John Riordan, New York
THE NBA stepped back from the brink in the early hours of Saturday morning, thrashing out a new labour deal that could potentially save the 2011-12 season.
Although the marathon meeting in New York produced just a spoken agreement which will have to be finessed in the coming days and then put to the players for a vote, It does appear that a shortened 66-game season (down from 82) will start on Christmas Day, ending the second-longest lockout in the history of the sport.
As had been predicted, the various team owners have succeeded in splitting the revenue with the players at roughly half and half whereas it had been 57% in favour of the players during the previous collective bargaining agreement.
However, the owners did back down on certain other demands which proved unpalatable to the players, including a reduction of the minimum salary and a decrease in the first year of rookie contracts by 12%.
As part of the machinations of what has been a complex and fraught negotiation period, the players union had disbanded and 14 of the bigger names had brought a case against the NBA, an antitrust suit. They will now withdraw that suit, reform the union and put the deal in front of over 440 players who will then vote, possibly in the coming week.
The new agreement, if finalised, will last ten years but either party can choose to opt out after six years. The players will lose out on over 225m euros a year, well over E2bn over the life of the agreement.
The deal was reached about 3am on Saturday, New York time on what was the 149th day of the lockout, after a final 15-hour bargaining session.
“We’ve reached a tentative understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations,” the league’s commissioner, David Stern, said. “But we’re optimistic that that will all come to pass, and that the NBA season will begin on Christmas Day.”
It is expected that pre-season training and free agency will begin simultaneously on December 9, giving teams two weeks to prepare, similar to the experience of the NFL which has led to a chaotic and exciting season.
The three games are likely to be - as scheduled - the NY Knicks at home to the Boston Celtics, followed by a repeat of last season’s finale, the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat before the Chicago Bulls visit the Los Angeles Lakers.
“For myself, it’s great to be a part of this particular moment, in terms of giving our fans what it is that they so badly wanted and want to see,” said Derek Fisher, president of the players union.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/ihElq9aoxYU/post.aspx
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