Shadow on the Game
Posted: Tuesday October 20, 1998 05:58 PM
By Phil Taylor
Groundhog day arrived for the NBA on Monday, when arbitrator John Feerick
at long last poked his head out of hibernation and ruled that the 226
players with guaranteed contracts aren't entitled to be paid during the
owners' lockout. This almost certainly means that the relationship between
management and labor is in for several more weeks of winter, and most of
that time will probably remind fans of the film Groundhog
Day—every day will be identical to the one before, with each side
criticizing the other for not submitting a realistic proposal.
With the first two weeks of the season having already been canceled,
Feerick's ruling seemed to have removed any chance of resolving the dispute
before more games have to be excised. If Feerick had decided that the
players were entitled to their salaries, commissioner David Stern and the
owners would have had more incentive to soften their demand for a
loophole-free salary cap and bring the lockout to a quick end. Instead,
they now have more reason to be patient as they wait for the players to
feel the economic pinch. As even San Antonio's Avery Johnson
admitted on Monday, "The owners are kind of sitting pretty now. They
feel they have all the power in their hands."
Stern didn't wait long after the ruling to apply pressure himself, not so
subtly encouraging the players to challenge players' association executive
director Billy Hunter. "This union leadership has stymied us,"
Stern said.
For its part, the union acted quickly to prevent cracks in its members'
resolve. Two players said they had been called by their team's player rep
within minutes after the ruling to urge them not to be discouraged. Hunter
insisted that Feerick's decision would not shake the union and said that no
league proposal has been compelling enough to bring to the reps.
The owners' dream scenario is for the players, who are scheduled to meet in
Las Vegas this week, to be so devastated by Feerick's ruling and the
prospect of no income that they cave in and accept a deal that would put a
hard cap in place. But there seems little chance of that happening for at
least several weeks. "We didn't wait it out this long just to cave in
now," said one player. "At some point your competitive nature
kicks in, and you decide that you're just not going to let the owners
win."
The owners will win, however. The only question is how decisive
their victory will be and how much of the season—and the fans'
goodwill—it will cost them. Both sides had better bundle up. The
climate is going to get even colder before the thaw.
Issue date: October 26, 1998
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