m. ET Wednesday until 4 p.m. Thursday. The owners' Board of Governors, with representatives from all 30 teams, was meeting in Manhattan Thursday to finalize details of their new revenue-sharing plan and also vote on the new deal.

Presuming approval by the owners, training camps will open as scheduled on Friday, with the free-agent and trading period officially to begin at 2 p.m. ET, sources said.