Steve Bulpett: Owners Vote, Pitino Expects Season

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

                  Boston Herald
                  Owners reject offer
                  by Steve Bulpett

                  Tuesday, January 5, 1999

                  While Rick Pitino was in the Celtic offices planning for a
                  season he hopes will come, both sides in the NBA labor
                  impasse yesterday were employing the coach's fast-break
                  techniques as the clock winds down to Thursday's potential
                  cancellation vote by the owners.

                  At the end of a day that had seen promise dashed, the
                  union reversed its previous strong stance against an open
                  ballot and said that its rank and file would be able to
                  vote on the league's final proposal tomorrow in New York.

                  Earlier last night, commissioner David Stern announced the
                  rejection of the counter-offer received yesterday from the
                  union leadership. And after having twice taken his case
                  directly to the rank and file, he again criticized the
                  failure to let all members have a voice, saying, ``We
                  accept the notion that there won't be a vote.''

                  But union director Billy Hunter said later that all 400
                  players would be invited to an open meeting and vote.
                  Before the poll is taken, Hunter and the 19-player
                  negotiating committee will advise against acceptance.
                  Rather than bowing to pressure, from the league and his
                  membership, he said the vote is ``to assure that the
                  owners understand the level of player resolve and the
                  degree of opposition to the NBA's onerous demands.''

                  And if, as many players and agents have suggested, the
                  players vote to accept the league's offer? ``If they elect
                  to go against the recommendation, then we'll have to live
                  with that,'' said Hunter.

                  Thus the glimmer of hope that accompanied the union's
                  offer yesterday morning and was dashed with the NBA Labor
                  Relations Committee's unanimous rejection had been put
                  back in play.

                  Still, if the players vote goes against the league, Stern
                  said the Board of Governors will be asked Thursday to
                  cancel the remainder of the 1999-2000 season. If that
                  happens, Stern said plans will shift to a 1999-2000 season
                  and a league populated by replacement players. The
                  commissioner declined to comment on a question of whether
                  the league will be a singular entity, as is the WNBA with
                  overall ownership held by the league office.

                  ``It's not necessarily a pretty sight early on,'' said
                  Stern of a new NBA. ``But if we have to rebuild the
                  league, we'll rebuild the league.''

                  While the league and union appear to be relatively close
                  in the percentages of revenue each side wants to put
                  toward salaries - some estimates have it at around $225
                  million over six years - Stern and deputy commissioner
                  Russ Granik said the differences are significant enough to
                  cancel the season.

                  Meanwhile, Pitino and his staff were pretty much forced to
                  proceed on the assumption that the gap would be breached.

                  ``We met today as if the season were going to start this
                  week in terms of getting ready to sign free agents,''
                  Pitino said late yesterday. ``We know something is going
                  to happen by this Thursday.''

                  As for the possibility that the NBA exile would end, he
                  said, ``We're all very excited. We think we're going back
                  to work. We have to think that way to be prepared. I think
                  everyone in the league is chomping at the bit to go back
                  to work, back to what we love to do.''

                  According to Stern, however, love has a cost.

                  He said the nine-member labor relations committee has
                  weighed the price of missing a season and what that could
                  do to the value of their franchises against what would
                  happen if they signed a deal that didn't offer them
                  success for the long haul.

                  ``They would rather take the chance that they can do
                  better,'' added deputy commissioner Russ Granik.

                  ``We're far apart on every issue,'' Granik said of the
                  particulars, listing the high-end limitation (on salaries
                  of veterans), escrow percentages, rookie scale and the
                  exceptions to the cap.

                  In the case of percentages, the sides are 2 points apart
                  in year four and 2.5 and 3 points apart in the ensuing
                  years - a fairly reasonable difference. But the league
                  said the problem is that those numbers aren't certain, and
                  even if they were, the 57 percent is too high.

                  As for talk of a player-run league in the event the
                  impasse continues, Stern said, ``Our players have been
                  sold a certain bill of goods about a new league. I'll tell
                  you what a new league will do. A couple of agents will
                  take the top 100 players and start a league with about six
                  or eight teams if they possibly can. The other 350 players
                  will be left without any opportunity. It's so sad to me
                  that it's almost unspeakable.''