On Day 137 of the NBA lockout, we’re left with this: Thing don’t look good for the 2011-12 NBA season. Just moments ago, the NBPA announced that they have filed a disclaimer of interest, essentially dissolving the union, after unanimously deciding to turn down the NBA’s latest offer. According to Billy Hunter, an anti-trust lawsuit will likely be filed in the next 48 hours against the NBA.
Here’s a few things:
– According to Larry Coon, the difference between a disclaimer of interest and decertification is that in a decertification the players vote to dissolve the union, while in a disclaimer of interest the union removes itself as the bargaining unit for the players.
– From this point forward, Derek Fisher has said that players will decline talking to the media about the lockout.
– The NBPA will now become a trade association.
– Players in attendance included Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Chauncey Billups, and Carlos Boozer.
– David Stern: “We’re about to go into the nuclear winter of the NBA.”
– Stern just issued the following statement:
“At a bargaining session in February 2010, Jeffrey Kessler, counsel for the union, threatened that the players would abandon the collective bargaining process and start an antitrust lawsuit against our teams if they did not get a bargaining resolution that was acceptable to them.
“In anticipation of this day, the NBA filed an unfair labor practice charge before the National Labor Relations Board asserting that, by virtue of its continued threats, the union was not bargaining in good faith. We also began a litigation in federal court in anticipation of this same bargaining tactic.
“The NBA has negotiated in good faith throughout the collective bargaining process, but — because our revised bargaining proposal was not to its liking – the union has decided to make good on Mr. Kessler’s threat.
“There will ultimately be a new collective bargaining agreement, but the 2011-12 season is now in jeopardy.”
We’ll have much more info for you as this story unfolds, but we wanted to get your first reaction here. Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.
