Charles Barkley says NBA Owners are to blame for the Lockout – NBA Update
NBA legend Charles Barkley has put the blame for the continuing NBA lockout squarely on the shoulders of NBA owners.
The firebrand player turned TV analyst said in no uncertain words that the owner’s greed was destroying any hopes he had of the NBA season being salvaged.
“Well I’m kind of mad at the owners’ right not to be honest with you, because I think the owners are just trying to crush the guys. The players have made so many concessions, and it’s like, is that not enough?” Barkley said in
an interview published by Sports Radio Interviews.
Barkley had predicted earlier that there would not be an NBA season for 2011-2012 because of the labour dispute. The former Phoenix Suns star was of the view that NBA owners have set demands too high for the players to meet; therefore
it didn’t look likely that new Collective Bargaining Agreement would be in place in time to save the season.
To his surprise though, the National Basketball Players Association has made concession after concession in the NBA labour negotiations to the point that it seemed inevitable that a breakthrough would be achieved. However, while
the players were setting aside their personal interests for the larger benefit of the game, NBA owners and David Stern appeared consumed by unending greed.
They brought the players down from a 57 percent share of the Basketball Related Income (BRI) to just 50 percent, which would amount for around $3 billion in 10 years time. Still owners refused to give anything back to the players,
which Barkley, along with many other observers, found pretty incredulous.
“I try to explain to a normal person, okay, so the players went from 57 [percent] to 50 …. Each one of those points is worth $300 million dollars; each one of those points is worth $300 million dollars.” Barkley exclaimed.
Despite the sacrifices by NBA players, Commissioner Stern gave them a take it or leave it deal around two weeks ago, saying his offer would become even worse as the time passes. To top it off, Stern categorically refused to hold
more talks with the players union.
Finally, the players decided enough is enough. They rejected the offer, disclaimed the union and filed antitrust lawsuits against the owners in separate federal courts. That move seems to have knocked some sense into owners who
are now hankering for new negotiations to start again, and Charles believes they have just themselves to blame for the mess they have created.
“So it’s not like the players aren’t trying to make…it’s not like they’re not sacrificing anything….and I think the owners want even more, and I think they’re just trying to beat them to death right now.”
If the owners lose the cases, they will have to pay over $6 billion to players in damages.
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