Washington Wizards guard Maurice Evans expects losses on both sides if NBA Lockout lingers on
Maurice Evans, the vice President of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) has believes that no one will be spared if the NBA lockout continues to drag on and the losses will be substantial for both players and the
NBA owners. The Washington Wizards guard was responding to suggestions that players stand to suffer more as games are cancelled.
"The damages that will be suffered will be heavy and devastating on both sides," Evans said while talking to ESPN.
The NBA recently cancelled the first two weeks of regular season, after it had already written off the training camps and pre-season in the previous months. Now, with no breakthrough in sight, there are growing fears that the whole
NBA season could be lost.
Many analysts and NBA officials have suggested that, if this possibility starts to become a reality, the players could start to fold because they will be dealt huge financial losses as pay checks are lost with each passing week.
Evans though dismissed that assertion, saying the players and the owners both will suffer;
In fact, Evans was of the view that the owners actually stand to lose more.
"And frankly speaking, more devastating on (the owners') side. The franchise values losses they'll be absorbing will be massive and they won't be able to recover those. Best-case projection, for a yearlong lockout, you recover
in 2023."
The NBA and the NBPA have been at loggerheads over the formulation of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for over a year now. The previous one expired on July 1st and a lockout has been enforced on the league
since then.
Despite frantic efforts to resolve the differences, a huge gulf still separates the two sides in the 4th month of the NBA lockout. A federal mediator, George Cohen, is now set to oversee talks between NBA owners and
players on Tuesday, October 18.
Evans however has huge expectations from the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) to bring an end to the lockout. NBA and its players both have filed complaints with the board, which has been processing them for quite a while
now. It is believed that the New York office of the NLRB sent recommendations to Washington regarding the matter recently, and Evans expects an outcome shortly’
"The ruling could weigh heavily on these negotiations as it is the only legal verdict that could in fact end the lockout. We do expect to hear from them within the next two weeks."
The NBA Commissioner David Stern meanwhile issued a deadline till Tuesday for resolving the dispute before he cancels more games.
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