How The World Came To Say NAH to the NBA
Oct 29, 2013 12:54:43 GMT
Post by Jestor on Oct 29, 2013 12:54:43 GMT
Court Case, Gambling Scandal Undid NBA
Ed O'Bannon's lawsuit against the NCAA echoed throughout the world of sports
After years of legal wrangling and debate that went all the way up to the Supreme Court, the plaintiffs won in the landmark O'Bannon vs. NCAA court case. While the ramifications of the lawsuit on its original target, that of college sports, have yet to be sorted it out, O'Bannon's success paradoxically had the greatest impact on the eventual demise of the NBA. Players on their rookie contracts almost immediately filed suit against the NBA, declaring that the fourth year team option on rookie contracts was a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, and that it unfairly restricted them from a year's worth of lucrative earnings by forcing them to accept grossly below-value contracts in that final season. The NBA in counterpoint argued that it wasn't, and further argued that the legal question involved in the suit had nothing to do with the O'Bannon precedent.
The rookie players did not go after the third year of their contract, because under the NBA's CBA, a team who had three years of Bird rights on a player, including rookies, could then offer more money and more years to that player, and by attacking both option years, the rookies would be robbing themselves of extra money by way of preventing themselves from being fully vested in their Bird years, and that would run counter to the purpose of the lawsuit.
While all of this was going on, a second, far greater blow struck the embattled NBA.
Former referee Tim Donaghy set off a Department of Justice investigation
The Tim Donaghy refereeing scandal first came to light in 2007, but it wasn't until a few years later, during the NBA's legal dispute with its rookie contract players, that the Department of Justice finally decided to act and investigate the scandal further to see if they could uncover greater malfeasance on the league's part. A firestorm erupted when the DoJ's findings revealed a years-long scheme by commissioner David Stern and others to fix games in favor of the NBA's premiere franchises, such as the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The report also proved without even the slightest shadow of a doubt that, much as NBA observers had believed for years, referees were instructed to give preferential treatment to the game's biggest stars, like Lebron James, in order to keep them in the game as long as possible, and allow them to boost their statistics and visibility.
Although Stern announced his immediate retirement and anointed Adam Silver as his replacement to try and contain the damage, the bleeding caused by these two events was far too great to overcome, and a short time later, the NBA was officially disbanded. The former team owners met to decide what course of action to take next. Even with the death of the NBA and all the flaws previous to the league's demise, it was clear that professional basketball was a sport that enjoyed great popularity in the United States, and with an ever-declining interest in baseball, there still existed opportunity to become the nation's number two sport behind football.
Clearly, it would be best to retain the same teams as the former NBA - After all, the infrastructure and expert knowledge to run a successful league right out of the gate was there. But there needed to be drastic changes, or it would simply be a case of the old NBA, just in a flashy new outfit. To that end, the newly named Neon Age Hoops (NAH) established the following principles as part of its formation and incorporation:
1. All players would be released from their teams and a dispersal draft held. To avoid legal complications, they would still be under their old NBA contracts.
One of the biggest problems of the old NBA was a disparity in talent level between the teams. Only a select few franchises were genuinely capable of competing for the league title, and on the other extreme were teams like the Charlotte Bobcats (soon to become the Charlotte Hornets), who wallowed in woefulness. A dispersal draft would give every team in the league an exciting, fresh new start, and genuine hopes for competitiveness each season.
2. The fourth year rookie option was formally abolished.
Rather than risk the potential re-opening of the lawsuit, the new NAH leadership decided that they would simply get rid of the fourth year rookie option and appease the rookies. It would also lead to a more dynamic and intriguing free agency period. This latter line of thinking led to the next change.
3. In-season contract extensions were banned.
Although this would anger GMs and purists who preferred to see players stick with one team their entire career, or at least the most productive phases of it, this change meant that free agency would always have top-shelf players on the market, and generate year-round interest in the sport. This became particularly important given that free agency occurs during the summer months, when the main competitor is baseball - the very sport the NAH is attempting to overtake as the US's second most popular professional sport.
Other details are still to be worked out in the forthcoming CBA, but those three principles are set in stone and represent the biggest shift from the NBA to the NAH. Even more radical changes could potentially be forthcoming, including a possible elimination of trade restrictions, although that particular game-changer was not expected to pass as of press time.
