Chime in: Ka-boom, there goes the NBAPA...

It has been a long day in the NBA labor wars and because of a computer issue earlier in the day, this is my first chance to update the blog.

As you know by now, the NBA players union today chose not to present the league's latest offer to all 450 players for a vote and instead announced it was "disclaiming" its rights as a union rather than decertifying.

The difference?

Disclaiming is a faster process, as in almost right now.

Decertification would have involved a 45 to 60 day window in which the National Labor Relations Board would have set a vote for the union membership to vote on whether it would actually decertify.

This way, the union and its new lawyer -- the hotshot who worked for the NFL in its fight with the players last summer -- could slap an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA in a matter of days, asking perhaps for triple damages and big, big $$$.

Just remember: The NBAPA isn't a union anymore.

Got it?

So when this all going to end?

David Stern today predicted "years" of litigation but today's action doesn't absolutely mean the entire 2011-12 season is history.

Even while the union lawyers proceed in federal court, they still very well could reach an agreement with the NBA on a new labor deal.

Only it'd be newly hired gun David Boies and villain Jeffrey Kessler negotiating and not the boffo trio of Kessler, Billy Hunter and Derek Fisher.

These things always get done, have to, otherwise what's the alternative.

So I still think there's a chance they play this season, although obviously not nearly as good as it was yesterday.

Here's the story I wrote for the front page of Tuesday's paper.

I originally was going to make the story a sort of "Minnesota reacts" piece, so I sent out a tweet asking for emails from fans and those who make their livings from the NBA to speak up.

It became more of a straight news story when it was chosen for the newspaper's 1A front page but here's a sampling of some of the responses I got, some of whom post on this blog:

I'm a Wolves season ticket holder, so have no real stake in this NBA lockout business other than as a fan who loves basketball and chooses to spend disposable income on NBA entertainment. So as we arrive at today's announcement about the NBPA disclaimer, part of me has just wanted to "wait out the storm," hope that things will resolve and get ready for the season (in whatever form) to start. But another part of me is ready to stop giving any more money to Glen Taylor or the entire NBA structure. Although I'm disappointed that the players decided to go the legal route rather than just accept a deal and get the season going, I completely understand why they are going that route and think they have a right to do so. Frankly, I place about 98% of the blame for this situation on the owners -- yes, the players haven't done the best job managing PR, could have done some things better, but realistically it's become clear that there are enough NBA owners who do not care about playing a season and have no interest in actually bargaining in good faith. Every bit of "progress" made thus far has been about the players coming closer to the owners' position rather than vice versa.
As a Wolves fan, I'm especially perturbed by the reports that Glen Taylor is one of the "hardline" owners pushing for a deal that's tougher on players than what's on the table. What gets me is the gall of an owner who has: a) a 100% publicly financed arena (which especially impacts me as a Minneapolis homeowner), b) been willing to spend crazy amounts of money on payroll, regardless of the quality of players, and c) mismanaged his franchise so badly that his team is the running joke of a league that has the Clippers and Donald Sterling. If NBA owners want to make a profit, they should concentrate on doing a good job running their franchises, not taking money from the players. If they're really concerned about "competitive balance," they should realize that there's no actual evidence that spending correlates with winning. And that the bottom line is it's all about drafting well, making smart trades/signings, and hiring quality front office and coaching staffs.

A real revenue sharing program will help even the playing field, but even if Glen Taylor and Donald Sterling are on an equal footing with LA and Chicago, the quality of management will still be a bigger factor in which teams win and lose. Overall, it's just sad that the NBA owners are willing to throw away the season rather than make a couple of token concessions to the players' union. Just doesn't make sense.

From Mark Snyder:

I'm disgusted. As a 11-year season-ticket holder for the Timberwolves, I was more excited about the coming season than I probably have been since the KG era. With the additions of Ricky Rubio, Derrick Williams and Coach Rick Adelman, I thought the Wolves had finally put together the pieces to turn things around. I'm very disappointed that all of the concessions the players made, going from 57% to 50% of BRI, shorter contracts, reduced salary scale, and so forth was not enough for the owners to agree to a deal. I'm not sure I can agree with disbanding the players union, but I certainly understand the players wanting the freedom to choose their employer upon gaining free agency. That's something we should all have.

From Josh Hawes:

I grew up in North Dakota and have moved to Minnesota, then Michigan. I've been a Wolves fanatic since my dad took me to my first game in 1995 (I was 9). I have been an avid subscriber to NBA League pass ever since i have moved out of Minnesota to Michigan (2000) and have never wavered in my passion for the Timberwolves. Even living in "enemy" territory....after all this is Detroit. But this dispute between the NBA and NBAPA has me extremely frustrated. I am seriously thinking about cutting the NBA out of my life for good for the first time. Most people that have had something this engrained in them since they were just a young boy can't just quit something like this. But following this "Drama/Comedy" of a negotiation has me seriously considering it.

From Alex K. Dubois:

I have been a Twolves fan ever since I can remember. There were the exciting years of KG, Terrell Brandon, Trenton Hassel and that crew. And there has also been the hard last few years as well. But I've always been excited to see my wolves balling. This year, probably the most highly anticipated year for the Twolves, and we're fighting over money. This is the hardest thing for me as a fan. To not get to see my team --and especially this team --play because of greed on both sides. I think it's impossible to blame just the players or just the owners. They've had time, a lot of time...I love my Wolves, but this year i don't have any Wolves to love.

From Jim Frenette:

With the union disbanding it will hurt the game for a long time. I don't know who is giving the bad advice the agents or lawyers, but it isn't good advice. I wish they would have taken it to the rank and file at least. If what they want is movement, we will see more of teams like the Heat and that is not good for many small market teams.

I'm a longtime Timberwolves fan. With the news of the lockout earlier today and the possibility of no NBA season at all, I don't think I've ever been more upset about a sporting league.
This hits me hard because I was so excited about the Timberwolves this season. For all the heat they take, they still have a top-15 player in the NBA in Kevin Love, who is only 22 and averaged 20/15 last season. Reports of him this summer becoming even more toned/cutting down weight and he was ready for a monster year.
We've waited two years for Ricky Rubio and he is finally here to play. With Rubio, Wes, Beasley or Williams and Love/Randolph up front that would've been such a fun team to watch. I realize the Wolves won 15 games or so last year, but we got rid of the dead weight aka Kurt Rambis and we finally have a coach that I believe in — Rick Adelman.
Adelman is the perfect coach to combine the talents of Rubio and design an offense around him, while developing the Wolves other young players. I truly believed the Wolves would've been the most improved team in the NBA this season and one of the most entertaining. The news today is devastating and there isn't much hope for an NBA season now, which is heartbreaking as a Timberwolves fan knowing this year the Wolves team could've won back a lot of fans.

That's some of the responses.

I'm sure there's many, many more.

Let's hear 'em...

And just for...well, not fun exactly, but check out the NBAPA's web site now that it's just a mere trade association.