Is NBA lockout on the horizon?

[MavsFanFinley]

Is NBA lockout on the horizon?

By Art Garcia
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS - The "L" word could be on the NBA horizon.

The collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and its players expires in less than six months, and unless significant negotiating progress is made, the league is facing its second lockout in eight seasons.

Players' union executive director Billy Hunter met with Mavericks players Friday, updating them on the owners' current proposal and the status of negotiations. The root of the potential impasse is the ownership stance of a "hard" salary cap and a rollback on guaranteed contracts.

Hunter didn't hold back when asked his position on a rigid cap that would remove many of the current loopholes. The current cap is approximately $43 million, but a number of salary exceptions exist. Mavs owner Mark Cuban has a payroll of $90 million.

"When they talk about cost certainty, they're talking about a hard cap," Hunter said of the owners. "They know to mention 'hard cap' to me is repugnant. Don't even come at me like that.

"But if you analyze their proposal, if you conceded on most of the things they asking for, you'd be backing yourself into a hard cap. ... Whether you're out front with it and say you want a hard cap or you're trying to get it indirectly, a hard cap won't work."

As for a cutback on guaranteed contracts, Hunter said: "That's worse than a hard cap."

He added that the union is proposing a one-year reduction in the length of guaranteed contracts, though the two sides remain "some distance apart."

The Mavs' player representative is Alan Henderson, with rookie Devin Harris serving as the alternate. Veteran center Shawn Bradley has kept close tabs on the situation and is resigned to the likelihood of another lockout. The owners used that strategy before the 1998-99 season, which was delayed until January, when a compressed 50-game schedule began.

"I don't know if it is inevitable, but I know it's very likely just because there is a lot of impasse right now," Bradley said. "It's not to the point of where [the NHL] is."

For the last couple of years, the players' association has begun to build an emergency fund similar to that in other pro sports, using a portion of the players' licensing revenue. Because of the relatively small size of the fund, Bradley said it's "more of a bargaining chip" in negotiations than a long-term money stream for players.

Bradley said a hard cap wouldn't be necessary if owners could govern themselves. Only three teams are below the salary cap, and the current average player's salary is $4 million. Only the New York Knicks have a higher payroll than the Mavs.

"Does Cuban trust Cuban with his money? It makes sense for them," Bradley said of a hard cap. "[The owners] can't trust each other; obviously that's why they want a hard cap. But the players' association is like, 'Why can't they be more disciplined?' "

Hunter is to meet with NBA commissioner David Stern and select owners next week.

"Your strategy has to include everything," Hunter said. "We've got 5 1/2 months to get an agreement, and if we don't get it, I'm sure that one can expect that there will be a lockout."

Bradley tried to put the looming labor problems in perspective.

"It's unfortunate this whole situation is like this," he said. "You look at what's going on in the world here today, especially in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean area. Hockey, basketball, this stuff doesn't matter. We're fighting over stuff that's just ridiculous to fight over."