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| (TMZ) Derek's face says it all. |
Now the frustration is really starting to set in.
After last night's meeting between the NBA and NBAPA, in which federal mediator George Cohen returned to the conversation, the owners offered the players a deal. Cohen got creative with the two sides and combined their views on the issues to try and make the proposal as fair as possible to both parties. For the BRI, the offer contained a system where the players have an opportunity to earn up to 51% if revenue meets a certain number, but also allows them to drop to 49%. David Stern has said that if the players do not accept the deal by Wednesday, the owners will drop their prior offer and return to the stricter stance that they started with, which is 47% BRI and a flex cap.
This whole circus will stop soon, one way or the other. If the players do not accept the deal by Wednesday, which all signs are pointing to them not doing, then the threat of decertification that they tossed around earlier in the week will become very real. If the union is decertified, it will mark the beginning of a long, tedious, grueling legal battle that would almost ensure the entire season's cancellation.
I think it's safe to say that fan's disgust with the league is at an all time high. This is exactly what the NBA needed to avoid.
This "negotiation" has gone wrong right from the start. It's not too late to fix it, but very soon, it will be.
