May 19, 2013

Report: NBA Owners Discussing Revenue Sharing

January 25, 2012 by 4 Comments

When the NBA owners and players agreed to end the lock out, I think most people thought that was the end of all talks about competitive balance. However, as it turns out, the owners argued that revenue sharing among owners was an owners issue and not something that needed to be collectively bargained. And now it appears the owners are close to agreeing on a groundbreaking new revenue sharing plan.

From Ball Don’t Lie’s Kelly Dwyer:

And while notions of fairness suggest that revenue sharing should have been discussed in relation to player salaries if owners cared so much about a level playing field, this plan is still pretty significant. As Lombardo notes, the NBA’s previous revenue sharing plan depended almost entirely on the salary’s cap luxury tax. This deal is about total profits, including the local TV contracts that make teams like the Lakers so rich. This new agreement could very well make a major difference in the long-term financial viability of a team like the New Orleans Hornets. The same even goes for a small-market playoff mainstay like the San Antonio Spurs, a franchise likely to see a dip in wins as their best players grow older.

This shouldn’t impact the Cavaliers too much. Sure, getting a share of the TV revenue of the large market teams will be nice and will help infuse even more cash into the franchise, the fact is that spending is not the Cavaliers’ problem. They have the infrastructure to support high salaries and an owner willing to spend. The Cavaliers just need a superstar or two (or three?) to overlook the cold winter and embrace the great franchise and fans that Cleveland has to offer.

[Ball Don't Lie: "A new NBA revenue sharing plan is taking shape"]

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2011 NBA Blogger Previews

November 16, 2011 by 4 Comments

Yes, the timing of this is a little peculiar. Just days after NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that we are in the nuclear winter of the lockout with the Union choosing to file a Disclaimer of Interest, we’re going to post links to a bunch of NBA team previews.

The timing may be strange, but the fact that these previews all went off without a hitch is a testament to the NBA blogging community. A lot of hard work and smart/clever writing went into all/most of these previews, and all that done with no guarantee of a season. So please take a moment and check out the links below and read some of the previews.

We may not have basketball for a very long time, but this serves as a reminder of what we are losing. Once you put all the money aside and all the nonsense about who is right and who is wrong and blah, blah, blah, you can see at the core is a great game that we may very well not see again until 2012. So enjoy these previews as we wait to see what the future holds for the NBA. [Read more...]

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NBA Lockout Update: Splits, Systems, Ultimatums, and Deadlines

November 9, 2011 by 7 Comments

Yesterday I was optimistic.

If you’re the type of person who believes things tend to get worse right before the moment they get better, the standoff between NBA owners and NBA players was looking like it could be on its last legs.

Oh sure, the rhetoric over the last two weeks has been ramping up to new levels. But I took it all to be a good sign. The two sides were both reaching for the last extremes of the fortification of their leverage. All the heavy handed threats, accusations, and talk of mistrust and dishonesty are things you see happening somewhat frequently in negotiations right before compromise is reached.

Now, I’m so sure. Maybe this isn’t about leverage. Perhaps there really is a bunch of ridiculous posturing over one or two cents on every dollar the sport makes. Perhaps both sides are going to continue to throw away an entire season over money. [Read more...]

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Could Amnesty Land Baron Davis in Miami?

November 1, 2011 by 28 Comments

(Editor’s note: The following post resides mostly in the land of hypotheticals. Given the continual unknown surrounding the NBA, it’s really all we have to discuss…)

What if Baron Davis ended up with the Miami Heat?

Late last week, we touched on the updated thoughts surrounding the amnesty clause that is expected to be a part of the upcoming NBA collective bargaining agreement. When, exactly, that agreement actually arrives is a different post for a different time. 

With specific regard to said amnesty clause, the Cavaliers will appear to have two options: remove a player from the payroll figures to the cost of 75 percent of due compensation or hold on to the clause in certificate form, using it to rid the team of a mid-level deal gone awry.  If the team were to use the clause to their advantage now – taking them from the 12th highest payroll to somewhere in the mid-20s with regard to NBA brethren – it is assumed that the team would buy out either Antawn Jamison ($15 million remaining) or Baron Davis (nearly $29 million remaining, $26 million of which is guaranteed).  [Read more...]

