Orlando Magic players not optimistic about the next NBA season
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is currently in lockout situation on a labour dispute between with the Players Association and the NBA owners. Both, the player union and the league owners failed to sign on the new Collective
Bargaining Agreement (CBA) till July 1st, and the lockout which started then is only days away from entering its fourth month.
The two main clauses – hard salary cap and share of the Basketball Related Income (BRI) - are still lingering and there is no hope that the issue will be resolved any time soon.
This is left an air of uncertainty and the Orlando Magic players are not an exception. Their team representative in the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Chris Duhon recently spoke to the media and gave his own perspective
about the work stoppage and the ongoing talks between the NBPA and the owners.
“Obviously, there's a standstill going on, and there's major points that we're not going to give up on, and there's major points that the owners are not going to give up on, the good thing is that now we're actually trying to communicate.
Now, there's communication. Obviously, the time is getting shorter and shorter, and nobody wants to miss games. So now we're communicating a little bit, at the end, we've got to know that the players, we're prepared. We've been prepared for two years. We've
been prepared for two years to sit out a year or maybe two.”
Chris Duhon has been a very active member of NBPA in union meetings. Last Thursday, he was present at the Union meeting which was held in the Las Vegas. Along with many, the rest of the Orlando Magic players are also not optimistic
on the current lockout. Magic guard J.J. Redick also spoke in the media and stated as he too does not think as this lockout will be lifted from the players soon.
"My opinion doesn't mean a whole lot, but no, I don't think so," he said.
"I am realistic. I think the reality is it's going to be a little while longer. If that 'little while' is six weeks, eight weeks, 10 weeks, I don't know. But I'm definitely thinking that we're going to get a deal done."
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