Phil Taylor: Lockout Prolonged By Feerick's Decision

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

                  [NBA Labor Talks]
                  CNNSI
                  Shadow on the Game

                  Posted: Tuesday 
                  October 20, 1998
                  05:58 PM

                  By Phil Taylor

                  Groundhog day arrived for the NBA on
                  Monday, when arbitrator John Feerick
                  at long last poked his head out of hibernation and ruled
                  that the 226 players with guaranteed contracts aren't
                  entitled to be paid during the owners' lockout. This
                  almost certainly means that the relationship between
                  management and labor is in for several more weeks of
                  winter, and most of that time will probably remind fans
                  of the film Groundhog Day every day will be identical to
                  the one before, with each side criticizing the other for
                  not submitting a realistic proposal.

                  With the first two weeks of the season having already
                  been canceled, Feerick's ruling seemed to have removed
                  any chance of resolving the dispute before more games
                  have to be excised. If Feerick had decided that the
                  players were entitled to their salaries, commissioner
                  David Stern and the owners would have had more incentive
                  to soften their demand for a loophole-free salary cap and
                  bring the lockout to a quick end. Instead, they now have
                  more reason to be patient as they wait for the players to
                  feel the economic pinch. As even San Antonio's Avery
                  Johnson admitted on Monday, "The owners are kind of
                  sitting pretty now. They feel they have all the power in
                  their hands."

                  Stern didn't wait long after the ruling to apply pressure
                  himself, not so subtly encouraging the players to
                  challenge players' association executive director Billy
                  Hunter. "This union leadership has stymied us," Stern
                  said.

                  For its part, the union acted quickly to prevent cracks
                  in its members' resolve. Two players said they had been
                  called by their team's player rep within minutes after
                  the ruling to urge them not to be discouraged. Hunter
                  insisted that Feerick's decision would not shake the
                  union and said that no league proposal has been
                  compelling enough to bring to the reps.

                  The owners' dream scenario is for the players, who are
                  scheduled to meet in Las Vegas this week, to be so
                  devastated by Feerick's ruling and the prospect of no
                  income that they cave in and accept a deal that would put
                  a hard cap in place. But there seems little chance of
                  that happening for at least several weeks. "We didn't
                  wait it out this long just to cave in now," said one
                  player. "At some point your competitive nature kicks in,
                  and you decide that you're just not going to let the
                  owners win."

                  The owners will win, however. The only question is how
                  decisive their victory will be and how much of the
                  season and the fans' goodwill it will cost them. Both
                  sides had better bundle up. The climate is going to get
                  even colder before the thaw.

                  Issue date: October 26, 1998



                

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