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NBA Lockout: Stars Taking Over Negotiations?

October 17, 2011 by 7 Comments

As the NBA lockout continues and heads to mediation this week, there remains few signs of hope for a season. Chris Sheridan links to a profile of George Cohen, the man who will be mediating this mess. Cohen’s agency, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) boasts an 86% success rate in mediation. So there is hope.

But as Henry Abbott points out in a revealing post on his TrueHoop site, there may be even less hope than anyone thought. When the NBA cancelled 2 weeks of the season after missing their last deadline, many felt that this would only drive a wedge deeper in the two sides. As it turns out, not only is that true, but it might not even be half the story of what is really going on. [Read more...]

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NBA Cancels Games, but For What Purpose?

October 11, 2011 by 29 Comments

So it finally happened. For the 2nd time in his reign as Commissioner Supreme of the National Basketball Association, David Stern has cancelled regular season games.

In theory there was an 11th hour Hail Mary negotiating session Monday night in an attempt to leave the regular season unscathed. In reality, the parties talked about fringe issues and never got to work on the main stumbling block, the BRI split.

So it is, then, that if there is an NBA season, 2 weeks worth of games will be lost. David Stern has said that they will continue to lop off games in 2 week increments. So there could still be a partial season. Don’t cross your fingers, though. This standoff is now likely in it for the long haul. [Read more...]

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Blame Game in NBA Lockout Is Beneficial To No One

October 4, 2011 by 10 Comments

Tuesday represents a make or break day for the NBA owners and players, as a serious, legitimate framework of a deal must be reached today in order for there to be a complete NBA season.

If/when a deal isn’t close to being finished by the end of Tuesday, there will begin to be real consequences. The rest of the preseason will surely be cancelled, and with that, the beginning of the season will be gone as well. There may still be time to salvage some portion of the season, but once regular season games are starting to be lost, you have to assume both sides will go to their corners and galvanize into two groups with a renewed steadfastness in their position. At that point, there is nothing left to lose. [Read more...]

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NBA Owners Discuss Hard Cap Alternatives While Regular Season Hangs in the Balance

September 30, 2011 by 7 Comments

The day of reckoning for the NBA is rapidly approaching.

With owners and union officials meeting this week, several concessions were made by owners that gave fans a reason for either optimism or angst, depending on said fans’ desired outcome. However, NBA commissioner David Stern was quick to tell the media not to get too excited, as a deal was far from being close.

Stern went on to then say that the sides would meet again Friday in New York to “see whether they can either have a season or not have a season”. This gave the impression to most observers that Stern was essentially saying if momentum toward an agreement was not made this weekend that the league would just cancel the whole season now. [Read more...]

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NBA Lockout: Delonte West Finally Lands a Job

September 29, 2011 by 7 Comments

Though the alleged run with Home Depot didn’t go as planned, former Cavaliers guard Delonte West has found himself some gainful, stateside employment as a stock boy for Regency Furniture.

The DC-based furniture store will provide West with some time-killing, money-making opportunities – allowing the veteran shooting guard to “stay afloat durin the lockout” –  thanks to his willingnes to work full-time as well as on weekends.  The fact that he’s a local NBA player may have also played a part given the entire top half of his application was not completed.

However, the pièce de résistance of the entire application, which was tweeted out late Wednesday evening and can be seen to the right, were West’s reasoning for being convicted of a crime, a “Misunderstanding,” and his first day of availabilty, “Yesterday.”

How can you not miss this guy?

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NBA Owners Budge, Give Up on Hard Cap Stance

September 28, 2011 by 14 Comments

As the NBA lockout creeps past 90 days and counting, the league has already experienced the loss of the start of training camp and at minimum half the preseason. As the shades on the window of hope draw ever more to a close, many have resigned themselves to the misery of a winter without NBA basketball.

