Phil Jasner: No Lockout Progress

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

                                          October 26, 1998

                           No progress in meeting as lockout continues

                                        by Phil Jasner
                              Philadelphia Daily News Sports Writer

                       Progress? Nope. Not even after representatives
                       of the NBA and its players association met for
                       three hours Saturday in New York, attempting to
                       end the lockout that has been in place since
                       July 1. When the meeting ended, NBA commissioner
                       Russ Granik and Billy Hunter, the executive
                       director of the players union, said they would
                       speak today, hopefully to set up a more formal
                       bargaining session this week.

                       The league's board of governors is scheduled to
                       meet tomorrow and Wednesday in New York.

                       Hunter said he would attempt to bring the entire
                       player population of about 400 to New York. More
                       than 240 players attended last Thursday's union
                       meeting in Las Vegas.

                       "Every member of the union has a right to be
                       present," Hunter said. "It doesn't mean they'll
                       be involved in negotiations. But it's important
                       for them to be there and hear [ commissioner ]
                       David Stern say he wants a hard cap."

                       The league has already canceled the first two
                       weeks of the season, at a cost of about $100
                       million in players' salaries, and is expected to
                       cancel additional games next week.

                       Hunter said the players who attended the Las
                       Vegas session voted unanimously to never accept
                       a hard cap. Both sides have introduced widely
                       differing forms of a luxury tax as a possible
                       solution to the dispute that has cost the league
                       games for the first time in its history.

                       The owners want to impose a ceiling on what a
                       team can spend on salaries, plus a ceiling on
                       the percentage of that limit that can go to any
                       one player. The union is fearful that such an
                       agreement would eliminate the middle class of
                       players and eventually eliminate guaranteed
                       contracts.

                       The owners have proposed giving the players a
                       phased-in 48 percent of revenue in a four-year
                       deal, and have guaranteed the players $1 billion
                       plus at least 5 percent raises in each year. The
                       players received more than 57 percent of revenue
                       last season.

                       An exhibition game on Friday night drew about
                       6,600 fans to Houston University's Hofheinz
                       Pavilion, which has a capacity of about 10,000.
                       Tickets cost from $20 to $100 for a 170-168 game
                       that included Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury,
                       Antoine Walker, Robert Horry, Sam Cassell,
                       Rasheed Wallace, Tim Hardaway and Jerry
                       Stackhouse.
            
                        ©1998 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.