NBA . . .

[Forever Sunshine]

Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Are Minority Owners of Philadelphia 76ers

Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith are among the new group of owners of the Philadelphia 76ers. The new CEO Adam Aron has already announced several changes to ticket pricing that will make it more affordable and a Web site has been launched for soliciting fans' feedback.

www.ibtimes.com/articles/233550/20111018/will-smith-jada-pinkett-philadelphia-76ers-sixers-adam-aron-martim-geller-david-heller-travis-hennin.htm

[Forever Sunshine]

NBA talks make progress

The NBA's owners and players have made progress on one of the most contentious issues in reaching a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), with the two sides moving closer to a 50-50 revenue split, Yahoo! Sports reported Wednesday, citing sources.

The subject of basketball-related income (BRI) has been a major sticking point in the negotiations, with the NBA insisting it will not budge beyond a 50-50 split, while the players, who were guaranteed 57 percent in the previous CBA, would not drop below 53 percent in the new deal.

But after two days of marathon talks in New York with federal mediator George Cohen, a source told Yahoo! that the two sides had moved closer to a "50-50 split, give or take a point with ranges based on revenue performance."

msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/owners-players-reportedly-make-progress-toward-new-cba-to-end-lockout-101911

[Flying Horse]

NBA Season
It's official: NBA cancels games through November.

Even when you know it's coming, it coesn't make it any less painful for the NBA faithful. There will be NO games in November. And that means no 82 game season. “It’s not practical, possible or prudent to have a full season now… in light of the breakdown of talks there will not be a full NBA schedule this season,” David Stern, NBA commissioner said.
This cancelation will hit the players in the pocketbook — their first paycheck for this season was due on Nov. 15 (they get paid on the 15th and 30th during the season). A number of owners had wanted to make the players miss paychecks, to feel that pain, knowing that is their ultimate leverage. The players have been dug in for more than a year knowing this was coming and many say they are fine. Still missing a paycheck is missing a paycheck.
The big date looming on the horizon is Christmas, a showcase day for the NBA where marquee teams play on national television. For the more casual sports fan, that is like the NBA’s second opening day. It’s when they really start watching. It will take about 30 days to get up and running from the day the two sides reach a handshake deal, so you do the math. It’s not long.
The sticking points in talks remain the split of basketball related income (league revenue) and how a more stiff luxury tax will fit.
Frankly, it's hard to feel sorry for either side in this conflict. As a group, the NBA players are the highest pad athletes in the world, but on the other hand, it's the newer owners who are the hardliners. Why? Because they paid too much for their franchises and now are having troupble making ends meet.