(Image Source: WGMB)
BY JONAH JAVAD
ANCHOR JONAH JOVAD
United they stand...until they don’t. NBA Player’s Association President Derek Fisher hopes to dispel rumors of de-certification with other members of the union by his side.
“We all wanna go back to work. We all wanna do it is what we love to do. And what we’ve been wanting to do since we started playing our first organized basketball game. So at the end of the day that’s our ultimate desire is to start doing that again as soon as possible. But there are certain principles that we must stand on. There are certain facts that are important to getting a fair deal done. And that’s where we stand.”
Ah, but the landscape can change. You might remember, the NFLPA de-certified the union, to strengthen its bargaining position. Will the NBA do the same? Union officials say -- not necessarily. Sports law expert Gabe Feldman points out de-certification does not guarantee an agreement.
"All it is is a leverage shifter, because antitrust litigation is not going to give us a new collective bargaining agreement. The parties have to agree to that themselves.”
These distractions could make it tougher to stand united. But other problems loom as the lockout continues. The News Herald writes things could get ugly for the less fortunate.
“Everyone seems to be forgetting something: Some of the players are close to being broke. They live paycheck-to-paycheck, just like many of us do. When they start losing paychecks — their first check is scheduled for Nov. 15, I'm told — that's when this is going to hit home with the players.”
NBA.com’s David Aldridge says union solidarity may already be crumbling.
“The question of course, Vince, is what happens outside of the room where all the union people are. Do the players that aren’t taking part in these meetings on a weekly basis or on a regular basis, are they as solid behind the union as these guys are?”
Good question. Especially when there are over 400 active players in the league and just 40 came to the last meeting.
