Think positive
With commissioner pessimistic, players still optimistic
Posted: Saturday December 19, 1998 11:31 PM
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While Patrick Ewing (left) and Charles Barkley prepare for their charity game, many players feel the lockout will be resolved soon AP |
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (AP) -- In this town, everybody thinks
everybody else is a bluffer. It was no different Saturday with a bunch of
NBA players around.
Remaining steadfast in their belief that there will be a settlement that
ends the NBA lockout and saves the season, the players said commissioner
David Stern's threat of no basketball was as weak as a $5 chip at a $100
blackjack table.
"Everyone wants to make it seem like a false sense of security on the
players' behalf," said Karl Malone, one
of 16 current and former All-Stars who played in a charity exhibition game
at the Convention Center Saturday night. "I think it will end in the next
week. Sometimes when it's Christmas, you're in a giving mood. We've been
doing it all summer; maybe it's their turn now."
Nearly all the players involved in the charity game were veterans and
millionaires who are set for life financially. Consequently, their optimism
might not be a reflection of the feelings among the broader population of
locked out NBA players.
Still, as they offered reassurances, they seemed genuine in their belief
that it would be too risky for the owners to imperil the value of their
franchises by scrapping an entire season. There has been talk that a rival
league would be formed and the NBA would never recover.
"My man went on vacation, so obviously he's not too worried about it," Charles
Barkley said in reference to Stern's much-publicized holiday trip to
Aspen, Colorado.
"This is about money, a lot of money. The owners are greedy and the
players are greedy. I can sympathize with both. I don't care about either
one of them. I just want it to get resolved because it's not good for the
game of basketball."
"If he wants to do it, do it. If he cancels the season, he cancels the
season," Gary
Payton said sarcastically. "He's going to hurt himself and he's going
to hurt us and the fans will be hurt, so that would be crazy."
NBA spokesman Chris Brienza said Stern was expected to leave New York
Saturday but would be able to return within a few hours if necessary.
Deputy commissioner Russ Granik said there was no news to report.
Brienza also said no undue significance should be attached to Stern's
statement Friday that the cancellation of the season was "virtually
inevitable."
"It's nothing different," Brienza said. "You could go back to his
comments after the last full negotiating session [December 3] when he said
it was more probable than not that the season won't be played."
Union director Billy Hunter also dismissed the statement.
"It's no different from what he has been saying," Hunter said. "And my
position hasn't changed. We are prepared to compromise and we are prepared
to negotiate."
The first 2 1/2 months of the season already have been lost and a deal
needs to be reached soon in order to save the season. The opposing sides
are fighting over the rules for dividing about $2 billion in annual
revenue.
"I think we can still save the season," Penny Hardaway said. "There might
not be a lot of fans there, but we can save enough."
Saturday marked one week since the last time the sides met, a session at
which the union said it would accept an absolute limit on the amount of
salary that could be paid to any player with less than seven years'
experience. The owners want a high-end limit on all players.
"I was not aware that [the union] was going to do that," said agent David
Falk, who has been accused by Stern of being an impediment to a settlement,
"but it puts totally to rest the absurd notion that this is an argument
about protecting the top players. I think it shows Billy Hunter's sincere
desire to stretch to get a deal."
Falk said the principle economic factor to look at was franchise values,
not profits.
Putting so much equity at risk just to improve profits by a few million
dollars is foolish, Falk said.
Canceling the season "clearly is not inevitable," Falk said. "It's a
voluntary choice he will make at some time, but there's no economic
justification for closing down the system."
Falk said the threat of a new league should not be dismissed.
"There are a lot of wealthy people who like challenges and would like to
own an NBA team but can't," he said. "But if virtually the entire league
were free agents, it's not a question of whether I'd want to start a new
league. Someone like a [Rupert] Murdoch or a Disney or CBS or ABC, a lot of
entities might look at this as 'If they give it to me, I might as well take
a look.'"
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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