Decertification=voided contracts so is everyone going to be a FA?

Don't worry. That won't happen. Everything contract will be valid unless there's an amnesty clause.

 

If the players were smart, and all contracts are voided..... they would not sign the petition.

The stars would not care because they will get their money anyways but they are the minority

most other players know that the larger contracts offered to the strats will lower their contracts and many bench players would be out of the league or recieve less money

 

Players vote to decertified the union, can the NBA still have a season with replacement players?

 

I'm sure they could, but then it becomes a much larger issue. I don't see this being allowed by the government.

 

BWAHAHAHAH!

who would watch the NBA with replacement players?!?

 

Well, if the replacement players are getting paid and the NBA players aren't, then at some point, the NBA players will have to swallow their pride and play on the league's terms.

 

No on wants to watch the NBA with replacement players. It would not be entertaining to most.

The league would have to dramatically decrease the price of tickets or just have a sea of empty seats in each arena. Either way, they wouldn't be making huge profits.

The owners' best way of getting the union to agree is what they've already done, lock them out.

 

It's a bogus threat. The owners would make sure all contracts are reinstated before they agree to a new CBA. You think teams with star players under contracts, especially the ones on rookie deals, are gonna let those dudes become free agents and go anywhere they want?

 

Replacement players wouldn't be comprised of only d-league caliber players. They would also include overseas players, players out of college, and maybe even some older players coming out of retirement.

But that's not the point. The point is that if the Union decertifies, then "replacement players" will be getting checks and NBA player's won't. How many game checks do you think NBA players will sacrifice before crossing the picket line?

The corollary is that their expenses would have dramatically decreased. And either way, they aren't making huge profits now.

 

So, it means Morey can go after the Lebron James, Dwight Howard and Kyle Lowry super team? Great.

 

Sure, why not?

If current contracts aren't reinstated, you can bet that a new CBA will have a hard cap that will be low enough to preclude any superteams unless the players take significant paycuts.

 

True, you'd probably think the TV networks have some clause in place in their contracts. I bet in any of these situations, those guys are the rich alumni in the equation.

 

If the players decertify based on the deal they are being offered I'm sure throwing a real hard cap in there won't get them to come back. But again, everything revolves around how strong their resolve is.

 

Because Stern says it is so does not make it so.

NFLPA decertified six months ago, and when a federal judge ruled on a chalenge by the owners, voiding existing contracts wasn't even discussed. Stern has lied to the press several times to apparently try to scare players into giving in. If I was a player, that would be the sort of disrespectful negotiating tactic that would cause me to hold a grudge, even after a deal is signed.

 

Resolve won't put food in their stomachs or roofs over their heads.

The players need to come to terms with the fact that they have very little leverage in these negotiations.

 

Being willing to lose the season is the only leverage that they have. The owners leverage completely revolves around them thinking the players can't go without getting paid, and I'm not saying that they can. Just my opinion, but I don't really think the owners want to see the season cancelled or have the players decertify.

Edit: Also, if the players do decline this deal or other deals that they feel aren't fair, then let's just say they are putting their desire for a fair deal (now and future seasons) over the financial stability of this season.

 

Don't underestimate the owners' resolve as well. The NHL owners were willing the lose a season and even more. The NBA owners have shown that they are out for blood.

 

I keep mentioning this, but you really can't compare the two. No one cares about hockey. Folks care about basketball, including a decent portion of the owners that want a season and all of the network partners that the league wants to stay on good terms with. Hockey didn't have to worry about losing any momentum from a missed season. The NBA finally got back to a record level of interest and they do.

The owners are out for blood, but I think a portion of it revolves around assuming the players can't miss checks. We should get an answer tomorrow.