On the very night that the NBA season was originally scheduled to start (the Cavaliers were slated to start Wednesday night in Boston), NBA players’ union executive director Billy Hunter sent a letter imploring members to stand strong and united.
Hunter lashed out specifically against David Stern’s negotiating tactics:
“We will not be intimidated by public threats, ultimatums and manufactured drop-dead dates. We will stand firm in our resolve to negotiate a fair deal for our current membership and those who will join our ranks in the future,” Hunter said.
Basketball-related income remains the chief dealbreaker, and Hunter outlined specifically why he refuses to accept the supposed half-and-half deal of 50/50 that the owners have proposed.
“By comparison, we received 50 percent of total revenue under the previous CBA, and our 53-47 proposal would reduce the player share to 46.4 percent of total revenues,” he explained. “In addition, compared to our former 57-43 split, the owner’s proposed 50-50 shifts more than $300 million per year to the owners, which equates to more than $3 billion over a 10-year deal,” Hunter explained.
You can read the full text of Hunter’s 1,225-word letter to the players here.