NBA Loses More Games and Hope For Season

The NBA has cancelled more games as the players reject the owners' latest offer.

The NBA Players Association has rejected the latest offer by the NBA owners in their latest chapter of the collective bargaining sessions. The worst news came later on when Billy Hunter, executive director of the NBAPA, announced that the team representatives at the Tuesday morning meeting in Times Square voted to file a "disclaimer of interest" that would de-certify the players union and would begin legal battles with individual players taking to federal court against the owners.

David Stern, NBA commissioner, had some choice words during an interview with ESPN.

The union decided in its infinite wisdom that the proposal would not be presented to membership. Obviously Mr. Kessler (union lawyer Jeffrey Kessler) got his way and we are about to go into the nuclear winter of the NBA. -NBA commissioner David Stern-

NBAPA president Derek Fisher announced that the players would indeed file an antitrust lawsuit within 48 hours. The lawsuit will seek a judgement that deems the NBA shutdown to be illegal. Derek Fisher and NBAPA executive director Billy Hunter released a joint statement later.

For two and a half years and through more than 50 collective bargaining sessions, we sat at the table and attempted to negotiate a fair labor agreement with the owners. Last week, with the issuance of yet another ultimatum with a take-it-or-leave-it offer of a long-term agreement with unacceptable terms, Commissioner David Stern and the owners left us with no other option. It has become clear to us that we have exhausted our rights under the labor laws and continuing in that forum would not be in the best interests of the players. -NBAPA President Derek Fisher and executive director Billy Hunter-

The plan now by the players is to hope that the legal pressures they will press with will force David Stern and the owners to change their minds on their current stance with the negotiations and provide something favorable towards the players.

At this point this seems to be the beginning of an ugly chapter in the latest between collective bargaining sessions between the NBA owners and the players.