NEW YORK (AP) — NBA players made it clear Tuesday:
No deal.
No fear of Commissioner David Stern's ultimatum,
either.
"The current offer on the table from the NBA
is one that we cannot accept," players' association president Derek Fisher
said.
Instead, the players said they will ask for another
meeting with owners before Stern's Wednesday afternoon deadline — and sound
willing to agree to a 50-50 split of revenues under the right circumstances —
in an attempt to end the lockout and save the season.
In an interview on NBA TV, Stern said that whether
he agrees to meet "would be guided by the labor relations committee."
NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the league has not yet
heard from Hunter.
A month of the season has already been lost, and
the NBA risks losing fans without an agreement soon. Some already appear to
have forgotten: Blake Griffin, last season's rookie of the year, stood around
in the lobby of a busy hotel off Broadway and was rarely approached by fans.
The league's current proposal calls for players to
receive between 49 percent and 51 percent of basketball-related income, though
union officials argue it would be nearly impossible to get above 50.2 percent.
"The players are clearly of the mind that it's
an unacceptable proposal," union executive director Billy Hunter said.
"But because of their commitment to the game and their desire to play,
they're saying to us that we want you to go back, see if you can go back, get a
better deal."
If players don't take the deal by 5 p.m. Wednesday,
the next offer will call for salary rollbacks, a 53-47 revenue split in the
owners' favor and essentially a hard salary cap.
"Our proposal on the table now goes away
(Wednesday)," Stern said. "Our next proposal will then go to the
players, and we will see where negotiations go."
Players are willing to negotiate further on the
revenue split if they get some concessions on the salary cap system. Without
them, Fisher said "we don't see a way of getting a deal done between now
and end of business" Wednesday.
The league is seeking to limit the spending options
of teams above the luxury tax threshold, believing that would lead to greater
competitive balance. Players want all teams to be options for free agents.
When asked if there's still wiggle room on system
issues, Stern said that as of 3 a.m. Sunday there was none left.
The players insisted they will not be forced into
taking a bad deal by an ultimatum — though Stern refused to call it that.
"The players are saying that we understand
their position, but unfortunately we're not intimidated by all that,"
Hunter said.
With more than 40 players ranging from All-Stars to
minimum salary players behind them, Fisher and Hunter dismissed Stern's
warning, had hard words for Michael Jordan and repeated that they are willing
to negotiate and believe they have made more than enough economic concessions
to get the salary cap system they want.
That message was not just for the owners.
They also were speaking to the players and agents
who advocate disbanding the union in an attempt to take on the league in court.
Union leaders said there was very little discussion about decertification,
saying they understand there would be differences of opinion with a membership
of 450, but that the team representatives summoned to New York knew the best
interests of their teammates.
The union called the meeting after Stern issued his
ultimatum early Sunday morning following an eight-hour bargaining session with
a federal mediator. Fisher said 43 players, including superstars Carmelo
Anthony and Griffin, attended the meeting and that 29 of the 30 teams were
represented.
Jordan provided perhaps the most memorable moment
of the last lockout, chastising former Washington owner Abe Pollin that he
should sell his team if he couldn't make a profit without concessions from
players. Jordan now owns the Charlotte Bobcats and is considered one of the
hardliners who never wanted Stern to offer the players a 50-50 split.
"I would give him the advice that he gave to
Abe Pollin," Hunter said.
After the press conference, Fisher bumped into an
old acquaintance from Arkansas, former President Bill Clinton, who was at the
hotel preparing to appear on an evening talk show. Clinton signed a copy of his
new book, "Back to Work," for Fisher as players looked on.
Next, Fisher would like to meet with Stern,
believing there is room to compromise.
After previously saying they wouldn't go below 52.5
percent of BRI, players said Saturday they would be willing to go down to about
51 percent, with 1 percent going to a fund for retired player benefits.
They might go even further, but only with some
movement on the system issues.
"We're open to discussions, open to negotiation,"
Fisher said. "We're open minded about potential compromises on our number,
but there are things in the system that are not up for discussion that we have
to have in order to able to get this season going."
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
