NBA commissioner David Stern the improvements to the
league may not be noticed right away, but the "tortured journey" of
the 161-day lockout will prove to be worth it.
Together with an expanded revenue sharing program, Stern
said teams and fans will see an improved league in coming years.
"It's a new beginning in a way," he said.
"It's going to take a couple of years to work its way out, but we're very
excited about its prospects." The 10-year deal promises owners savings of
perhaps a quarter billion dollars a year but largely leaves intact the soft
salary cap system that the players fought hard to maintain.
Stern and Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver announced the
deal during a press conference, putting an end to nearly two years of difficult
negotiations that resulted in the second shortened season in NBA history. A
66-game schedule will begin on Christmas and run through April 26, forcing
every team to play on three straight nights at least once.
Owners approved the deal, which allows either side to opt
out after six years, by a 25-5 vote. The players' association said 86 percent
of the more than 200 players who voted electronically approved the deal.
Owners also agreed to an expanded revenue sharing plan,
and Stern called both agreements "a watershed moment" for the league.
The plan, which will begin in 2013-14, more than quadruples the revenue
currently shared by teams, with Stern saying they could now receive in excess
of $20 million and at least six teams could pay $50 million into the plan.
Saying they lost hundreds of millions a year under the
old collective bargaining agreement, ratified in 2005, and believing that it
favored large-market teams, owners sought significant changes in these
negotiations. They refused an option to let the CBA run another year and opened
the process in January 2010 with a proposal that called for a hard cap, the
elimination of guaranteed contracts, rollbacks of current salaries and a
massive reduction in the players' share of basketball-related income.
Owners locked out the players on July 1 when the old deal
expired, and they reached a tentative deal on the main issues around 3 a.m.
Nov. 26, heading off the potential of a canceled season and avoiding a possibly
costly and lengthy court battle if the players had proceeded with an antitrust
lawsuit.
The remaining issues finally were agreed to late Thursday
morning, after players already had begun voting electronically.
Though owners insisted they wanted competitive balance
just as much as a chance for profit, there's no proof yet they achieved it.
Trade rumors involving All-Stars Chris Paul of New Orleans and Dwight Howard of
Orlando had them landing in major markets, whose teams cleaned up during most
of the old deal, when the Lakers, Celtics and Mavericks claimed the last four
championships.
Stern knows the owners, particularly in the small
markets, didn't get everything they wanted, but he said "this is going to
be a more competitive league over time." "While it's not perfect, the
deal addresses significant issues on both sides in a very productive way, we
believe," he added.
