SB Nation Boston - NBA Lockout 2011: Owners, Players Reach Tentative CBA Agreement

NBA Lockout 2011: Players Reportedly Settle Antitrust Lawsuit

2011-11-30T19:14:49Z

NBA players and owners have reached a tentative agreement to end the league's lockout, but a few more obstacles must be crossed before the lockout officially ends.

The latest step came Tuesday night, reports Zach Lowe, when the players came to an agreement to settle their antitrust lawsuits against the NBA. The players still must reform the union, which was dissolved when the players association filed a disclaimer of interest, in order to hold a vote that would ratify the new collective bargaining agreement. Players have already received cards to reform the union.

A vote is expected to take place sometime next week, after which training camps and free agency would theoretically open on Dec. 9. The antitrust lawsuit settlement is not very exciting, but it's a step that needed to be taken before the process of ending the NBA lockout can be completed.

For Boston Celtics coverage, visit our team page, or our blog CelticsBlog.

NBA Lockout 2011: Celtics To Face Knicks On Christmas Day?

2011-11-26T16:44:21Z

The Boston Celtics were originally scheduled to face the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day, and with the NBA Lockout tentatively being lifted on Saturday, it appears that will be the C's season opener.

However, there is no definitive word as to whether or not the NBA will keep the current schedule intact, with commissioner David Stern telling reporters that the season will open on Dec. 25 with a triple-header, but not indicating which teams will play. But with the Celtics being one of the league's marquee franchises, it seems likely they would be one of the six teams.

Boston faced New York eight times last season, with four regular season meetings and four games in the opening round of the playoffs. The Celtics won all eight games, including a sweep of the Knicks in the postseason.

For more NBA Lockout coverage, visit SB Nation and follow our StoryStream.

NBA Lockout Ends: What We Learned From NBA's 149-Day Work Stoppage

2011-11-26T15:59:16Z

It's over. It's finally over. It took far, far too long, but what's done is done. Thankfully, there is basketball once more.

The NBA owners and players reached a tentative agreement on a new CBA, pending official approval, that would bring the 149-day NBA Lockout to a grinding halt. This news comes after the players dissolved the union and league commissioner David Stern said the NBA was headed for a "nuclear winter."

Now, that's a thing of the past, or at least it will be upon the official agreement.

In order for the lockout to officially end, both sides need a majority vote. The owners need 15 of the 29 owners to approve the deal, as the New Orleans Hornets are owned by the NBA. On the players' end, they need the majority of their 430-plus members to approve the deal.

Considering the circumstances (and missed paychecks), all of that shouldn't be an issue.

But while NBA basketball will return to us in the form of a 66-game season starting on Christmas Day, the events of the past four-plus months can't simply be forgotten, and we learned a lot about the true makeup of owners and players.

First and foremost, we learned something that shouldn't be entirely surprising to anyone - greed outweighs all. Sure, the owners and players eventually came together to give fans what they had wanted all along, but not before both sides pushed for as much money as they could. NBA owners began by trying to gouge players of every cent possible, and then NBAPA director Billy Hunter and president Derek Fisher fought to preserve the wealth of the league's wealthiest.

Also, we learned that, regardless of the league's popularity last season, not all fans are willing to come back. Even on Saturday, when the end of the lockout was reported, it was met with a general shrugging of shoulders from casual fans. It's simple really - people don't look favorable upon billionaires fighting with millionaires in any circumstance, and that will likely cost the NBA in terms of immediate popularity.

Of course, the loyal fans will come right back, but it will take time to recapture the interest of those the NBA lost in the last lockout and in the post-Jordan and post-Bird days, when some fans stopped watching entirely. When it looked like the sport was going away for an entire year, many were content to focus their energy elsewhere - the NFL, NHL and college basketball being particular destinations. In short, it isn't easy to win fan support when your sport isn't there.

So even though the two sides ultimately worked out a deal - one that reportedly features a 49-51 split of basketball related income in favore of the owners - neither side deserves to be portrayed in a positive light. They were both greedy and both put their own well being ahead of that of their product, and more importantly, the fans.

NBA Lockout Over: Owners, Players Reach Tentative CBA Agreement

2011-11-26T12:47:28Z

At long last, the NBA Lockout may be over. David Stern and Billy Hunter announced that the owners and players of the National Basketball Association have reached a tentative agreement on a Collective Bargaining Agreement, pending official approval of the players and litigators.

The announcement was made at 3:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday morning after more than 15 hours of negotiations between the players and owners. Under the new agreement, the NBA schedule would begin on Christmas Day with a triple header.

Stern had said there would not be a full season under any circumstances, and also said that this season - which has already been eaten into by the lockout - will have 66 games played per team. Players have reportedly agreed to accept a 49-51 split of basketball related income, but specifics of the deal have not been released.

