Tag: NBA

Spurs’ first three preseason games scrapped

Due to the ongoing labor battle between owners and players union, the NBA formally announced this afternoon what most had suspected for days or weeks:

Neither training camps nor the preseason will start at the scheduled time.

Per a news release this morning, the NBA has indefinitely suspended the start of camp, originally slated to open Oct. 4, while also cancelling some 43 preseason games through Oct. 15.

“We have regretfully reached the point on the calendar where we are not able to open training camps on time and need to cancel the first week of preseason games,” NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.  “We will make further decisions as warranted.”

Among the carnage was the Spurs’ first three exhibition games — Oct. 9 against New Orleans, Oct. 11 at Sacramento and Oct. 15 at home against the Kings. For now, the earliest the Spurs might open the preseason is Oct. 17 against Cleveland.

The team’s website, , has already been amended to reflect the changes.

According to published reports, league officials are planning to revisit the schedule on Oct. 1 to decide if the rest of the month must also be scrapped.

NBA labor dispute wipes out start of preseason

By Jeff McDonald
jmcdonald@express-news.net

On Friday morning, Spurs forward Matt Bonner was in Montreal, preparing to play in a charity basketball game and feeling even more out of sorts than usual, when he got the news.

As expected, the NBA formally announced the postponement of training camp and the cancellation of a week’s worth of preseason games for lack of a new collective bargaining agreement.

“At this point, we should all be back in San Antonio, getting ready for camp,” said Bonner, a vice president of the players’ union who has been closely involved in negotiations with the league owners. “To not be there, it’s just really weird, you know?”

Training camp, originally slated to open Oct. 4, has been pushed back indefinitely. In addition, the league scuttled all preseason games through Oct. 15 — 43 in all.

The cancellations, forecast for days if not weeks, became necessary when the latest bargaining session broke down Thursday without significant progress made.

Among the carnage were the Spurs’ first three preseason games — exhibitions slated for Oct. 9 against New Orleans, Oct. 11 at Sacramento and Oct. 15 at home against the Kings were all scrapped. For now, the earliest the Spurs might open the preseason is Oct. 17 against Cleveland, and even that seems in peril.

“We have regretfully reached the point on the calendar where we are not able to open training camps on time and need to cancel the first week of preseason games,” deputy commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “We will make further decisions as warranted.”

In 1998-99, when the NBA’s most recent lockout shortened the regular season to 50 games, the league cancelled the remainder of its preseason schedule on Oct. 6. It is assumed a similar timetable would be in effect this time around.

If a deal is not reached by mid-October, it is unlikely the regular season will be able to open as scheduled Nov. 1. Bonner was hopeful Friday’s cancellations might up the ante for both sides to broker a deal before it comes to that.

“Up until now, nothing had been canceled,” Bonner said. “Now it seems more real. Hopefully, the realness of the situation will create some added motivation to get it solved.”

Bound by a gag order issued by the league office, Spurs officials are barred from commenting on labor issues while the lockout remains in effect.

The sticking points between owners and the union are twofold: How to split the league’s revenue pie, and by what mechanism the players’ share should be delivered.

The players have offered to reduce their portion of basketball-related income from 57 percent under the last CBA to 54.3 percent or lower, with the condition that the soft salary-cap system remains in place.

Owners, most of whom the league says are losing money, want the players to take a smaller cut of the pie — in the “mid-40s,” according to Bonner — while instituting a much more restrictive hard salary cap.

“Their offer is way out in left field, and they’re sticking to it,” Bonner said.

With the clock still ticking and the calendar still creeping forward toward doomsday, players can only hope for a return to normalcy soon.

“The unknown is stressful,” Bonner said. “It’s especially frustrating for players, because we want to play. It’s what we do.”

SPURS’ PRESEASON SCHEDULE

At least three of the team’s seven games will not be played because of the lack of an NBA labor deal:

Canceled
Oct. 9: vs. Hornets
Oct. 11: @Kings
Oct. 15: vs. Kings

On for now
Oct. 17: vs. Cavs, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 20: vs. Magic, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 24: @Rockets, 7 p.m.
Oct. 27: @Thunder, 7 p.m.

How about another round in the NBA Draft?

I guess we can never get enough of the excitement that marks an NBA Draft night.

Especially with all of the tension that marks those late rounds. 

Despite my facetiousness, the NBA apparently is considering adding another round in the draft.

Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops.com reports that ownersto the draft, adding a third round for the first time since 1988. And the players have countered with a plan that they believe would add for more  competitive balance by altering how the draft is conducted.

Several proposals are being considered that would give losing teams an immediate boost in the draft.

One plan would give the teams with the worst 15 records two picks in the first round. The bottom 15 teams would pick No. 1 through No. 15 and then No. 16 through 30. The 16th best team would then begin a run in the second round that would continue from No. 31 through No. 45 and then begin picking again.

Another idea  would provide the teams with the league’s eight worst records an additional first-round draft pick beginning with the 22nd selection in the first round. The league’s top eight records would not have a first-round draft pick, but instead would pick at the start of the second round (No. 31 through No. 38) and they would also get the final eight picks of the second round.

Adding a third round won’t necessarily bring a lot of talent into the league. Among the league’s rookie class in recent seasons, about 60 percent have been first-round picks, 20 percent from the second round and about 20 percent have been undrafted. So there really isn’t that much talent that falls through the cracks.

One example would be Gary Neal, who was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Spurs after a stellar performance at the summer camps in Las Vegas last summer. But stories like Neal are relatively rare. The NBA teams don’t miss out very often when it comes to drafting players.  

Most likely, the players who would be picked in the third round likely would be stashed in the Developmental League or in Europe to get ready for an NBA career later.

The idea of giving bonus picks for the worst teams is interesting. And it would help them improve some.

Many of those losing teams have been consistent losers who have struggled drafting in the past. Giving them another late first-round pick  won’t necessarily improve their lot by a quantam leap.

But expect other similar proposals to be bounced between the players and owners as the negotiations continue.

It’s a sign of strong discussion if such plans are being bandied about.

Maybe we might be getting close  to a settlement when we start hearing about plans like this to improve NBA institutions like the draft.