NBA Lockout Rumors: Should NBA Players Just Shut Up and Take Less Money?
It is early December and the 2010-2011 season is starting to blossom. The Heat are coming off an impressive win against the Cavaliers, and the Lakers finally ended their four-game losing streak by blowing away the Sacramento Kings.
Too bad fans and current NBA players may have to take a break from the excitement of NBA basketball, at least for a year.
After paying attention to various sources, it seems positive that the NBA will be heading for a lockout in the 2011-2012 season.
Union Executive Director Bill Hunter described the situation by saying, "We looked at it. We don't necessarily agree with their interpretation of the facts and numbers. Their primary concern is that the percentage of the revenues that the players are receiving is too high under the current economic circumstances."
In all fairness, Hunter has a great point. We all know the current economic situation this country is in. Though many of us live and die to watch this game, players' contracts such as Rashard Lewis (currently being paid $118 million over six years) and Brian Grant of the Miami Heat ($86 million, six years) are simply outrageous.
I don't mind players getting paid large amounts of money, as long as they have either proved themselves worthy of a contract, or you are considered among the top 10 in the league.
The possibility of a lockout has many different perspectives. NBA veteran Brad Miller seems to favor the optimistic look on this whole situation. "I might start planning some hunting trips just in case,'' he said. "Great hunting season, October and November. White tail. Elk. Deer. Everything.''
Spencer Hawes of the Sacramento Kings seemed to give the most realistic and honest of of the players that have given their opinions. "They can try to chip down [our percentage of basketball-related income], but I don't know how much further the guys are willing to go down. They have already gone after a lot of stuff. I can't say what number we'd accept, I don't know where we are with that, but I don't know that the guys are going to be too happy about conceding too much more."
Billy Hunter expects the league to ask the players to reduce their take of basketball-related income from 57 percent to 50 percent.
Though the league is nearing a lockout, the players may not even be the main problem, some teams could fall apart, college prospects may have to wait a year, community business will suffer, and veteran players with limited bodies, such as Kobe, will have to found out if a year off is really a good thing.
You have to look outside the box; not only will players' contracts suffer, but many other aspects of the buisness will suffer as well.
If a lockout occurs, some teams may not survive, considering their current financial situation. Even today, ESPN's Marc Stein said, "The NBA is weighing whether to buy the New Orleans Hornets from longtime owner George Shinn to have greater control over the permanent sale of the franchise, according to sources with knowledge of the league's thinking" in a recent article.
The Hornets and a small group of other teams may end up folding in this horrible financial situation that is the U.S. in 2010.
To be optimistic, it is still six months away. Maybe, just maybe, the NBA can figure a way out of all of this, but the facts and speculations seem very overpowering at this point.
No one put it better than former NBA superstar Patrick Ewing. "Sure, we make a lot of money, but we spend a lot, too.''
That's the reality of most NBA players. Some just don't care, as long as the paycheck is still there. You see someone like Rashard Lewis have a career year, and the next season you completely forget about him. Why? Let's just say the motivation factor just disappeared for no reason....
If some well-paid players could stop complaining about whether they get paid less than LeBron, Kobe, or Durant, the league may not even be in this situation.
As professional athletes, I'd go out on a limb here and say that, you guys are spoiled. I love players like Kobe, Durant, and Wade just as much as the next guy, but sometimes I wish they would be a little more humble.
Whether or not the lockout happens, this situation should send every one of us a message: at the end of the day sports is sports and it's all considered entertainment. But when you are being paid millions of dollars, you shouldn't be complaining about anything, just stop whining and pay attention to your job and do the best that you can.
That is my message to all NBA players and I hope, even if it's just a small group of players, that they would learn from this experience either way, because it will only take a handful of players to receive a pay cut for this NBA lockout to go away.
