NBA Owners & Players Reach Tentative Deal
- Posted on November 26, 2011 at 8:08am by
Scott Baker
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NEW YORK (AP) — NBA owners and players reached a tentative agreement early Saturday to end the 149-day lockout and hope to begin the delayed season on Christmas Day.
Neither side provided many specifics, but said the only words players and fans wanted to hear.
“We want to play basketball,” Commissioner David Stern said.
After a secret meeting earlier this week, the sides met for more than 15 hours Friday, working to try to save the season. This handshake deal, however, still must be ratified by both owners and players.
Stern said it was “subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations, but we’re optimistic that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin Dec. 25.”
Barring a change in scheduling, the 2011-12 season will open with the Boston Celtics at New York Knicks, followed by Miami at Dallas in an NBA finals rematch before MVP Derrick Rose and Chicago close the tripleheader against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
The league plans a 66-game season and aims to open training camps Dec. 9.
Just 12 days after talks broke down and Stern declared the NBA could be headed to a “nuclear winter,” he sat next to union executive director Billy Hunter to announce the deal.
“We thought it was in both of our best interests to try to reach a resolution and save the game,” Hunter said.
A majority on each side is needed to approve the agreement. The NBA needs votes from 15 of 29 owners. (The league owns the New Orleans Hornets.) Stern said the labor committee plans to discuss the agreement later Saturday and expects them to endorse it and recommend to the full board.
The union needs a simple majority of its 430-plus members. That process is a bit more complicated after the players dissolved the union Nov. 14. Now, they must drop their antitrust lawsuit in Minnesota and reform the union before voting on the deal.
Because the union disbanded, a new collective bargaining agreement can only be completed once the union has reformed. Drug testing and other issues still must be negotiated between the league and the players.
“We‘re very pleased we’ve come this far,” Stern said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
The settlement first was reported by CBSSports.com.
Participating in the talks for the league were Stern, deputy commissioner Adam Silver, Spurs owner Peter Holt, the chairman of the labor relations committee, and attorneys Rick Buchanan and Dan Rube. The players were represented by executive director Billy Hunter, president Derek Fisher, vice president Maurice Evans, attorney Ron Klempner and economist Kevin Murphy.
“This was not an easy agreement for anyone. The owners came in having suffered substantial losses and feeling the system wasn’t working fairly across all teams,” Silver said. “I certainly know the players had strong views about expectations in terms of what they should be getting from the system. It required a lot of compromise from both parties’ part, and I think that’s what we saw today.”
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Spyder
Posted on November 28, 2011 at 3:38amI stopped watching Baseball after the last strike and haven’t paid a penny to see a game since. If it’s on TV, I turn the channel.
Report Post »I did the Same to Football this season after all the contract griping and the threat to strike. Haven’t watched a single game all season and skipped out on fantasy football too.
Now the NBA gets a boycott too. No Games, no broadcasts and no Fantasy. I have no need to watch a bunch of pampered babies complain that the millions that they‘re making just isn’t enough. FAIL!!
MUDFLAPS
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 11:07pmI hope the mets win
Report Post »Badger Patriot
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 1:59amA tree fell in the woods and nobody was there to hear it.
I forgot they were not playing.
Report Post »MUDFLAPS
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 10:39pmif I wanted to watch basket ball Id go to the projects.
Report Post »cobra two
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 10:36pmB F D! I don’t give a rats ass about the NBA. Too bad the league didn’t fold all together.
Report Post »How bout that?
BlesstheJews
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 9:12pmWith all those thugs having this extra time on their hands I’ll bet crime and population rose 10%.
Report Post »I Fly Low
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 8:01pmDarn, I hoped we could go one year without watching a tribe of people running around in there under ware chasing a rubber ball making 99% more than they should while our solders are overseas are risking there lives for minimum wage.
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on November 27, 2011 at 12:23amI was hoping for a one year hiatus as well.
