Tag: president

Hunter tells players to prepare to miss half a season

So much for that optimism that the players and owners were getting closer to a settlement that would end the lockout.

After Tuesday’s meetings with owners, NBPA executive director Billy Hunter advised players to prepare to miss at least half the upcoming season.

NBPA president Derek Fisher was just as bleak in his assessment.

“We can’t come out of here thinking that training camps and preseason are going to start on time at this point,” Fisher after the meeting.

NBA commissioner David Stern said it was a day without much progress. The biggest obstacle continues to be the players’ resistance to a hard cap.

The next step for the owners will be their board of governors meeting Thursday in Dallas. Expect some kind of announcement at that time where training camp and preseason games will be postponed.

As expected, there seems to be a division of opinion between owners on the need for a hard cap. The challenge of getting all of them to sign off on a deal might be as hard for Stern to pull off as dealing with the players.

And after reports of Tuesday’s meeting, it doesn’t appear that will be very easy, either.

Another bargaining session set next week for players, owners

After the resumption of talks earlier this week, NBA players and owners have set another meeting next week to continue their dialogue as they try to end the lockout.

Hoop optimists everywhere hope that more talk between the two sides is a good sign.

The realists aren’t necessarily so sure.

But the fact that NBA commissioner David Stern, NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver, players’ association executive director Billy Hunter and union president Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers will meet again indicates that dialogue is taking place.

Sam Amick of SI.com reports that the , with the hopes of better productivity with fewer raised voices in the discussion. It could take place Wednesday or Thursday of next week and it would be only the third head-to-head negotiating session since the lockout started on July 1.

It is not clear if Spurs majority owner Peter Holt, head of the league’s labor relations committee, will participate.

With the beginning of training camps scheduled for later  this month and still not yet postponed, Fisher told  reporters that “both sides [are] feeling a sense of urgency” to get a deal done.

The owners and players clearly remain far apart. But the fact they weren’t sniping at each other in the media after their most recent meeting is a good sign that helped set up the upcoming one.

Spurs hire director of athletic performance

Matt Herring, a former Southwest Texas State Bobcat, was hired by the Spurs as director of athletic performance, the team .

Herring spent the past five years as the strength and conditioning coordinator for the Florida Gators men’s basketball team and men’s and womens’ golf programs. He previously worked at Oklahoma State University and was an intern at Texas.

“Coming from one of the premier programs in college basketball led by Billy Donovan at Florida, Matt brings championship credentials with him and we look forward to the contributions he will bring to our team,” said R.C. Buford, the Spurs’ president of sports franchises.

Herring earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise sports science from Southwest Texas in 1994 and a master’s of education in kinesiology from Texas in 2002. The Austin native was a teacher in the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City School District from 1994-99.