If Raptors used scabs would you go?

[Apollo]

My answer would depend on the price of a ticket.

[joey_hesketh]

How many people here are going to go and pay money to watch an NBL game? Like, actually.
Only the most hardcore of basketball fans.

I might, but mostly out of curiousity... and to see if have any shot of making it. hahah

[charlz]

.....The problem is the players earning much more than their worth. The current system allows a guy to mail it in after he signs a lucrative contract (Eddy Curry is an over used but phenomenal example) or allows 'average' players to take advantage of the MLE or Bird's Rights to get much more money than they are worth....
The current system is a lose/lose proposition for owners, in my opinion. It really shows why successful drafting is so important and being stuck in Pacer-ville is pretty much as painful as TWolve-ville.

thank you those are my two big points - I am glad someone gets it.

That is why I would go to the games to support the owners position - not because I would care for the competition.

Right now the whole league is geared to serve the top 5 franchises and most of the top 30 players... everyone else just has to play along... to play along while loosing money as so many of the have-nots are doing is not working.

[NoPropsneeded]

soo would NBL players be eligible for the NBA draft?

[big_chris]

Since FIBA has ok'ed NBA players going over seas it dramatically limits the 'starve out' factor for the owners of this stalemate... and if you don't know yet this is a BIG one!

Since I sit with the owners on this one I would go and watch scabs play @ ACC as a show of support. (assuming ticket prices were lower to reflect product).

Toronto fans should support scabs because it is one of the markets that have been hurt most by the power of player free agency. Owners need more power to ensure that the same half dozen teams don't keep winning all the titles.

Imagine the day of non-guaranteed contracts? yogi? hedo? calderon? Kapono? Hakeem Olajuwon? Not just the owners - the fans would get more joy and not be saddled with crappy product for years while waiting for - underachievers contracts to expire.

With teams like the Lakers, Bulls, Knicks, etc, tied up with long term contracts... wouldn't making contracts non-guarenteed actually help the 'have' teams even more? The Bulls can't get in on the D-12 sweepstakes... but if you let them cut Boozer... If you gave the ability to cut players to the Lakers, they could go on a 10 year streak where they sign the best player in free agency, 10 years in a row if they wanted. If Miami was allowed to cut Bosh to sign Howard they would. If they were allowed to cut Wade once age started showing, they would, and they would use that space to take Derozan off our hands.

[stretch]

I have been a union member for the better part of 35 years so I could not under any circumstance support scab labour.

Having said that, I don't go to NBA games or any other professional sporting event. I haven't been to one in about 12 years. I prefer watching them on TV or the internet.

[Tim W.]

I have been a union member for the better part of 35 years so I could not under any circumstance support scab labour.

Having said that, I don't go to NBA games or any other professional sporting event. I haven't been to one in about 12 years. I prefer watching them on TV or the internet.

Do you really feel much solidarity to mega rich NBA players?

[stretch]

No solidarity with NBA players, they are elite, talented beyond normal mortals, and well compensated for normally, but I think I can safely say this for 99% of unionized labour in that there is a universal distaste for scab labour.

[joey_hesketh]

Also keep in the mind, that in the US, any Employer that is Locking out his employees, can only hire temporary replacements.
In a Union Strike, they may hire permanent replacements.

[Apollo]

How many people here are going to go and pay money to watch an NBL game? Like, actually.
Only the most hardcore of basketball fans.

I might, but mostly out of curiousity... and to see if have any shot of making it. hahah

No offense to the CFL, because it is exciting, but lots of people pay to go see that and that's significantly sub-par to the NFL. Buffalo isn't that far away.

NCAA basketball sells out huge arenas all the time and most those guys in NBADL were stars of their teams in the NCAA.

[charlz]

With teams like the Lakers, Bulls, Knicks, etc, tied up with long term contracts... wouldn't making contracts non-guarenteed actually help the 'have' teams even more? The Bulls can't get in on the D-12 sweepstakes... but if you let them cut Boozer... If you gave the ability to cut players to the Lakers, they could go on a 10 year streak where they sign the best player in free agency, 10 years in a row if they wanted. If Miami was allowed to cut Bosh to sign Howard they would. If they were allowed to cut Wade once age started showing, they would, and they would use that space to take Derozan off our hands.

I understand your point - but it is still the lesser of two evils. The league on a whole would be better - players would have the same type of accountability to preform as the rest of us do.

If contracts were not guaranteed do you think Hedo woulda called in sick so he could go for drinks in Yorkville?

[Hassan]

the owners aren't worried about players going overseas. Europe is a mess, especially greece where players like childress have made some good coin. There's no way their threats to go over there will lead to anything substantial. If they do go, then the culture shock will be enough to push them home. It works out for some guys, but with the chance to stay at home, stay in luxury hotels, have chartered flights and make more than 100% of their european contracts no one will go there to stay. The players want to be in the NBA. I too am on the owners side. I don't think they're looking to destroy what the players have, I think they just want a system that works better and doesn't allow for one team to hoard all of the leagues talent.

ya what lebron wade and bosh have done should not e allowed to happen we need franchise tags in basketball

[EaseMyPain]

Who can take sides when these guys are all making a ton of cash off of those of us Lebron says have to go to their jobs everyday and live their lives of shit?

The fan is the one who pays and gets screwed. The millionaires like the system that gets the Billionaires to lose their heads and pay the Hedo Turks of the world ridiculous money. The Billionaires are supposed to be better than this business stuff.

As much as I hated Lebron/Wade/Bosh, I did not mind when I put it into the perspective of how Riley screwed the Cavs and Raps. No one had to pay them. We are pissed because Bosh would not take a max contract - way too much for what he is worth - from us. We should be proud. As always, the richest ones are the most hypocritical and the least wealthier are the idiots holding the system all up. Did the league not generate the most from the Miami girls getting together.

Why do they not just keep the same formula for the salary cap and the threshold, but institute a hard cap? Why, because the teams that drive league revenue are the ones who are way over the limits. That would provide parity and keep serious player money in the system. And it would make teams think closely about locking themselves into Hedo.

[Apollo]

I take the side of the owners because what they propose could make the Raptors more competitive. Beyond that I don't really care about this public stare down.