Players Can't win Battle Against Owners- Dana Barros Quoted

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

   Published on November 29, 1998                        
                                                         
   Players can't win this battle against owners             

      * Breakdowns in the union and 'freezing-out' tactics by owners
        don't give players much of a chance in this continuing labor
        dispute

   IT'S OVER. THE players have lost.

   After all, you can't win a game if you can't even get in the game.

   And that's what has happened as the owner-imposed lockout reaches for
   December. Commissioner David Stern and NBA owners have done to the
   union what Eastern Conference All-Stars did to Shaquille O'Neal at
   the 1993 All-Star Game. It's called freezing-out. How else do you
   explain the league's latest maneuver of canceling Saturday's
   scheduled meeting?

   The union, of course, didn't do itself any favors by telling the
   league on Wednesday it hadn't agreed to the framework for the escrow
   tax, what had been considered significant progress coming out of last
   week's meeting.

   Regardless, whether it was an honest miscommunication or calculated
   bargaining strategy by the union, the NBA's response to cancel a
   planned meeting was borderline petty. Its demand to refuse to meet
   again until the union agrees to preconditions is even more egregious.

   But you know what? It doesn't matter. Cue the chant: "It's all over."
   Or how about that old arena standby, "Na na na na, na na na na, hey,
   hey, hey … Good-bye."

   The league is hammering the players in the public-relations war, the
   owners know it and the players can't do anything about it. The
   argument goes something like this: "Kenny Anderson's got eight cars,
   screw the players."

   Cracks in the union have appeared. Union chief Billy Hunter is
   practically begging to negotiate. And still, nothing.

   Why? Because the owners have no interest in winning this fight by
   decision. They won't even settle for a knockout. No, they're going
   for something more like the sleeper-hold. Not once has Stern uttered
   the sports commissioner's typical refrain during labor strife, the
   one about coming together "in the best interest of the game."

   Listen to any players' comments these days and they'll go something
   like this: "The two sides just have to sit down in a room for however
   long it takes and get something done."

   Hunter isn't stupid. He knows his membership is past the antsy stage.
   But what can he do? He's a blue-chip deal-maker who isn't being
   allowed to negotiate himself into the same conference room with
   Stern. The NBA has the ball, and they've taken it and gone home.

   They'll come back and play when the union is so weak that it won't
   even be able to put up a fight. Fans can only hope it will be before
   next season.

   OWNING UP TO THE COMMUNITY: The owners' reluctance to negotiate
   notwithstanding, it's time to give credit to Chris Cohan, the
   Warriors owner. Cohan and his wife, Angela, participated in the
   team's holiday caravan Monday, providing hot meals for those in need
   of one around the Bay Area.

   But that's only a small part of the story. Warriors offices were
   closed Monday because every member of the organization (except
   locked-out players, of course) was required to spend the day doing
   community service work.

   Cohan is committed to the Warriors H.O.O.P. (Helping Out Other
   People) Program and since its inception the franchise has made sure
   every employee -- both full and part time -- makes a commitment to
   volunteer work.

   DREXLER SOARING AGAIN: After a two-point win over Texas in the
   University of Houston's nationally televised opener, the Cougars lost
   to Rice and, earlier this week with the legendary former coach Guy
   Lewis watching, fell 67-63 at home to lowly Sam Houston State, a team
   that hadn't beaten Houston since 1960.

   Does that mean former NBA All-Star and first-year Cougars coach Clyde
   Drexler's job is in jeopardy? Not exactly.

   One look at attendance figures assures that the length of Drexler's
   tenure at his alma mater will be decided by only him.

   The average home attendance last season was 2,838, with about 1,200
   season tickets. This year, Houston has sold out its season ticket
   package of about 6,800; about 250 courtside seats at $1,000 per
   season; and 23 newly created suites in the upper bowl of Hofheinz
   Pavilion on three-year leases at $15,000 per year.

   "You can't buy a damn ticket," said Lewis, 76, who attends every home
   game. "One guy is responsible for that -- Clyde Drexler. The program
   had just about died on the vine, and Clyde has single-handedly
   revived it."

   THE BONUS: Don't believe the players are showing signs of weakness?
   Here's Celtics guard Dana Barros: "I don't even want to get into all
   the issues with collective bargaining. It's crazy, but I guess
   sometimes things have to get done. But I'm like everybody else. I
   just want it to get settled. I just look at it that you only get to
   play basketball for so long, and to waste a year is ridiculous." …
   Mavericks general manager Don Nelson released Mark Aguirre from his
   adviser/player personnel position last week. … Rockets center Hakeem
   Olajuwon on how he would settle the lockout: "We need an impartial
   third party. Take it to the Supreme Court; that is what we do in this
   country, right? And let them decide. And whatever is fair, we will
   live by that."

   THE BOTTOM LINE: Bulls free agent guard Steve Kerr on NBC replacing
   its Christmas Day basketball doubleheader with "It's a Wonderful
   Life":

   "That's rather ironic because isn't that the movie where the Jimmy
   Stewart character loses all his money?" Kerr said. "Doesn't he become
   so frustrated that he ends up deciding to jump off a bridge? Well,
   I'm not ready to jump yet."


                         © 1998 Contra Costa Times