RE: Lockout, Bird& Russ and Sprewell

["Noah P. Evans" <ishbak@conknet.com>]

> Forgive my innoence, but what are we looking at if the lockout
> continues? No
> 1998 season? No contracts? When would it start affecting the season?

It all depends on whether the Player's union's two pronged attack succeeds.
The player's union is asking the arbitrator to force the NBA to pay the
salaries of players during the lockout; they are also attempting to have all
NBA players reduced to free agents(because of a supposed breach of
Collective Bargaining Agreement or some such[Bentz? Care to weigh in on this
with your legal knowledge?]). If either of these things happen, the NBA
officials will try to end the lockout as fast as they can. If not the league
has the advantage. They're(the league) are getting money from the TV
contract season or no. The players on the other hand are (currently, maybe
not for long) not getting paid. So, barring any changes, the league is going
to try to wait the players out.

> The last few years it seems there's one lockout after another.
> What's this? America getting more unfair, or players (or rather, their
agents) getting
> more greedy?

I think you're watching the NBA become a global business. Since the league
can't just relocate to Mexico (because of the limited number of acceptable
players --a situation worsened[for the owners] by expansion), the players
have an influence on their compensation that most of working society doesn't
have. Since this is relatively unprecedented the situation is dynamic at
present.


> On Russell and Bird, I am not old enough to see big Bill played,
> but if you look at the stats., I have to take the grand duke. He has what,
like maybe
> 10 championships? Larry has about four. Both got great court
> leadership.

I disagree. Teams win championships, not just players. While I still believe
Russell was the better of the two, you have to compare both players in
relation to the teams they played with as well as their teams' success.


> On the Sprewell thing, it's downright ridiculous. Nowadays lawyers seem to
> think whenever they drag out this race thing, all the judges and juries
> would have to fall to their knees and beg for mercy. Come on,
> grow up! there are real cases of such that needs to be addressed, but
using it to gain
> profit and money is downright cheap and immoral.

Americans are hardly the most moral people in general. Although I rarely
engage in humor, here is a joke I heard from the BBC:

"What is the shortest book in the world?"

"American business ethics"

I think that explains the actions of most American business men and
professionals. Lawyers are hardly the only example. Graft is an American
past time. Even more so than baseball.


> And Rick, if you are listening, don't ever drag this a-s called
> Sprewell to
> Boston!

Given Rick's lack of success with a minor malcontent(Dee Brown), I doubt you
will ever have to worry about Rick getting Sprewell.
	I would love to see if Riley could handle him though. Even at Riley's age I
wouldn't be surprised if old Riles couldn't give sprewell an eloquent
introduction to his own medicine. Riley was (and is) a pretty tough fellow.
I bet old Spre hasn't tried his act out on someone who fights back yet.

Noah