Mixed priorities in the NBA

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dave Stern got tough.  He imposed a deadline measured in weeks, not months, 
and demanded that the income in the deal be reduced.  Do it our way, he 
said, or we'll drop you faster than Martha Burk at a golf club membership 
drive.

Too bad we're not talking about the disaster with NBAtv.com.

Nope, we're talking the WNBA, where there's gender inequities that stagger 
the mind.

Here's the skinny.  The WNBA (which is owned and operated by the NBA, 
meaning Davey Stern) has been operating without a contract since last 
September, when the previous four-year deal expired.  Talks began in 
November, but went nowhere., much as the last round of talks with the NBA 
that ended in a lockout-shortened season.

Then, last Tuesday, the NBA said it was imposing a deadline of April 
18.  No deal, no season.

What's the holdup?  The League's latest offer would raise the minimum 
veteran salary from $40,000 to $41,200--a "whopping" $1,200.  That's per 
year, not per game, folks.  It gets better.  The rookies salary would drop 
from $30,000 to $25,000 per year.  The top rookies minimum would drop from 
$55,000 to $40,000 a year.

They also want a hard salary cap of $616,000 for the 14 teams, unrestricted 
free agency for 10-year veterans and restricted free agency for 7-year 
veterans.

And what does the players union want?

A minimum salary of $48,000 for veterans and $33,000 for rookies. They're 
asking for a salary cap of $750,000 per club, unrestricted free agency in 
the fifth year and restricted free agency in the fourth year.

The League, at least privately, is pleading money issues, pointing to the 
fact that two WNBA franchises folded this year, and two others 
moved.  Plus, the NBA announced a "subsidy" of $12 million dollars for thew 
WNBA.

Now, the tough talk got tougher as the WNBA predraft tryout camp was cancelled.

Now, we're not talking forking out money on the level of Pierce and Walker, 
much less Vin Baker.  Some 80% of the WNBA players have to play overseas to 
supplement their income.  The NBA travels by plane.  The WNBA, by bus.

So why, you might ask, should we support this idea of the WNBA at all?

Because of the memory of a franchise owner that struggled financially, to 
such an extent that the League, the owners, and friends and family of the 
franchise owner begged him to stop hemorrhaging money and walk away before 
he went broke.

Walter Brown.

He believed in the Celtics when everyone else saw a failed franchise.  He 
personally guaranteed the payroll, then extended his offer to the League by 
hosting the first All-Star game.

Perhaps even more importantly, we owe it to every little girl who wants to 
play basketball professionally someday.  It may even be that someday, 
further down the road, someone's daughter will have her number retired with 
her fellow Celtics.  But they'll need a place to start, and the WNBA, flaws 
and all, is that place.

Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle Website