This time, NBA players have plenty of time to analyze a new labor deal negotiated by their union and the league.
An earlier agreement was a rush job, presented to players for a vote less than 48 hours after it was put together. For that reason, one player agent said Wednesday, a revised agreement stands a fair chance of being ratified, bringing an end to a 40-day lockout."The union now won't make the mistake of jamming it down the players' throats," said Bill Duffy, whose clients include Dallas' Jason Kidd, Seattle's Gary Payton and Indiana's Antonio Davis.
Instead, the union will use the time before an Aug. 30 vote to hold several regional meetings to brief a divided membership and sell the proposals' merits. The league will launch its own lobbying effort, communicating to the players through its teams.
"We believe we will win if we're aggressive and effectively communicate to the players and satisfy them it's a good agreement," said Simon Gourdine, the union's executive director. "If we're complacent, we won't win."
What was to have been an Aug. 30 vote on disbanding the union will now serve as a ratification vote. The union has said players can either vote for decertification or for accepting the new contract, which replaces the one players rejected in June.
The other voting day is Sept. 7. More than 400 eligible players can cast ballots either day at regional offices of the National Labor Relations Board. A simple majority will decide both the fate of the union and the revised labor pact, and results will be announced on Sept. 12.
Owners have to ratify the agreement as well, but NBA commissioner David Stern indicated a vote won't take place until the players make their decision.
The NLRB called the election last month after approximately 200 players, led by Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, signed petitions saying they no longer wished to be represented by the union.
One player who signed a decertification petition, Miami's Matt Geiger, told the Palm Beach Post he now supports the new deal.
"I'm very happy," he said. "It sounds like it came a long way from when we wanted to decertify. I feel everybody will go back to the union and the union will be stronger than ever, and the league will be stronger than ever."
If the players vote down the deal, the union would be dissolved. A federal antitrust suit filed by Jordan, Ewing and 14 other players would seek to end the lockout by court order and force a new set of work rules.
To soften the salary cap, the players agreed to partially fund $90 million to $100 million in salary cap exceptions, Gourdine said Wednesday.
In one giveback, their benefits package, originally supposed to increase by $5 million annually to $59 million in the final year of the deal, will instead increase by $3 million a year.
The revised deal doesn't contain a luxury tax, a sticking point with players in the previous pact, and includes a $1 million exception for teams over the salary cap to sign free agents.
Agents on Wednesday were still awaiting details of the deal so they could analyze it and advise their clients.
"It looks like it's good in that it's an affirmation on the owners' part to make concessions," Duffy said. "But until it's analyzed, nobody can make a full determination as to how great of a deal it is. It may not be fully negotiated yet."