(Image Source: Orlando Sentinel)
BY KAVEH KAGHAZI
ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO
One hundred and one days and counting for the NBA lockout. Monday’s deadline to reach a deal is nearly here, and the buzzer is about to sound on NBA players and owners. So what’s holding things up? Money, of course.
Players earned 57 percent of the revenue during the last collective bargaining agreement. But Editor-in-Chief at SheridanHoops.com, Chris Sheridan tells CineSport players will have to give up a lot this time around.
“Eventually they’re gonna have to split the money. And right now the owners are offering the players 50 percent of revenues. The players are asking for 53 percent. Somewhere in between 50 and 53 is the magic number and in a negotiation the money is often the very very last thing you agree on.”
But according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, neither side even attempted to discuss revenue-sharing during Sunday night’s meeting. That’s led many to believe the two sides will fail to reach a deal before Commissioner David Stern’s Monday deadline.
“The NBA’s owners and players met for five and a half hours Sunday night here at the Lowell Hotel in Manhattan. And for all the talk about the 50-50 split of basketball-related income, sources tell me that they did not discuss BRI at all tonight.”
Stern says he will cancel the first two weeks of the NBA season if a deal is not reached. A writer from AOL’s Sporting News says no matter how hard they try, the players will not win this battle.
“The players’ livelihoods are still at stake, though… They’re going to lose something. They’ll lose it now or lose it later. Unfortunately for them, despite their resilience and unity, their only choice left is when they’ll lose it, and how much.”
Is there a side to blame in this mess? Back to ESPN, Jeff MacGregor says, absolutely. He says the owners have forgotten exactly how much their players mean to them.
“…between the lines of all this basketball madness is just another example of the nitwit superrich expecting their employees and/or the government and/or the general public to bail them out.”
A shortened NBA campaign could spell big problems for owners, players, and, more importantly, fans. NBA.com’s David Aldridge says all the lockout talk has fans angry and on the verge of giving up on the season.
“So either the owners will have to pay the players more than they want, or the players will have to give back more than they want, because there's no more time. The start of the season dies today otherwise, and with it, the hopes of a lot of fans.”
According to ESPN, the drop from 57 percent to 53 percent of earned revenue could end up costing the players more than $120 million dollars.
