Monday afternoon, the National Basketball Players Association simply explained that the collective bargaining process had completely broken down; thus the imminent reality that there will be no NBA season for 2011-2012, has become much more evident.
There are a series of aspects of the new CBA to consider when trying to understand this whole mess, but here are the main arguments as to why the players said fuck off:
- In the last CBA, players received 57% of Basketball Related-Income (BRI), and the owners 43%. The current offer from the owners was a 50-50 split of BRI.
- Previously, in regards to contract length, it was six years for players with Bird rights (the ability for a club to sign its own free agent for more money and more years than other clubs) and five years for other players. The current negotiations offered by the owners was five years for players with bird rights and four years for other players.
- In terms of annual raises, the last CBA offered a 10.5% increase for players with Bird rights and 8% for other players; as only 6.5% for players with Bird rights and 3.5% for other players was offered by the owners in their current negotiations.
Though to most, it seems like both sides are incredibly greedy; it is evident that the division of BRI, maximum length of player contracts and annual raises tend to be the 3 major issues, separating the two parties. With that said, the owners are clearly trying to make a massive leap in negotiations, in comparison to the last CBA. Further, after these last series of negotiations, it is clear that the players have chosen the route of litigation over negotiations to determine the next steps for the NBA's return. Welcome the courts... just not the basketball courts unfortunately.
There are a series of aspects of the new CBA to consider when trying to understand this whole mess, but here are the main arguments as to why the players said fuck off:
- In the last CBA, players received 57% of Basketball Related-Income (BRI), and the owners 43%. The current offer from the owners was a 50-50 split of BRI.
- Previously, in regards to contract length, it was six years for players with Bird rights (the ability for a club to sign its own free agent for more money and more years than other clubs) and five years for other players. The current negotiations offered by the owners was five years for players with bird rights and four years for other players.
- In terms of annual raises, the last CBA offered a 10.5% increase for players with Bird rights and 8% for other players; as only 6.5% for players with Bird rights and 3.5% for other players was offered by the owners in their current negotiations.
Though to most, it seems like both sides are incredibly greedy; it is evident that the division of BRI, maximum length of player contracts and annual raises tend to be the 3 major issues, separating the two parties. With that said, the owners are clearly trying to make a massive leap in negotiations, in comparison to the last CBA. Further, after these last series of negotiations, it is clear that the players have chosen the route of litigation over negotiations to determine the next steps for the NBA's return. Welcome the courts... just not the basketball courts unfortunately.
Check the video (ESPN business analyst Andrew Brandt):
