Steve Bullpet Explains The Owners Latest Proposal

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

Bulpett notes Antoine can make $84 million with the Celtics on a
seven-year deal.

                  Boston Herald
                  Stern checks in with players
                  by Steve Bulpett

                  Friday, December 18, 1998

                  NBA commissioner David Stern executed a Union Bypass, as
                  players received the league's latest proposal by messenger
                  yesterday.

                  The move, designed to avoid the union's leadership and
                  take the word directly to the rank and file, is clearly an
                  attempt to gather support for the owners' stance and force
                  a vote among players.

                  The fact the numbers look quite appetizing will presumably
                  add fuel to a situation in which players missed yet
                  another paycheck Tuesday. But it remains to be seen
                  whether the action by the league will further inflame a
                  leadership that has already gotten into heated arguments
                  with Stern and his fellow negotiators.

                  ``As the 1998-99 season slips away from us, it is critical
                  that I communicate directly to you the owners' current
                  collective bargaining proposals,'' Stern said to the
                  players in his cover letter as part of a nine-page message
                  complete with charts and graphs.

                  ``I recognize and respect your right to reject these
                  proposals. However, it is important that there be no doubt
                  about the precise terms you consider to be such a `bad
                  deal' that you would prefer to lose the entire season.''

                  Much of what was detailed thereafter has already been put
                  forth to the union leaders. Among the key changes is a
                  move in the yearly allowable raise from 10 percent to 12.5
                  percent on contracts in the Larry Bird Exception (which
                  allows teams to go over the cap to keep their own free
                  agents) and from 5 percent to 7.5 percent on all other
                  contracts.

                  As noted in a Wednesday Herald item on the Celtics'
                  Antoine Walker, the NBA is still seeking to categorize
                  players in three groups for the purpose of calculating
                  Bird contracts - 0-6 years, 7-9 years and 10-plus years.
                  But Walker would be getting a raise of more than $1
                  million a year from the last league offer.

                  If the current proposal is accepted, Walker would be able
                  to receive as much as $84,218,750 over the seven-year life
                  of a free agent contract from the Celtics. His yearly
                  average would be $12,031,250. If Walker were to sign
                  elsewhere, he would be limited to what that team could
                  offer under the cap.

                  While the offer on the table would clearly affect players
                  looking to make their first big score, the NBA attempts to
                  grandfather in those already making big money (hello, Mr.
                  Jordan) by noting that they can take the maximum as
                  measured by the chart or 105 percent of their prior
                  salary. That means Jordan could still make $30-something
                  million if he decides to play again rather than the $12.2
                  million starting point for those in his experience
                  category next year. (It would be $12 million for the
                  current season, but that's based on an 82-game schedule.)

                  The key points the league gets across to the players is
                  that a.) there will not be a hard salary cap; b.) the Bird
                  Exception will remain; c.) the timing rules will remain;
                  and d.) the escrow system will be limited.

                  The first is an affirmation that teams will again be
                  allowed to go over the cap, while the owners' initial
                  proposal of eliminating the Bird rule was seen by the
                  union as a deal breaker.

                  In the so-called timing issue, the league originally
                  sought to prevent teams from signing free agents before
                  addressing their own free agents and going over the cap to
                  keep them. It has backed off that concept.

                  On point four, the NBA is no longer seeking an unlimited
                  amount to be withheld from player contracts and paid back
                  to teams if the overall percentage paid in salaries
                  exceeds the agreed-to figure.

                  The operative question now is whether the union's rank and
                  file, knowing the numbers, will continue to hold out in an
                  effort to assure the elite players can continue to seek
                  even more astronomical salaries than those being offered.