Some bickering in the ranks
Posted: Friday January 01, 1999 09:17 PM
I recently spoke with a couple of players on the union's negotiating
committee and they told me they expect to have a deal in principle done by
next week.
They said the union has not yet accepted David Stern's "final offer"
because they feel the owners will still sweeten the deal a little more.
That's why the player's union is making a counter proposal and making such
a public showing of standing firm and being unified.
However, that stance is in sharp contrast to what I'm hearing.
Several players have told me the grumbling within the union continues to
grow. Much of it is aimed directly at its own its executive committee
headed by Patrick Ewing.
Especially after it voted 19-to-nothing to not allow the 400 or so players
in the union to vote on the owners' latest proposal.
The Nets' Jayson
Williams has spoken out. He said the union should be allowed to have a
secret ballot on the deal and suggested it would pass as is.
Another player I spoke with echoed that sentiment. He said over half of
his teammates wanted to vote on the deal now and presumably would accept
it.
Also, a lot of younger players are getting antsy. Many of them are still
tied to their rookie contracts, and they're struggling with money concerns.
Every time they try to speak out, they feel like the big money players are
shooting them down and their agents are keeping them quiet.
Older players are also getting nervous and for good reason. I spoke with
Denver Nuggets head
coach Mike D'Antoni and he feels that many marginal veterans will be in a
tough situation if the season is cancelled. Teams will come back next year
with four rookies -- two from last year's draft and two from this year.
Plus, there will be a lot of free agents. That could leave the older
players out in the cold.
When a deal is finally reached, there will be plenty of fences to mend and
animosity to overcome -- not only between the owners and players, but also
among the players themselves. Alex English, an eight-time All-Star
with the Denver Nuggets, is the NBA analyst for CNN/SI, the 24-hour sports
news network from CNN and Sports Illustrated. Be sure to catch English on
CNN/SI.
| Related information |
| Multimedia |
 Click here for the latest audio and video
|
| Search our site | Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day |
|
|
Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI. |
| 
