Spurs owner Peter Holt has been walking a tightrope as the primary NBA owner in the labor negotiations because of his role as the chairman of the league’s labor relations committee.
That role has led many to believe he would be David Stern’s biggest ally once a collective bargaining deal is taken to the other owners.
And it might explain why the Spurs who were most forceful about turning down a recent compromise that was championed by Stern.
The Indianapolis Business Journal, citing league sources, indicated the Spurs weren’t included among the owners who sent a letter to the labor relations committe who were strongly opposed to Stern’s offer of a 50-50 split in the basketball related income with the players.
Owners for Indiana, Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Portland and Sacramento said in the letter that they believe a 50-50 revenue split would have been a bad deal for the owners.
The players did not not approve the deal anyway, leading to an extension of the lockout earlier this week.