Baron Davis still hopeful about the next NBA season
Cleveland Cavaliers star Baron Davis has said in an interview that he still believes the NBA season 2011-2012 can be salvaged.
The point guard was optimistic that a solution to the labour dispute will soon be found before it ravages the entire season.
"I'm optimistic. I'm very optimistic that there will be a season," he told 710 ESPN's John Ireland and Mychal Thompson. "You've just got to keep hoping, and just keep waiting patiently, and I think that both sides will figure it
out."
However ground realities seem contrary to Baron’s beliefs. The NBA lockout began on July 1st after a year of negotiations failed to build consensus among NBA owners and players over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Since the lockout began, the two sides have negotiated on and off with great seriousness but a resolution doesn’t seem any nearer.
In fact, the NBA has cancelled 45 days of the regular season along with training camps and a pre-season. Last Monday the National Basketball Players Association rejected an ultimatum by the NBA Commissioner David Stern, who had
called for players to take the current NBA proposal before it was replaced with a harsher one.
Since Stern refused to hold any more talks, the players were left with no option but to file two separate antitrust lawsuits against the owners. There is still a bleak possibility that a settlement could be reached outside court,
but there are no reports of talks going on between players and owners.
When asked if there were any, Davis said he didn’t know.
"I'm not really privy to that knowledge, and if I was, I wouldn't tell you," he said.
Without a settlement, the court cases could go on for months, meaning the entire NBA season would be wiped out. In fact, lawyers are of the view that a significant part of the next season could also be eaten up before the courts
release a verdict, which can always be appealed against.
David at the moment doesn’t want to think about such doomsday scenarios. He is concerned at having no basketball around anymore and can only hope that things will soon change.
"Basketball is something we've done all our lives," Davis said. "It's like an every-day routine, and to not have an opportunity to be on the court and be around your friends, it's disheartening."
The NBA owners have not released much to the media since the filing of lawsuits against them, although their legal team has termed the charges “baseless”. If the NBA were to lose the cases, they would have to pay around $6 billion
as the players have filed for treble charges.
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