NBPA Union President Derek Fisher sent a letter to the players explaining the latest in the labor negotiations. As he expected, the letter leaked. So he knew he’d be addressing everyone when he put the blame for Tuesday’s breakdown squarely on the owners.
What actually happened in those meetings was discussion, brainstorming and a sharing of options by both sides. The turning point this past Tuesday was not a disagreement between the players and the owners. It was actually a fundamental divide between the owners internally. They could not agree with each other on specific points of the deal and therefore it caused conflict within the league and its owners.
So it is our hope that today, Thursday, at the owners meeting in Dallas that they work out their differences, come up with a revenue sharing plan that will protect their teams and are then ready to come together and sign off on the agreement we as a smaller group deemed reasonable.
There were grumblings on the web over the past couple of days that owner in-fighting would be the players’ characterization of the talks. And, quite honestly, it’s believable. It’s not necessarily “big market owner” vs. “small market owner.” Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck has been characterized as a hawk of the lockout. And today, a story detailing Lakers owner Jerry Buss’ acceptance of a hard cap and revenue sharing raised a few eyebrows.
But there are owners who want certain things and other owners who are willing to bend a little more quickly. And you can say what you want about player egos, but we’re dealing with mega-millionaires (and some billionaires) who all are pretty used to running their own shows and being quite successful at it… so there’s some butting of heads to be expected there.
Of course, this is Fisher addressing his players, so there’s bound to be some exaggeration as well. Like he said in the letter (follow that link at the top to read the whole thing), he knew this was getting out as he wrote it. He knew how to word this to make sure the message was sent.
Fisher also addressed the agents who are pushing hard for decertification:
Decertification seems to be a hot button issue today in the media. So I’d like to address it. I’ve read yesterday’s stories and find the position of these agents interesting. I have made myself available to each and every agent. But not once have I heard from them. If they are so concerned about the direction of the union, then why have they not contacted me? Each and every one of them mentioned has been in meetings with me. I’ve answered their questions, I’ve been told they support you, their players and our Players Association. So if there is a genuine concern, a suggestion, a question, call me. Email me. Text me. I’m working tirelessly each and every day on behalf of the over 400 players that they represent. Working for nothing but the best interests of THEIR guys. I don’t make a commission, I don’t make a salary for serving as President. I have NO ulterior motives. None.
It is because they have not come to me once that I question their motives.
Agents make their money off of players, and players don’t get any money if they don’t play. So agents, by proxy, are locked out too. And agents are going to go at this like agents do: with a lot of aggression and threats. Just like when negotiating a player’s salary, an agent will threaten to walk or put pressure on an owner or GM by going to the press.
Plus, agents who are out there in the press at a time like this looking like they’re tirelessly working on their clients’ behalf make themselves look good to players who may be wavering about their agent (I’m looking at you, Rodney Stuckey). If you’re the guy that’s out there in a lockout pushing for this and that and making yourself look like you’re fighting, you put yourself in line to get new clients. It’s as simple as that.
I’m not saying decertification isn’t a good idea. But it’s clearly not something the NBPA wants to consider at the moment. This isn’t the NFL. The structures, the stakes, the issues and so much more was different there. To say the NBPA should take the same approach as the NFLPA is short-sighted and doesn’t take into account any of what is, and was, at stake in both lockouts.
Fisher is urging unity from his players at a critical time of this process. If he’s able to keep the agents at bay and the players unified, he can keep the pressure on the owners and maybe get them to negotiate amongst themselves before finally negotiating with the players. If that can happen, then we’ll see the owners back off more quickly than we thought, and maybe reach a resolution sooner rather than later.
