With the New York Knicks getting set to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, Carmelo Anthony‘s team got a practice in on Saturday in L.A. before the game. After practice, Anthony spoke to reporters about the new collective bargaining agreement the NBA Players Association and owners will have to agree upon by the December 15th deadline.
Anthony, however, is now “skeptical” that a deal will be agreed upon by Thursday. Per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN:
“I'm skeptical of something getting done,” said Anthony, the vice president of the Players Association on Saturday. “Do I think something could happen by the 15th? Yeah, I think something could happen. But I think this kind of put a dent in conversations. We had something so close. We were supposed to have a deal done weeks ago, and for this to happen at the 25th hour is tough.”
Both sides had been optimistic about getting a deal done over the past couple of months, but that optimism has waned as the deadline approaches. The president of the NBPA, Chris Paul, was surprised when told about Anthony's comments after the L.A. Clippers‘ victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night.
“Did he (say that)?” said Paul. I gotta see, I gotta read it before I can give a response. I'm not doubting that happened.”
But we are working tirelessly when we're not in the game. We're trying to make sure we can reach an agreement and get a deal done. Like I say all the time: you guys, the fans, deserve this game to keep going.”
When asked if he was optimistic, Paul confidently, “Very. You've got to be. Why not?”
Secretary and Treasurer of the NBPA, James Jones, shared his concerns with Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal after the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.
“Last time we left it, there were still items that needed to be discussed and those haven’t been resolved yet,” Jones said. “Every day that a deal isn’t struck just makes it a little more tense and a little less certain that a deal will be struck. It’s not like we’ve lost progress. We’re still moving forward,” Jones said. “But we’ve said all along: Until it’s finished, it isn’t finished.
“You can be optimistic until the deadline comes, but once we get up to that point, talking the night before, I think things can get done. It just means that it’s not done yet. Which in our estimation means we still have a long way to go.”
His teammate, LeBron James, who is also a vice president of the union, shared Paul's optimism after the Cavs game.
“We got to stay optimistic,” LeBron James said. “But obviously, Melo is saying he has some concerns with it. We still got a few days, we still got a few days. Obviously, our game right now is the best it's ever been, from where it is right here domestically to all the way around the world, so hopefully both sides come to an agreement.”
Marc Stein of ESPN added that the apparent issue between the two sides is “control over licensing matters and the use of player likenesses.”
Thursday's deadline marks the first day ther one side can out of current collective bargaining agreement, and if that does happen, the current CBA will expire in just about six months on June 30, 2017. According to ESPN, one source said that representatives for both parties have been meeting multiple times daily the past week.
Follow Us
Subscribe