Latest News, NBA / Oct 21, 2011 / 2:00 pm

Derek Fisher Says We Should Blame The Owners

By

Derek Fisher

Derek Fisher

Does everyone still want to completely blame the players for this mess? If the last two days haven’t convinced you that the owners are even more greedy, even more egotistical, even more obsessed with coming out ahead in these discussions – like little kids fighting over every Easter egg – then I don’t know what will. They deserve much of the blame as well for failing in the negotiations this week. Just when things appeared ready to turn around with numerous small breakthroughs on system topics, owners like Peter Holt (who told the players “You haven’t felt enough pain yet.”), Paul Allen and Dan Gilbert came through like John Marston and started shooting s— up. Derek Fisher spoke with NBA TV’s David Aldridge yesterday, explaining why everything involving the lockout talks have shut down.

***

ON THE OWNERS:
“These talks and meetings and the mediation process did not end because of ultimatums made by us. They were clearly made by the league and by the NBA and they tried to pre-condition the rest of our talks trying to get us to agree to a 50/50 split on the BRI and what we clearly said is, ‘That is not a place we are willing to go right now, if ever.’ However, we are ready to continue some talk on the system and the issues and if we can reach some agreements there, it could have some impact on what the final number could be, but they said it’s a take-it-or-leave-it situation.”

ON THE RUMORS THE OWNERS HAD THIS PLAN ALL ALONG:
“We would be talking about everything. Myself, our executive committee and our staff has spent the past two plus years and these past few weeks here. Personally, that was time away from my kids and my family. This is serious. There are a lot of livelihoods at stake that far outreach NBA players and that’s been a major concern of ours this entire time. That’s why we continue to make the concessions that we have made; it’s more about them then us. But that’s not a place the NBA wants to go right now and I think we have said all along that we felt there was a predestined plan to lock us out as long as it takes to get us to where they wanted us to go. Right now as players, we are not willing to go to that place to try and continue these negotiations. But, we are willing to continue to talk. We are here and we will be here as long as it takes to get a deal done.”

ON THE BRI:
“It’s extremely difficult because of the impact they have on each other. And for us as players, unless we have a feel for what type of system that will exist and what the revenue split will be, it’s very difficult to say, “Ok we will agree with this number.” Which is why we floated and consistently discussed a more balanced approach between where the NBA is in terns of 50, where we are at 53 and based on the success or lack of success on our gain, to determine which percentages are distributed to the players as opposed to going to the fixed hard place that we obviously can’t agree on right now.”

So how did we get to this point? As mentioned, three owners in particular completely destroyed and re-directed negotiations yesterday. If you would believe the owners’ perspective, more than two-thirds of the league is losing money. If you would believe the players’ perspective, the owners are keeping them locked out because they have unrealistic expectations about hitting a negotiation home run.

At this point, I don’t think anyone really cares about whose side are you on? People just want to see this lockout thing go away.

What do you think?

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  • beiber newz

    I wrote this in the most recent smack, so I’ll recycle it, as I feel it relates to this topic as well:

    “You guys probably heard recent news where the owners said KG fucked everything up in CBA progressions by yelling to give ‘NO MORE CONCESSIONS’. Well apparently, the owners have some outspoken people on their end as well. Dan Gilbert, yes the NBA’s MOST BITTER owner, is the man urging his guys to draw a line in the sand and NOT GIVE IN TO THE PLAYERS DEMANDS (or proposal).

    I sincerely believe that Dan Gilbert sees this lockout as his golden opportunity to stick it to LeBron James. After the “King” left his kingdom high and dry, Dan Gilbert has been seething for this chance. Twitter bashing James, cutting James’ FatHead prices and writing an open letter to Cleveland taking shots at LeBron was not enough for him. He is seeing the athlete whom he feels “betrayed” him sit across the room during these negotiations. The only thing on his mind was to spite him. By influencing the owners, he is undertaking his ulterior motive to withhold, and essentially evaporate checks from LeBron James.

    LeBron is a rich man, but Gilbert knows what he is doing. Taking money from a man he sees as greedy, preventing James from playing the game he loves and leaving him and his union confused, frustrated and unknowing of their futures. If it’s true what Billy Hunter and his union have been saying (that the owners planned to miss games in order to get a deal in the owners’ favor), then I do NOT see Gilbert backing down and he will continue to influence his side to not give in. He will not “lose” to LeBron James twice.”

  • First & Foremost

    As I’ve said in less recent smacks – The owners would allow the players to save face with a player friendly BRI but then win out due to the exemptions the onwers get. Fisher said it better than I did, you can’t agree to a split based on the previous situation and then be handcuffed ot that split based on a new situation.

    Imagine if your friends asked, “What girl in your class right now would you bang?” You look around and of course pick the best one. Then they start throwing out names of girls that are in your entire graduating class. They changed the situation and you are stuck with a less attractive girl.

  • Sean Sweeney

    You guys have been killing it w/ the daily lockout analogies.

  • BiGShoTBoB

    IMHO the players are the ones that need to give in. They already make way too much money than they used to. And I feel like the less money they recieve the better the game will become. No longer will we have players that just want to collect checks.(I.E. Eddy Curry)

    What alot of people fail to mention is most of the good players make money in ventures off the court through endorsements and such. These arguments are only about their NBA checks. Yes I understand the concession people have to be thought of but those people will still make the same amount of money regardless.

    Owners interest = better league.

    Players interest = themselves.

  • nb eh

    why do we have to blame one side? they are all spoiled, greedy assholes. certain nba faces (fisher, wade) are just starting to piss me off when i see them. dwayne wades metro emo style tweet about it being funny when ppl dont even try to hide their greed or something stupid like that was one of the most hypocritical things ive even seen in type.

  • jayb

    for a comish that claims to be the best in the biz..the last lockout we lost mj after a 3 peat..now this lock out we going to lose a year for kobe who happens to be stern’s meal ticket..he built this league on star power..as much as i like dirk and some others…no kobe no ratings..obviously bron, wade, melo, rose and durant have say but you get my point. of the 6 big names kobe is the oldest of this group..stern wants to lose a year and a chip for marketing and tv ratings..good job! smh

  • Big Island

    At the end of all of this the players will lose out. Agree to a 50/50 split, then hold tight on the other stuff. There was something about the players agreeing to 52.5%. Why not go 50/50, it’s 2.5%, so that shifts the public perception of the blame to the owners? The players could say “we agreed to their biggest sticking point and they have not changed their stance on anything”. Then we’d all look at the owners as the reason.

    Think of the owners as my girlfriend and me as a player. We have a mutually beneficial relationship, we work well together, but without one another we don’t really have much. She can go elsewhere, so can I, but it isn’t the same. Right now I have it REALLY good. I have friends come over, she cooks for us, takes care of us, we act like idiots and she lets us, I have an extra car, the garage is filled with crap that I “need” etc, but it’s ultimately her world. Eventually I know that something will have to change to go on. So she finally says, ok, this isn’t working right now, and changes the locks. I had it sweet, too sweet, and everyone knows it. So her biggest thing is the extra car and she wants it gone. If I agree to that, then I have some leverage in the garage, with the friends coming over, and everything else I get away with that nobody else in the world does because I agreed to her biggest gripe. Since she is smart, she will see that I am making the first move to make it work and let me have some of the other things. If she is dumb, she’ll say “no, I want all of this changed too” and I can walk out in no worse shape than I was when she said it isn’t working and had the locks changed. Maybe I’ll date an Italian or an Asian. Except that all of our friends and family and neighbors will look at her saying “you threw away a good thing because you’re an idiot and wouldn’t let him have crap in the garage”. If I played stubborn and wore “no concessions” shirts, well I am the idiot for not just getting rid of a car and saving a great relationship.

    Sometimes you have to give up a battle to win a war. You give up a couple of open shots on the perimeter to shut down the buckets in the paint. You agree to a 50/50 split to get your job back.

  • the cynic

    Jerome James, Eddy Curry, Al Harrington, and a bunch of dudes who mail it in for 5 years after signing guaranteed contracts are to blame. How am I supposed to be on the players side when half the players in the league don’t even try.

    Of course, how am I supposed to be on the owners side when they’re are nothing, but a bunch of billionaire cry babies.

  • K Dizzle

    Peter Holt is comedy. He “wants the players to feel more pain”? LMAO! After all the hometown discounts Duncan gave his ass, now he wanna talk tough? Comedy.

    Listen up, Pete! TD is like 80 years old. He’s got maybe 2 servicable years left..maybe. I can’t wait til he retires n the Spurs don’t sniff another good free agent for another 20 years. Better get ready to toss another season so you can win the lottery…

    I don’t support the ownwers OR the players but the hypocrites are gettin ridiculous

  • First & Foremost

    WAIT… Did he say 5 years after they signed their big contracts they just mailed it in? How long are these contracts to begin with?

  • RonNation

    Needs to be a hard cap to allow parity.

    Fuck the players.

  • http://deleted dagwaller

    I’m not going to start on the “which side am I on” tip because both are ridiculous.

    Something to which not many people are paying attention is the “tactic” the owners are employing, wherein they only will negotiate if there is a 50/50 split.

    THAT’S NOT A NEGOTIATION. That’s extortion. I would be furious if I was to have a debate with someone and they said, “Ok, but before we have this debate I want you to have 3 shots.” Or, “I’ll fight you, but you have to tie one hand behind your back.”

    The players have exactly one thing that they can really “give back” to the owners, and that’s the split of BRI. I think that many, including the players, feel that 57/43 was a little ridiculous. The salaries over the last decade and the image that certain players give the rest of the union are a result.

    HOWEVER, because the players have one ace in the hole (the BRI split), they can’t allow themselves to play it BEFORE THEY EVEN GET TO THE TABLE. If they gave into the owners demands before the negotiations even begin, how could they possibly get anything accomplished?

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