For more NBA Lockout coverage, visit SB Nation and follow our StoryStream.

NBA Lockout 2011: Derek Fisher Rejoins Labor Talks, Deal Possible

2011-11-25T16:03:46Z

The President of the Player's Association – Lakers guard Derek Fisher – will be in New York Friday to rejoin talks of possible deal to end the NBA Lockout. Games have already been canceled into December and anti-trust lawsuits have been filed, but a shortened season is still in the realm of possibility. If a deal is reached this weekend a 66-game season would being on Christmas Day. Marc Stein of ESPN has the scoop:

NBA commissioner David Stern has said on numerous occasions that the league needs a month after the sides shake hands to put a new labor deal in writing and allow for a compressed training camp and free-agency period before the regular season begins.

Some players still question whether resumed negotiations are really a last-ditch effort to save the season, or a ploy by NBA Commissioner David Stern, to gain leverage in the anti-trust lawsuit.

For more NBA Lockout coverage, visit SB Nation and follow our StoryStream.

NBA Lockout 2011: Negotiations Reportedly Resume

2011-11-23T19:55:38Z

Representatives for NBA owners and players have resumed talks to save the NBA's slate of Christmas games, Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday.

The negotiations reportedly began on Tuesday and continued Wednesday. One league source told Wojnarowski more would be known about the negotiations later on Wednesday.

Wojnarowski noted on Twitter that Derek Fisher, president of the players association that dissolved after filing a disclaimer of interest, is not participating in the discussions. Gabriel Feldman, a sports law professor at the University of Tulane, told the Orlando Sentinel that it could be ruled an unfair labor practice if Fisher continues to be involved in negotiations on behalf of the players after the dissolving of the union. Because he is technically part of the NBA players' legal representation, Billy Hunter can still remain involved in the discussions.

The NBA lockout continues in its fifth month. The players, led by lawyer David Boies, have filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA.

-- For more on the lockout, visit our StoryStream.

NBA Lockout 2011: With No Basketball In Sight, Time For Fans To Hit The Books

2011-11-21T15:46:41Z

Let's get one thing clear: we're all hoping that the NBA owners and players can put on their good-boy negotiation hats and resolve the NBA Lockout in time to save a small portion of the season, but really, we all know that's not going to happen.

It's certainly sad, but there is a silver lining in the midst of this.

What is it, you ask? There's now time for learning! With about three hours each night freed up thanks to a lack of NBA games, all of us fans now have a chance to do something that would advance each and every one of us - learn about the history of the sport we love so dearly. I'm taking some of that advice, as I have embarked upon a year-plus journey learning about and detailing the complete history of the Boston Celtics - the greatest franchise that has ever existed.

Join me, would you? Go to your local library or book store and pick up some books about basketball. Take them home with you and just absorb everything you can. It doesn't have to be about the Celtics, although their history is quite intriguing. It doesn't matter if it's the Phoenix Suns, the Seattle Sonics or even the Chicago Stags! Read, learn and enjoy!

Remember, they can take basketball from us now, but they can not take away its rich history.

Go, my friends, and enrich yourself in basketball lore.

For more NBA Lockout coverage, visit SB Nation and follow our StoryStream.

NBA Lockout Update: Players File Two Class-Action Antitrust Lawsuits Against The NBA

2011-11-16T03:22:39Z

If you can't beat 'em, sue 'em.

Locked-out NBA players, who claim the league is violating antitrust laws by not allowing them to work, filed class-action antitrust lawsuits to combat the stoppage on Tuesday in California and Minnesota.

Named as plaintiffs in the "Golden State" suit are Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Kevin Durant, Leon Powe, Kawhi Leonard while the "North Star State" is repped by Caron Butler, Ben Gordon, Anthony Tolliver and Derrick Williams.

From players' attorney David Boies (via ESPN):

"If you're in a poker game, and you run a bluff, and the bluff works, you're a hero. If someone calls your bluff, you lose. I think the owners overplayed their hand. They did a terrific job of taking a very hard line and pushing the players to make concession after concession after concession, but greed is not only a terrible thing -- it's a dangerous thing."

The NBA has reportedly canceled all games through Dec. 15, effectively eliminating 324 contests from the 2011-12 season. And as league spokesman Tim Frank explains, the players followed through on their ultimatum:

"We haven't seen Mr. Boies complaint yet but it's a shame that the players have chosen to litigate instead of negotiate. They warned us from the early days of these negotiations that they would sue us if we didn't satisfy them at the bargaining table, and they appear to have followed through on their threats."

Now they're headed to court, which means this one is going to get worse before it gets better.

For more on the 2011 NBA lockout click here.