Ed O'Bannon's lawsuit against the NCAA echoed throughout the world of sports
After years of legal wrangling and debate that went all the way up to the Supreme Court, the plaintiffs won in the landmark O'Bannon vs. NCAA court case. While the ramifications of the lawsuit on its original target, that of college sports, have yet to be sorted it out, O'Bannon's success paradoxically had the greatest impact on the eventual demise of the NBA. Players on their rookie contracts almost immediately filed suit against the NBA, declaring that the fourth year team option on rookie contracts was a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, and that it unfairly restricted them from a year's worth of lucrative earnings by forcing them to accept grossly below-value contracts in that final season. The NBA in counterpoint argued that it wasn't, and further argued that the legal question involved in the suit had nothing to do with the O'Bannon precedent.
The rookie players did not go after the third year of their contract, because under the NBA's CBA, a team who had three years of Bird rights on a player, including rookies, could then offer more money and more years to that player, and by attacking both option years, the rookies would be robbing themselves of extra money by way of preventing themselves from being fully vested in their Bird years, and that would run counter to the purpose of the lawsuit.
While all of this was going on, a second, far greater blow struck the embattled NBA.
Former referee Tim Donaghy set off a Department of Justice investigation
The Tim Donaghy refereeing scandal first came to light in 2007, but it wasn't until a few years later, during the NBA's legal dispute with its rookie contract players, that the Department of Justice finally decided to act and investigate the scandal further to see if they could uncover greater malfeasance on the league's part. A firestorm erupted when the DoJ's findings revealed a years-long scheme by commissioner David Stern and others to fix games in favor of the NBA's premiere franchises, such as the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The report also proved without even the slightest shadow of a doubt that, much as NBA observers had believed for years, referees were instructed to give preferential treatment to the game's biggest stars, like Lebron James, in order to keep them in the game as long as possible, and allow them to boost their statistics and visibility.
Although Stern announced his immediate retirement and anointed Adam Silver as his replacement to try and contain the damage, the bleeding caused by these two events was far too great to overcome, and a short time later, the NBA was officially disbanded. The former team owners met to decide what course of action to take next. Even with the death of the NBA and all the flaws previous to the league's demise, it was clear that professional basketball was a sport that enjoyed great popularity in the United States, and with an ever-declining interest in baseball, there still existed opportunity to become the nation's number two sport behind football.
Clearly, it would be best to retain the same teams as the former NBA - After all, the infrastructure and expert knowledge to run a successful league right out of the gate was there. But there needed to be drastic changes, or it would simply be a case of the old NBA, just in a flashy new outfit. To that end, the newly named Neon Age Hoops (NAH) established the following principles as part of its formation and incorporation:
1. All players would be released from their teams and a dispersal draft held. To avoid legal complications, they would still be under their old NBA contracts.
One of the biggest problems of the old NBA was a disparity in talent level between the teams. Only a select few franchises were genuinely capable of competing for the league title, and on the other extreme were teams like the Charlotte Bobcats (soon to become the Charlotte Hornets), who wallowed in woefulness. A dispersal draft would give every team in the league an exciting, fresh new start, and genuine hopes for competitiveness each season.
2. The fourth year rookie option was formally abolished.
Rather than risk the potential re-opening of the lawsuit, the new NAH leadership decided that they would simply get rid of the fourth year rookie option and appease the rookies. It would also lead to a more dynamic and intriguing free agency period. This latter line of thinking led to the next change.
3. In-season contract extensions were banned.
Although this would anger GMs and purists who preferred to see players stick with one team their entire career, or at least the most productive phases of it, this change meant that free agency would always have top-shelf players on the market, and generate year-round interest in the sport. This became particularly important given that free agency occurs during the summer months, when the main competitor is baseball - the very sport the NAH is attempting to overtake as the US's second most popular professional sport.
Other details are still to be worked out in the forthcoming CBA, but those three principles are set in stone and represent the biggest shift from the NBA to the NAH. Even more radical changes could potentially be forthcoming, including a possible elimination of trade restrictions, although that particular game-changer was not expected to pass as of press time.