NBA Lockout: Decertifying Union an Empty Threat, but Could It Bring Progress?
The NBPA is now contemplating an unthinkable move at this point during the lockout: decertification.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, approximately 50 "disgruntled" NBA players were on a conference call together with a "top antitrust attorney" to broach the possibility of decertifying the Players Association.
Suddenly, "Stand United," "United We Stand," or any other mantra the NBPA has used during this process looks incredibly empty.
Wojnarowski details that several All-Stars were involved on the phone call, including: Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade, Jason Kidd, Blake Griffin, Al Horford and Tyson Chandler.
"The players, frustrated with the deal union officials have been negotiating, held a call on Tuesday to discuss the state of labor talks with the NBA, and explored their options on Thursday with the antitrust attorney, sources said.
"
This scenario can be described with a single phrase: it's an all-out desperation play to gain any sort of leverage.
The idea of decertification had originally been discussed back in July, but NBPA Executive Director Billy Hunter dismissed it as something he wasn't interested in pursuing.
Now in November, the timing simply makes no sense.
The players have every right to be frustrated by the negotiating process.
Many feel that they have already offered more than enough concessions to the owners on a number of different issues, and while that's certainly understandable, it doesn't mean that decertification will bring them any closer to their ultimate goal—getting back on the court.
Let's be clear: it's not beneficial to either side to miss an entire season.
Just like when some hard-line owners alluded to the idea that a campaign may have to be wiped from the books in order to achieve progress, the players' union dissolving itself in the hopes of marching toward their ultimate goal is the wrong approach to take.
For a side that has stressed unity and togetherness throughout, a faction from within may very well be ready to go the nuclear route and blow this entire thing out of the water.
A perfect storm could very well be brewing, and not in a good way.
The Boston Herald reports that the negotiations are expected to include a larger group than those who have been present at recent meetings, and players beyond the executive committee are expected to attend.
Every time that has happened heretofore throughout this, it has not been indicative of any sort of measurable success.
It could mean that logic finally pervades the discussion and common sense is utilized to hammer out the road to a deal, but it could also mean that things go all the way back to square one and we're even further from seeing a 2011-12 NBA season.
Alan Hahn of Newsday breaks down exactly what decertification would represent.
"But to make this move (decertification) now would be like taking a poison pill for the 2011-12 season. With so many legal maneuvers necessary to complete the process, on top of the league's own litigation against the union, the battle would be moved from the negotiating table to the courts. And the sides have made too much progress toward an agreement to just simply give up now.
"
And as he says, there is a single deal to be made for both the players and owners at this point.
"So as you read through and enjoy all of the well-written, earnestly-reported accounts of the mayhem and drama surrounding this masquerade, understand this: if there is going to be any kind of season in 2011-12, it'll be with a 51-49 BRI split.
"
That's the deal for the owners to make. That's the deal for the players to take.
There have been empty threats coming from both sides, and after each agreed to stop posturing its stance through the media, that tactic has become disgustingly rampant once again.
But could the threats be a precursor to actual progress being made?
Let's hope so.
Fans are growing increasingly distant from the game, and that's a negative impact of this lockout that neither side can continue to ignore.
