I would be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a tiny bit disturbed and disappointed by the fact that the League’s marquee players were not always fully involved in the labor situation. I realize that Derek Fisher is the union head and each team has a player rep, but for the longest time, you never really heard of the Kobe Bryants, LeBron James’, Dwyane Wades, Dwight Howards or Carmelo Anthonys of the world at these meetings. I’m not saying I feel as if their presence alone would make a difference, but it would mean the world to fans of the League, knowing that these guys are fully entrenched in what’s going on.
That all changed Friday. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Baron Davis, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Ben Gordon and others attended Friday’s labor meeting in New York. That was refreshing to see. The meeting lasted roughly five hours and personally, I couldn’t wait to hear what came of it because with the start of the season scheduled to begin less than a month from today, last weekend and this coming week are crucial.
The result of the meeting was the same as every other: no real progress. (Is it just me, or aren’t you also interested in what exactly happens in a five hour negotiating session where there is absolutely no progress? What are they doing in there, playing 2K12?) But shortly after the meeting broke for the evening, word started to get around that there was a heated exchanged between Dwyane Wade and David Stern. Apparently, Stern was talking to the players in a rather condescending manner, while pointing at them. Wade wasn’t having that, stood up and said to Stern “Don’t point your finger at me. I’m not a child”, in a tone louder than his normal speaking voice.
That started my weekend off on the right note. That was very refreshing to hear. It showed me that these guys do care. Not that I doubted it, but if anyone needed confirmation, there it is. ESPN reports also indicated that Wade, James and Anthony threatened to leave the talks following that incident out of frustration, before Hunter talked them into staying another hour. Both sides are back at it today and possibly tomorrow with absolutely no time to waste.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook
