NBA agents want full participation of players in the decision over CBA
With the NBA lockout in its 4th month already and negotiations entering a crucial phase, some influential NBA agents have decided to make their voice heard. In a combined letter to their clients, these agents have warned players of the pitfalls, if they hastily agree to a deal with the owners over the new Collective Bargaining Agreement or CBA.
The players, allegedly, are unhappy with their lack of involvement in the negotiations taking place to end the NBA labour dispute as well as the manner in which the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) has handled the matter this far.
These agents include Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports and Entertainment, Leon Rose and Henry Thomas of Creative Artists Agency, Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group; Bill Duffy of BDA Sports; Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management and Dan Fegan of Lagardere Unlimited.
The principle message in their letter seems to be that all NBA players should vote on any new CBA and decisions for them shouldn’t be made by the NBPA only.
Although in the letter, the NBA agents have not mentioned a decertification, it is believed that is the route they wanted players to take right from the start. There is also some criticism of NBPA for bowing down to a number of demands, the owners have made.
The end of the letter makes this point abundantly clear:
“Remember, it is not about when or how fast a deal is reached, it is about taking the time to secure the best deal.”
The letter also urges players to “Participate in the Process and Protect your Individual Right to Bargain”.
The six agents jointly composed the letter, and laid down a number of points that they consider a must in any future CBA deal.
· No further reduction of the percentage of BRI received by the players.
· Maintain existing structure of the Bird and Mid-Level Exceptions.
· No reduction in Maximum Salary from existing levels.
· No reduction in Contract Length from existing levels.
· No changes to Unrestricted Free Agency and improve Restricted Free Agency.
The agents want NBA players to stand their ground and be strong in face of increasing pressure. It is believed that once pay checks are lost, the players could face some trouble in their ranks. The agents though insisted that even though NBA Commissioner David Stern will warn them of severe, doomsday like, consequence for not agreeing to his proposal, they must not cave in.
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