Players Becoming Antsy As Lockout Drags On

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

                                   December 3, 1998

                              As talks resume, NBA players are
                                      becoming antsy
   
                                     By Stephen A. Smith
                                    INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
    
                       Aaron McKie has thought about playing overseas.
                       Mark Davis considers it an option. And if the
                       NBA lockout continues to drag on, Marc Jackson
                       will certainly play another season in Europe.
      
                       As the National Basketball Players Association
                       prepares to meet with league officials for a
                       full bargaining session today in New York, it
                       will carry the baggage of anxiety into
                       negotiations that have reached Day 156.
      
                       "I'll definitely go overseas if the season is
                       cancelled," said Jackson, a former Temple star
                       who played in Turkey last season after being
                       picked in the second round of the 1997 NBA draft
                       by Golden State. "My agent is already looking
                       into it. I've got more toys to get. I've got to
                       make money for myself and my family. What other
                       choice do I have?"
      
                       More than a few players believe that their
                       choices are dwindling with every passing day.
      
                       FIBA, the sport's world governing body, may have
                       changed that yesterday, agreeing in principle to
                       allow an unlimited number of pros to play for
                       each European team beginning next season.
                       Previous rules stipulated that only two American
                       players were allowed per European team. But that
                       doesn't help the players now.

                       They already missed two paychecks (Nov. 15 and
                       Dec. 1). Two more (Dec. 15 and Jan. 1) will
                       likely be missed, as well, since it appears
                       there won't be a season until the New Year. And
                       players are feeling the pinch.

                       Families and bills are being mentioned now more
                       than ever. Players like Washington Wizards guard
                       Tim Legler are speaking out against the union.
                       Former union president Isiah Thomas has
                       suggested that Billy Hunter, the NBPA's
                       executive director, and Patrick Ewing, the
                       union's president, may have to be replaced to
                       get a deal done. Nick Van Exel, the veteran
                       point guard recently acquired by the Denver
                       Nuggets, has suggested that the union should
                       sign an agreement.

                       "Do [ a deal ] for three years and just come
                       back and do what they did with us," Van Exel
                       told KRIV-TV in Houston. "If we don't like the
                       agreement in three years, we'll just lock them
                       out."

                       Perhaps these cracks in the union prompted
                       Hunter to call commissioner David Stern and
                       schedule a session. It will be the first meeting
                       since Nov. 20, when the sides met for 9[Image]
                       hours, calling it their most productive meeting
                       since the league-imposed lockout began on July
                       1.

                       Both sides have decided to throw out agreements
                       made that day to facilitate today's
                       get-together.

                       Now the owners are back to asking for a 50-50
                       split of basketball related income, instead of
                       settling for a 47-percent share. And the players
                       are back to seeking 60 percent instead of
                       settling for a 57-percent share.

                       "See, that's what I'm talking about," said
                       McKie, who had two years remaining on his
                       contract with the 76ers, scheduled to pay him
                       $1.43 million this year. "That's why I'd have to
                       consider playing elsewhere. I mean, I've got to
                       make money somewhere.

                       "What I'm trying to do is understand how it all
                       works, or what I'm jeopardizing by going
                       overseas. I'm under contract. So I don't know.
                       But I'm going to weigh my options, that's for
                       sure."

                       Others like Cuttino Mobley, a local product and
                       former Rhode Island standout, drafted No. 41
                       overall by the Houston Rockets in June, doesn't
                       feel that he has any real option until matters
                       become official.

                       "I'll strongly consider going overseas if the
                       season is canceled," Mobley said. "But I'm not
                       anxious to go.

                       "I loved Houston when I was down there. They
                       made me feel at home. I just hope everything
                       gets resolved. I've been working hard and
                       dreaming of playing in the NBA. That's all
                       that's on my mind at the moment."
                       For that to happen, an agreement would have to
                       be reached soon. Nine weeks of the season has
                       already been canceled. And over $330 million in
                       player salaries will never be recouped.

                       "It's about making a deal that works for us, as
                       well as the NBA," said Sixers free-agent center
                       Theo Ratliff. "But in order for that to happen,
                       the NBA has to make the move. They're holding
                       the cards."

                           ©1998 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.