Sources Say Nba Will Impose Lockout
The NBA owners will impose a lockout once the finals are over if they are unable to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with their players, officials involved in the negotiations said Sunday.
Sources around the league confirm that a formal directive has been issued to every club, stating a lockout will go into effect the day after Houston and Orlando determine the championship. The directive states that while the league will conduct the draft June 28, all other business - summer training camps, trades, contract extensions and free-agent signings - will halt.
NBA commissioner David Stern, at The Summit for Game 3, did not deny that the league is headed for its first work stoppage. A lockout could come as early as Thursday because the Rockets have taken a 3-0 lead.
“Our teams have been fully briefed on the options available to the Labor Relations Committee if no agreement is reached by the end of the finals,” Stern said. “We still hope that such an agreement is obtainable and won’t be commenting on the other options at this time.”
The two sides broke off negotiations last month and have no formal meetings planned.
Simone Gourdine, Players Association executive director, could not be reached for comment. But sources confirm he has been informed of the league’s stance. Players Association president Buck Williams of Portland also was unavailable for comment.
The collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players expired at the end of last season. There were rumblings of a lockout in October, but the two sides averted a work stoppage by reaching a no-strike, no-lockout agreement. This agreement assured the 1994-95 season would be played and placed a moratorium on signing or restructuring player contracts.
That moratorium expires the day after the finals. Privately, officials around the league said there was concern that some clubs would rush to sign players to big contracts in an effort to bypass the new system.
There are reports that Washington has an eight-year, $65 million contract waiting for free-agent Chris Webber, and Seattle is prepared to give a five-year, $30 million extension to guard Gary Payton. Sources say the Charlotte Hornets are thought to be on the verge of signing center Alonzo Mourning to a multi-year extension that would average $10 million.
“We can’t go back to the old system until there is something in place that works,” one official said. “We’ve got to take certain steps.”
At the start of these playoffs, Stern and others remained publicly optimistic about negotiations. But privately, league officials were worried. They say the players would not agree to a hard salary cap - something the owners want in place - and were asking for a larger share of the revenue than the owners.