Derek Fisher is working hard to make sure there is an NBA season with a fair deal for his players.
On Wednesday, Derek, the President of the National Basketball Players Association, joined Jim Rome on his ESPN show, Jim Rome is Burning, to discuss the current state of the NBPA.
"We’re all in this together, Derek said of the players," working hard to try and get this deal done."
Among the topics Derek hits on include the continued solidarity and unity of the players, how the players have prepared for and are handling the current lockout, the idea of a hard salary cap and the difference between the NBA and NFL lockouts. Watch the full video below:
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I am so glad that millionares have a voice and someone that listens, unfortunatley those non-millionares that work at the stadium and rely on the funds that come in from basketball don’t have a voice. I am glad for unions, but unions were formed to protect people from working twelve hour shifts with no breaks or lunch. From eleven year old kids working in places where death can occur, not for millionares to ask for more. I feel ashamed that I follow a sport of people that are keeping something away from those same people that help players be paid those millions. Very very sad.
Dear Derek,
In general I have been in support of the owners a bit. As a lifelong Laker fan one thing that has worried me was that I wanted the players to maintain some of the soft cap restrictions to give teams like the Lakers a chance to keep competing at the highest level. But when you see David Stern smirking as he is talking about money being taken off the table – I think you guys need to rethink your positioning. The owner’s whole hammer is that they are willing to write the whole season off. What I think you guys need to do is start creating a posture of taking 2 years off. If I were with the players association I would just very quietly withdraw from the negotiations and start drawing up a 2 year plan of barnstorming. You could create 2 levels and have say the top 100 players form 6 or 7 teams. Have your own draft and create a 40 game season. Go to one of the networks that isn’t broadcasting sports and start selling the rights. Maybe have 5 games against European competition and just make your whole focus of surviving for 2 years.
You then could have a 2nd league of lower level players and they would play in the smaller cities. Say each team might play in 3 or 4 cities and you would probably have a fairly easy time selling the tickets. Make it family friendly and sell the rafter tickets for $10 and get the fans on your side. For instance an LA team might play in LA for 15 games OC for 15 games and SD for 10 games.
Anyway, I think you get the idea. But I guarantee you the owners pants will change color if you guys start presenting this as a 2 year ordeal. You have to create pressure on them. Right now they think they have all the leverage.
Tell all college players that they should be forming 2 year plans and just get after it. For instance telling NBA players that are interested in signing abroad that if and agreement is not reached by 12/15 then the 2012 season will be effectively cancelled and that any contracts they sign don’t have to have an out clause because those clauses will not be honored in the new contract.
All their leverage is over the season being cancelled time to get them thinking about the possibility of losing 2 seasons and seeing how that fits their business plan.
Mr. Fisher,
I came up with a solution to make every owner and player agree upon.
I think that the players are receiving 57% of the NBA income and the owners receive 43% of it,correct me if i’m wrong. I think the Players and Owners should agree that the 16 teams that make the playoffs,the players on those teams should receive the 57% for playing hard and earning their pay,and the owners get the 43% that season. I think that on the other teams that didn’t make the playoffs in that season, the players on those teams should accept the 43% and owners get 57% for rebuilding and to get their players to play harder. There isn’t that many great players in Basketball anymore maybe just 13-15 players that are great. so to make more players put the time in to get better, this solution should be contracted for a 5-10 year span. Think about it,and TY for the Great years of Basketball. I’m also an Inventor I have a great way to raise the ratings of televised NBA games also. I have a Players P.O.V. concept,an entire new way to view the game for players and fans, PLEASE? Google or Youtube my name, Terrance E LeFlore and check my video 2on2 out help me out. TY!