NBA stars remain united

Players gather in Las Vegas in attempt to work out 'fair deal'

The ranks closed quickly. They stood and sat together in full view of the national media, proclaiming solidarity and a united front, promising to stick together through the league-imposed lockout.

About the only thing missing from the NBA Players Association's meeting at Caesars Palace Thursday was Bruce Springsteen singing "No Surrender." Or a few Teamsters.

A majority of the membership -- 240 players, led by Michael Jordan -- attended the day-long huddle, getting information from their leadership and union head Billy Hunter. Baseball union chief Donald Fehr and NFL Players Association president Gene Upshaw also came by to lend support.

And when it was all said and done, the players remained united, at least publicly, in their demand to not accept a hard salary cap and to broker a "fair deal."

The NBA's Board of Governors meets next week in New York. The hope is to have face-to-face negotiations there and see where it leads. The two sides last met Oct. 13.

"We're prepared to deal," Hunter said. "We've been prepared to be reasonable all along. We'll negotiate with them as long as it takes to strike a fair deal.

"We're not trying to take the owners to bankruptcy court. But if they insist on pushing the hard cap, we're not going to go very far."

The owners are demanding some sort of ceiling on player salaries and elimination of the "Larry Bird exception," which permits teams to re-sign their own free agents without a salary cap.

The NBA already has canceled the preseason and the first two weeks of the regular season. League deputy commissioner Russ Granik was quoted Thursday saying that the entire season could be lost if an agreement is not reached by sometime in early December.

The players believe the league is bluffing. Some think the scare tactics are an attempt by NBA commissioner David Stern to break the union.

Others, including Upshaw, talked about decertifying the union as a means to get back to serious negotiations. But that notion was put on the back burner by the union leadership.

"We feel like we're being strong-armed," New Jersey Nets veteran forward Michael Cage said. "They're telling us, 'Take it or leave it.' Right now, the only ones the current offer is fair to is them (the owners).

"It's a real chess game. Who's going to crack? Who's going to give in?"

Cage's colleagues say they won't capitulate.

"We're ready and willing to play," the Washington Wizards' Juwan Howard said. "The fact is, we were the ones who were locked out."

Many players echoed the company line about obtaining a fair deal. To the players, fair means the superstars maintaining the lion's share of their mega-salaries while giving the "middle- and lower-class" players a boost, and ensuring the young players will not have their earning potential limited by a hard salary cap.

The owners, obviously, aren't going for that. And right now, the players find themselves in a difficult spot in terms of public relations.

"We're in a terrible position," Chicago Bulls guard Steve Kerr said.

"We look like fools because we make all this money. But we're being asked to severely restrict ourselves as to what we can earn and we can't accept it.

"The only way it would be possible to cut a deal would be to cave in to their demands."

San Antonio Spurs superstar David Robinson said it doesn't look good for the players.

"Of course I'm worried about the fans," he said when asked about the negative public opinion that was sure to come with the cries by millionaire athletes asking for a "fair deal."

"I've spent my whole career to make my neighborhood better. Of course I'm worried what they think. There's no question that David Stern has dominated the public relations game. Any way you look at it, the players are the villains.

"But at some point, we have to take a stand and do what we think is right. We're not trying to hurt anybody and I hope the people respect that."

A lot of players needed to be brought up to speed on where things stood in the lockout, which enters its 114th day today. There was some confusion over arbitrator John Feerlick's ruling Monday, which said the owners did not have to pay off on guaranteed contracts for money lost during the lockout.

The players also wanted to know what options were available and how the union would address those in dire financial straits, in the event the lockout continues into November and December.

"I wanted to leave today knowing we're on the same page," the Phoenix Suns' Danny Manning said. "We're trying to secure the best deal possible."

Jordan's agent, David Falk, said the hard cap, which has been totally rejected by the union, is cause for solidarity.

"The players don't want a hard cap," said Falk, who represents union president Patrick Ewing, Miami's Alonzo Mourning as well as Jordan and Howard. "It's almost a totalitarian state. The league is trying to dictate to the players and is asking for something the economic environment can't handle."

Jordan, who has not indicated one way or the other whether he will even be back for a 15th season, said it's important for the players to take a united stand.

"We believe in the cause," he said. "We didn't start this fight and we have to stand for what we believe in."

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