NBA Commissioner David Stern set to meet FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann – Basketball News
With the National Basketball Association (NBA) lockout underway, certain issues have surfaced in the basketball world. This has resulted in the coming together of National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Commissioner David Stern and International Basketball Association’s (FIBA) Secretary General Patrick Baumann, who are to meet each other this week.
The core purpose of the meeting, or at least what it is portrayed to be, is the 2014 World Championships and not the lockout drama itself. Although the lockout issue is not at the forefront of this dialogue, it seems to be indirectly related to the concerns at hand.
The main concern seems to be stemming from the insurance policy of NBA with regards to international players. The National team, NBA and FIBA are currently engaged in an agreement whereby all three parties are each supposed to pay one third of the total cost of insurance of the national players of team USA.
Due to the lockout, however, the NBA is not keen on covering these costs.
This has prompted Baumann to meet with Stern and discuss this issue at length, as Baumann does not want it to jeopardize the upcoming 2012 London Olympics and the subsequent 2014 World Championships. With the Olympic qualifiers right around the corner, the meeting hopes to establish certain guidelines aimed at conducting a flawless route to the 2012 London Olympics.
It is expected that a plan will also be devised on how to handle NBA players who are seeking job prospects abroad. Since the lockout was announced on 1st July, players like Marcin Gortat and Deron Williams have already made foreign moves. Others such as Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant are also reportedly undergoing negotiations.
The meeting is of a symbiotic nature, as both parties have concerns that require immediate resolution. Stern is expected to seek some sort of help regarding the fact that NBA players are moving to the European and Asian leagues at a fast pace.
Although the NBA has repeatedly claimed that it will not intervene in the case a player decides to move abroad, the current situation is a bit of a muddle and requires immediate resolution. FIBA is expected to play a direct role in this regard.
However, it is anticipated that the lockout issue itself will not be tackled. That is a concern primarily related to the NBA as it an independent organization and does not fall under the jurisdiction of FIBA. The NBA has always lent full support to FIBA both physically and financially and Stern and Baumann both share a warm relationship.
The meeting is expected to yield positive and immediate results in favour of both the NBA and FIBA.
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