Dwyane Wade plans to take part in future NBA lockout meetings
Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade is looking forward to suiting up for the player-owner meetings soon. The star recently said that he will look to help as much as he can in the discussions over the labour dispute from now on.
There has been a wave of criticism on the star players in NBA; with many believing the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Wade have not played a big enough part in the labour dispute so far. In fact, the many
meeting held this month have mostly consisted of small groups with executives, rather than players, running the show.
The participation of star NBA players would bring some much needed attention to a matter that is getting out of hand very fast. Concerted efforts by the bigger names in the NBA could also increase fan pressure on NBA owners and
Commissioner David Stern to bring some urgency to the table.
Wade however said, while talking to ESPN, that family commitments kept him from being as involved as he would have liked to be.
“I’m glad that the players association and the owners are meeting more. I will be in some more meetings as we go on. But right now, if I was in every meeting that went down, I wouldn’t have time to be a dad or do anything I want
to do. When it’s time for me to step up and they’re ready and they’re serious, then I’m in.” The Heat shooting guard said.
Wade also defended the stance of the National Basketball Players Association on the whole issue. The NBPA has publicly conceded some of the advantages the players had in the previous CBA and want to get a deal done soon. However,
apparently, David Stern and the owners want much more and that is what seems to be causing the delay.
Wade said the players are ready to play whenever they get the chance to; they are not the ones responsible for the lockout,
“We’re in a lockout people, we’re not on strike. The NBA players want to play. We want to be on the court. But we have to do our jobs to make sure that the game continues to move forward.”
Last Friday, the NBA officially cancelled pre season training camps, slated to begin on October 3rd and also the 43 league sanctioned pre-season exhibition games.
A genuine concern for the start of season now hangs over the whole NBA landscape. If the start does get delayed, it would happen for only the second time in the history of the league. The last time it happened, NBA shortened the
season to 50 games.
Both sides would be hoping such drastic action can be avoided this time around.
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