Season will begin on Christmas Day; training camps could open on Dec. 9
View full sizeTop Cavaliers draft pick Kyrie Irving will finally be getting back to the practice floor in earnest in a week or so following the labor deal reached between the NBA and the players union early Saturday morning.ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Cavaliers prospect Kyrie Irving will have to miss the remainder of his semester at Duke. NBA Commissioner David Stern will be happy to write him an excuse.
Cavs swingman Omri Casspi can forget about playing overseas, too. His only games outside the country will be in the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.
The NBA is coming back -- and not a moment too soon for the game's fans, arena workers and people who depend on the industry of the league for a living. NBA executives and attorneys representing the players reached a tentative deal in the wee hours of Saturday to end the league's second-longest work stoppage at 149 days.
Before the deal becomes official, however, the players' union must reconstitute, the sides must agree on a series of secondary issues and the players and owners must approve the collective bargaining agreement by simple majorities. The new CBA is believed to be a 10-year pact with an opt-out clause after six years for both sides.
Teams will play a 66-game schedule, starting with a triple-header on Christmas Day. The Cavs will not play on Dec. 25 and its unclear when they will open. Club officials are withholding comment until the league gives them a go-ahead.
The 19-year-old Irving -- the top overall pick in the draft – is eager for the start of training camp on Dec. 9. "The journey now begins!!" Irving wrote on his Twitter account on Saturday. "Too too excited."
Two weeks ago as negotiations broke down, the union dissolved to file anti-trust lawsuits and Commissioner David Stern warned of a "nuclear winter," Irving appeared publicly frustrated for the first time. He hinted at playing overseas and fielded Twitter questions as to whether he regretted his decision to turn pro. He admitted it was tough watching the Duke opener.
But in about a month, Irving and prospect Tristan Thompson, the No. 4 overall pick, will be playing games at The Q for the Cavaliers.
It's not just the rookies who are eager to get the season started.
"I'm glad the lockout is over and I'll be back able to be back playing basketball, something I love to do," forward Anderson Varejao said. "I've missed the whole environment of the arena, the fans especially."
The deal is likely to take a week to 10 days to finalize. An abbreviated free-agent period is expected to commence on Dec. 9. The Cavs aren't likely to be a major player in the market although it's believed they have interest in retaining Anthony Parker, who served as the team's player representative.
One of the biggest decisions awaiting Cavaliers GM Chris Grant is whether to use the amnesty clause available to all teams. It allows a club to release one big-ticket player without having the transaction count against the salary cap. The most likely Cavs candidate would be Baron Davis, still owed $28 million over the next two seasons. The club would have to pay the point guard his money, but it would create ample cap space and turn over the position to Irving.
Conversely, Davis could mentor Irving and the Cavs could play both in the same backcourt. The team certainly is in no cap trouble. If anything, they might opt to trade the veteran so as to receive an asset in return.
It will still be a few days before Davis or any other player can communicate with coaches and management of their respective teams, as per lockout policy. But the end of the labor impasse affords Irving and Thompson -- who both left college after one season -- invaluable experience in a season that figures to be all about growth for the Cavs.
The Cavs aren't expected to contend for the playoffs, assuring another high draft pick. If the season had been scrubbed, as some feared two weeks ago, the draft lottery likely would have combined the results of the past three to five years which would worked against Cleveland.
The agreement was struck around 3 a.m. on Saturday and first reported by CBSSports.com. It was reached after a 15-hour bargaining session.
"This was not an easy agreement for anyone," said NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver of negotiations that have stretched over two years.
"The owners came in having suffered substantial losses and feeling the system wasn't working fairly across all teams. I certainly know the players had strong views about expectations in terms of what they should be getting from the system. It required a lot of compromise from both parties' part, and I think that's what we saw today."
Union chief Billy Hunter told reporters Saturday morning he's confident the rank-and-file will ratify the CBA. Many players are anxious to hear the particulars.
"I haven't gotten any of the details, but I hope it's a fair one," Varajao said.
Players will receive anywhere from 49 to 51 percent of basketball-related income based on revenue projections. They earned 57 percent in the last deal, which expired on July 1. Based on a 50/50 split, players are taking a 12 percent pay cut, returning to owners about $280 million per year, or about what they say they lost last season.
The union avoided a hard salary cap or franchise tags, the kind used in the NFL to help restrict player movement. They were able win some last-minute concessions on systems issues that include luxury tax for high-spending teams and middle-level exceptions.
According to multiple outlets:
• Extend-and-trade contracts similar to the one Carmelo Anthony used in his trade from Denver to New York last season will continue to be permitted.
• There's also no reduction in rookie scale or minimum salaries, while the salary cap ($58 million) and luxury tax ($70 million) are expected to remain close to what they were last season.
Stern had planned to hold a conference call with its labor relations committee on Saturday. Owners and players also must complete "B list" issues such as drug testing and rules for NBA Development League assignments. But as the two sides work through the minutia many players are readying for the season.
"Man I just got up not to long ago and see we have a deal," LeBron James wrote on his Twitter account. "I feel like my kids on X-mas day! So juiced!"
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2011/11/nba_players_reach_a_tentative.html
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