NBA talks off, games expected to be canceled
Basketball Betting Lines
10/07/2011 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A proposed meeting between the NBA players union and league owners has been called off, with the outcome likely to be a cancellation of regular season games.
ESPN is reporting that the union had asked the owners for a meeting before Monday, which commissioner David Stern had cited as the point at which the league would be forced to cancel the first two weeks of the season.
However, the report said that the owners wanted the players to agree to a 50-50 split of basketball-related income (BRI) before any meeting. It said the players rejected that condition and the owners responded by saying that there was no need to meet.
After Tuesday's talks broke with no progress, the league canceled the remainder of the preseason. Last month, the league postponed training camps and canceled 43 preseason games scheduled between October 9-15. The regular season is scheduled to begin November 1, but with Monday's deadline looming that appears unlikely.
It would be the first time the NBA had games canceled since the 1998-99 schedule was reduced to 50 games due to a work stoppage.
Stern said Tuesday that talks fell apart when discussing how to split basketball-related income (BRI). He said the formal positions were that the players wanted 53 percent and the owners countered with 47. The players had received 57 percent in the last labor agreement.
Stern said that in a "very, very small" group, which included himself and deputy commissioner Adam Silver, a 50-50 BRI split was proposed.
But he said that while in the process of discussing that proposal with the owners, he was advised by the players that it wasn't an acceptable division of money.
The commissioner added that the owners had moved off their desire to have a hard salary cap and were negotiating with the players for a substitute system.
Stern also said the sides previously agreed that guaranteed contracts would be authorized, and that over the weekend owners agreed that there would be no rollbacks of existing salaries.
The owners also offered a chance for the players to opt out of a 10-year labor deal after seven years, Stern said.
Stern said it's unlikely the NBA would be able to have an 82-game season if it started later than November 1. Arenas have already asked about scheduling events on days set aside for NBA games that might be canceled, Stern said, and there is also the matter of the league's TV partners and their schedules.
The NBA locked out its players July 1 after the most recent labor deal between the sides expired.
Unlike the labor strife that caused NFL lockout, which long appeared to be solvable, the problems facing the NBA have led observers to warn about a prolonged dispute like the one that canceled the 2004-05 NHL season.
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Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
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