David Stern not impressed by NBPA decertification – NBA Lockout Update
NBA Commissioner David Stern has reacted sharply to the players’ union decision of decertification.
The union rejected an ultimatum by Stern to accept the deal he put forward for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and decided to sue the NBA in federal court.
Stern though maintained the offer on the table was no ultimatum, but "a revised proposal which met many of their concerns."
"When you negotiate for 2½ years and finally get to where the parties are ... that's not an ultimatum. That's a proposal that's ready to be voted up or down," Stern said.
The players on the other hand argued that it was exactly and ultimatum and forced their hand for a decertification. Billy Hunter and Derek Fisher, Executive Director and President of the NBPA respectively, had been strong advocates
against disbanding the league, but said they were left with no options after the take it leave it offer by Stern.
In his interview, Stern chose to focus on what the consequences of a decertification would be. The commissioner had offered a deal that he thought was fair to the NBA players and promised that the season would begin in December
if it were accepted.
Now he had to concede the season could be wiped out entirely. He said going down this path would be detrimental to the interests of the players themselves.
"The chances of the season slipping away from us and the players losing that they have worked very hard to achieve ... it's really a tragedy," Stern added.
"They seem h**l-bent on self-destruction and it's very sad," Stern said.
The Commissioner firmly put the blame over the lockout and a now imminent cancellation of the season on the players union. He singled out union’s legal counsel Jeffrey Kessler was special criticism. Stern just recently had a public
feud with Kessler and has called him the single biggest hurdle to a settlement being reached on the negotiating table.
"The union decided in its infinite wisdom that the proposal would not be presented to membership," Stern said. "Obviously, Mr. Kessler got his way and we are about to go into the nuclear winter of the NBA.”
He also took a shot at Billy Hunter, insinuating that the union executive had not served the best interest of NBA players.
"If I were a player ... I would be wondering what it is that Billy Hunter just did."
Commissioner Stern and the NBA had long expected the union to move in this direction and had filed a complaint in this regard with the National Labour Relations Board, which is still pending a judgement. The NBA also filed a suit
in a court in New York to have the lockout declared legal but the judge has so far resisted it.
Tags: