Today Is The Newest Deadline For The NBA

With training camps and the first week of preseason games already affected by the ongoing NBA lockout, today’s labor negotiations between the players and owners has, for some strange reason, been labeled the decisive meeting. I say it’s strange because the lockout has been going on since July 1 and yet the players and owners have seemed like finding a solution is the least of their worries, what with their inability to schedule daily meetings and act like they actually give a crap about us fans.

Regardless, here we stand, broken-hearted, we give a damn, but the agents just farted. Actually, the top NBA player agents sent a letter to the players that could very well undermine the best efforts of the players union and executive director Billy Hunter, therefore destroying our hopes for any season at all, but I really wanted to rhyme.

In the letter, agents encouraged players to “fight for what is important.” That included:

•No further reduction of the percentage of BRI received by the players.

•Maintain existing structure of the Bird and mid-level exceptions.

•No reduction in maximum salary from existing levels.

•No reduction in contract length from existing levels.

•No changes to unrestricted free agency and improve restricted free agency.

It ended, “Remember, it is not about when or how fast a deal is reached, it is about taking the time to secure the best deal.”

(Via USA Today)

The agents really, really, REALLY want the players union to decertify. Basically, the agents are trying their hardest to make sure that the players don’t accept what most of us would call a mutually beneficial deal with the owners, and keep the pressure on to get all of the owners’ demands like shortened mid-level contracts and a hard cap thrown away, because the agents need to be able to milk the players for all the money they can.

You see, this isn’t about what us fans want. It’s about making sure that Dwyane Wade gets the $50 million a year that he thinks he deserves and making sure his agent gets his 10%. Because they have families to feed lobster.

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