But perhaps not all hope is lost just yet. For fans who were unwilling to sacrifice one winter in exchange for a system of parity and equality, hope was renewed Tuesday in negotiations between the owners and the NBA Players Association.

According to Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA owners have budged from their stance of stern insistence on a hard cap system. Instead, they made a proposal that would keep the current soft cap in place, with some modifications aimed at replicating the effects of a hard cap. [Read more...]

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Dan Gilbert Back On the Forbes 400 List

September 22, 2011 by 2 Comments

Forbes Magazine released their list of the 400 wealthiest Americans this week, and a familiar name to Cleveland sports fans made a return to the list.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert, founder of Quicken Loans, made the list for the first time since 2007. With an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion, Gilbert is 293rd on the list.

In addition to founding Quicken Loans and owning the Cleveland Cavaliers, Gilbert also owns the rights to two yet-to-be-built casinos in Ohio. Gilbert also owns a number of smaller start up companies such as Fathead and is active in real estate in Michigan. [Read more...]

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Dan Gilbert Fires Back at the Sports Guy…Kind of

September 16, 2011 by 31 Comments

Dan Gilbert’s name is in the headlines once again.  Fourteen months after his scorched earth letter about the “self-proclaimed chosen one,” the majority owner of the Clevleand Cavaliers is allegedly one of the few NBA owners who is providing divide amongst the ongoing labor impasse.  And much like the media circus that allowed him to defend his emotionally fueled email to fans, Gilbert is once again firing back at those attempting to disparage his name.

[Read more...]

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Dear Professional Football…

September 8, 2011 by 5 Comments

It is really good to have you back.  It was unfortunate that we had to witness your “near breakup” played out in public over the last year.  Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast.

Sure, some people found enjoyment in it, I guess.  Some news outlets thought it was fun to pretend like we wouldn’t have you this year as if you would ever leave that much money on the table.

And lawyers?  Let’s just say that this year’s lockout was making it rain for many a man making hefty hourly sums.  But now that your square, billionaire posturing and the jokey “will work for food” signs have been put away, it is time for you to prove your worth. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Browns Tagged With: , , ,

Dan Gilbert Among Owners Holding Hard Line Stance in NBA Negotiations

September 8, 2011 by 19 Comments

As the days begin to shorten and the weather feels more like fall every day, this should be a time to enjoy the start of football while gearing up for another season of NBA basketball. Well, fans can enjoy football still, but there’s no NBA basketball to be found at this point in time.

As the lockout continues to drag on, it’s only fair for fans to not only feel nervous about the prospects of losing out on an entire season, but also for them to question what exactly is going on with negotiations. After spending much of the summer acting like a couple of cliques of spoiled children in lieu of actually holding meaningful discussions in hopes of finding resolution, the players and owners are finally beginning to feel the urgency and holding real negotiation sessions. [Read more...]

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Should NFL Players Support Manning, Brees, Jackson and Mankins?

July 21, 2011 by 10 Comments

Yesterday I said that I didn’t feel like talking about the NFL and their lawsuits.  Apparently that was just a fleeting feeling yesterday.  This morning I read a column by Jason Cole at Yahoo! lambasting NFL players like Vikings punter Chris Kluwe who referred to the players in the title of this article as “#douchebags” on Twitter.  We don’t normally roll with language like that on this family-friendly site, but it is kind of important to the story.  A member of the union lashing out at some of the highest profile players who attached their names to a lawsuit in order to represent fellow players went from heroes to – you know – that.

There is no doubt that in a situation like this from a pure negotiating standpoint it would always be best to have a unified front as a union.  Even though this union “decertified” themselves, it has been clear all along that they have been mostly unified.  Then all of a sudden as the CBA seemed to be on the verge of getting a unanimous thumbs up, the lawsuit that players signed on to in order to increase leverage and bargaining power has now, apparently been classified as an individual power and money grab.

Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Vincent Jackson, and Logan Mankins were apparently (maybe?) looking for immunity from the franchise tag, unrestricted free agency and / or a financial settlement rumored to be $10 million.  If I sound wishy washy in that last sentence it is because I am unsure if any of these rumors are true.  Almost universally, it seems that everyone from media to players found this to be distasteful and counter-productive to getting a deal done.  Except Jason Cole at Yahoo! apparently. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Browns, General Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

NFL Free Agency: Who Should the Browns Bring Back?

July 20, 2011 by 8 Comments

As there appears to be a light at the end of the NFL lockout tunnel, the Cleveland Browns will be one of 32 teams forced to hit the ground running in the proposed altered schedule of league affairs.

Assuming all goes as planned, the Browns will have a three-day window (starting next Monday) to exclusively deal with their own free agents. Rife with gaping holes in many positions – specifically those considered “skill” – the Browns newly constructed team of coaches will join forces with the year-old front office regime to see just who will be back in the Orange and Brown once the curtain is lifted.

Rick has already laid out what should be the first priority for all things contract, but with the obvious aside, who among the current crop of Browns free agents should be given another run with the rebuilding franchise? [Read more...]

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Colt McCoy: Motivated By Detractors, Shoulder Feels Good

July 16, 2011 by 3 Comments

Colt McCoy made an appearance on ESPN 850 WKNR this past Thursday, and if you missed any of that, a few highlights are posted below.  Shouts out to Chris Fedor for writing it all down and sending it over to the Sports Radio Interviews crew too by the way. 

If I ran a radio station, this would be something I’d require as a “best practice”, but that’s neither here nor there.  The point is, Colt is fired up, ready to go, and looking forward to getting into this West Coast Offense whenever the lockout is indeed lifted.  

A couple notes from the twittersphere as far as when that might be are included below as well as a heads up.  But first, from McCoy’s appearance on WKNR this week.

On if he is motivated by the nationally low expectations for him heading into next season: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Browns Tagged With: , , ,

NBA Reportedly Proposing Franchise Player System Into New CBA

May 11, 2011 by 14 Comments

Over the last couple weeks we’ve been focusing pretty heavily on the NBA offseason. Even though the NBA postseason is currently going, it’s abundantly clear that most Cleveland sports fans don’t care. Furthermore, this is a Cleveland sports site, and since the Cleveland based NBA franchise didn’t get to partake in the playoffs this year, it means it’s time for us to focus on the offseason.

Of course, there is still that dark cloud looming over the sport that could not only threaten the 2011-12 NBA season, but could also render all this talk about the offseason irrelevant. I’m referring, of course, to the forthcoming NBA lockout. There’s already been some talk about matters such as decertification and legal system settlement, which leads me to believe the NBA players might consider using the NFL lockout as a guide.

However, there seems to be a little more optimism with respect to the NBA labor situation vs the NFL’s, and so the hope is that things can get settled and we can enjoy another year of basketball without having to wait until 2012 to do so. [Read more...]

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NFL Players Association Asking Too Much of Undrafted Players

March 15, 2011 by 18 Comments

Labor disputes are never pretty. We knew that when the NFL Players Association decertified in an attempt to preempt any potential lockout that this process was going to become long and ugly. The problem with these kind of disputes is that often times there are a lot of innocent bystanders who get hurt in the process.

I’m not just talking about the fans, although they certainly are being unfairly asked to watch these two entities whine in public about how to split billions of dollars. I’m not talking about the run of the mill people who are employed by the teams, whether it be ushers, ticket salespeople, secretaries, etc, who potentially face job insecurity if there’s no football this fall. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Browns, NFL Draft Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Collective Bargaining Sure To Impact Cavaliers Rebuilding Process

October 5, 2010 by 14 Comments

As most of you know by now, the NFL isn’t the only sport facing the danger of a lockout on the horizon. With the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire on June 30, 2011, and both sides still far away from finding common ground, there’s still a good chance we see the NBA locked out at the start of the 2011-12 season.

Though there are many issues to be considered in the negotiations, the two main issues at the heart of the disagreement between players and owners are what percentage of the Basketball Related Income (BRI) should go to the players vs the owners, and whether the salary cap should be a hard cap or a soft cap. [Read more...]

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