Report Post »tckid17
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 7:53pmIt’s about time they came to their senses, both sides. Nobody notices the NBA until after the Superbowl, when there is nothing on cable.
Report Post »Snidely
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 7:07pmThey were on strike?
Report Post »MUDFLAPS
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 5:09pmDont care.
Report Post »jgrant
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 4:12pmYou commenters saying “who cares” are a piece of work. I CARE! If you don’t care then why did click on the link and read this? You have nothing better to do? Get off your high horse. This is very much newsworthy. Thanks for posting the news BLAZE–I heard it here first!!!!
Report Post »Jaimo
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 8:25pmShut up and quite your whining. The NBA has become like pro wrestling, it‘s a complete joke and isn’t the game of skill it used to be before players could take two giant leaps across the court and stuff the ball and then go back and do the same at the other end. Boring, boring crap. Give me some good old 1970-1980′s Boston Celtics, now that was basketball.
I‘ll stick to UCONN women’s basketball, it’s the closest to actual basketball being played today.
Report Post »Tide_Rider_2
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 2:14pmI was hoping the NBA would just go away and never be heard from ever again. Bring on baseball !!!!!!
Report Post »Jezcruzen
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 2:23pmI agree. I had hoped that I could spend most of a year without any news, photos, or escapades of the thugs that make up this “sport”. No Kobes, Tyrones, or stupid islamic names. Oh, well.
Report Post »jgrant
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 3:58pmTide rider you are ignorant. Get a life.
Report Post »jgrant
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 4:07pmTide rider baseball is as boring as watching paint dry. News flash – on average three times as many people watch An NFL REGULAR SEASON game than watched a Baseball WORLD SERIES game this past year. That is a fact. Not sure the stats on basketball viewership but I‘m certain it’s much higher than your baseball.
Report Post »dimitrisokolov
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 1:32pmI don‘t care as I don’t watch the NBA anyway. You can cancel the NBA, the NFL and MLB too. They are all a waste of time.
Report Post »NOBAMA201258
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 2:13pmWho cares, the game has been ghettofied,three steps on dunks and layups,fouls on almost every play,chest thumping self-glorifying millionaires with paternity suits in every other NBA city,I wouldn’t miss it
Report Post »sweetgold
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 2:35pm@ DIMITRISOKOLOV
How about the WSL???
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 1:22pm(Yawn)…really? Tell me more about the NBA…. zzzzzzzzzz
Report Post »tksocal
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 1:15pmI say take the year off and see if we miss them!! GREED on both sides, why don’t they both take a cut so us non-billionaire/millionaires can afford to take the family to the games!
Report Post »noleftturn
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 12:49pm…. the 1% owners and the 1% players; cue OWS, stage left!
Report Post »bbale
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 12:38pmI wouldn’t hold your breath. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Report Post »NotPoliticallyCorrect
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 12:30pmThis is the part where you ask me if I care.
Report Post »Lesterp
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 12:43pmAgreed!
Report Post »dd41
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 12:12pmGreat now we can get back to players going into the stands to beat up fans. Players complaining about the ref’s call. double dribbles, palming the ball, traveling… Dr. Naismith just rolled over.
Report Post »I SPY
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 12:09pmWho cares?..
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 11:57amGreedy unions have their way again, and the public will suffer.
Report Post »RightPolitically
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 11:46amDoes anybody care?
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 12:09pmi could not give a ratsass….
Report Post »Geronimo
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 11:40amTo hell with the greedy players, the agents and the owners. The only thing good is that now the supporting workers can again be employed.
Report Post »tobywil2
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 11:23amThe pro basketball season has been delayed? Somehow I missed that news! http://commonsense21c.com/
Report Post »PATRIOTGRUNT
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 11:19amDoes any ONE CARE ?.!!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on November 26, 2011 at 11:41amNope , haven’t missed it . Just something else to navigate around when trying to find something worth watching . College ball is 1000 times more entertaining.
Report Post »