Early on Saturday morning, NBA players and fans awoke to a special surprise to cap off their Thanksgiving weekend. The NBA lockout was finally over, as the owners and players came to a tentative agreement with the season set to start on Dec. 25.
“We want to play basketball,” NBA commissioner David Stern stated.
Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant reacted on Twitter: “Mannn, i’m bouta to get a ratchet tattoo on my ribs that say ‘survived the NBA lockout in 2011′”
Carmelo Anthony, star forward for the New York Knicks added “SHOWTIME!!!!!”
Matt Barnes, Lakers guard/forward also wrote “I think its time to #GOBACK2WORK!!! Thank god.”
The overall reaction by the players could be described as a sensation of relief and joy at the thought of getting back out there on the court, playing the game they love.
“The settlement means players will get to do what they love and have a chance to compete for a championship,” said Dave Walters, Sports Information Director.
“It also means the owners will have a chance to generate revenue through television rights, ticket sales and merchandising. If the settlement had not been reached, neither the players nor the owners would be able to realize any of their goals.”
According to ESPN.com, the new agreement is set to last ten years with a mutual opt-out in 2017. While the agreement is encouraging in terms of length, in reality the deal favors the owners, especially in the revenue split.
According to CBSSports.com, NBA Player’s Association Executive Director Billy Hunter said a recent deal like the finalized one was “not the greatest proposal in the world.” The final agreement was clearly made tentatively in the truest sense of the word.
The players receive 51 percent of the revenue as compared to 57 in the 2005 CBA. After losing up to $400 million in the last three seasons, the league finished the negotiations with a new economic plan to remedy that. Unfortunately, the players will lose about 20 percent of their salaries, due to the lockout.
Small market teams will benefit most from the new deal with the undistributed funds from the luxury tax going to those who are disadvantaged in the market.
New changes in trades, disabled player exception, midlevel exception, contracts, free agents and restricted free agency will also be implemented.
There is still a lot of work to be done, according to an article on Valley of the Suns. The Player’s Association reformed on Dec. 1, however, they have to drop their antitrust lawsuit. Smaller issues such as the age limit and drug testing are still yet to be discussed.
Hopefully, as the season starts on Dec 25, the NBA will be able to get itself back on its feet and be a perfect Christmas present for the players and fans.