Kareem and Pandora’s Box

Posted in TextThis piece was written by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who makes several important points as it relates to the issues between the owners and players. Who knew that 10 agencies are responsible for 1 billion dollars in NBA deals? This piece is the first I’ve seen that really gets under the hood of the issues. How can they (the owners) lower their expenses? The Atlanta Hawks‘ Etan Thomas, in a HoopsHype.com NBA blog, says the league’s opening position in the bargaining was more like “a Christmas list to Santa Claus than an actual negotiation. The NBA expressed desires of a new imposed hard cap, removal of all guaranteed contracts, drastic economic concessions, and a guaranteed profit for each team. They wanted to ensure that no matter what poor business decisions teams make (economic, personal, et cetera) they can expect guaranteed profits.” Yeah, because that happens in business all the time. Who cares about the accuracy of decisions in business, jus...