LAS VEGAS -- NBA Players Association director Billy Hunter wouldn't get specific as to what is in the collective bargaining agreement counterproposal the union sent the NBA three weeks ago. But it's no surprise what he said is the gist of it."It is the status quo,'' Hunter said in an interview Friday with FanHouse. "No question about it.''
With the NBA now claiming it lost $370 million last season, down from the projected $400 million figure commissioner David Stern provided last February, owners then sent the union a proposal calling for a significant cut in salaries after the current CBA expires June 30, 2011. Union officials rejected it outright, and said they would be sending a counterproposal.
The union's draft reached NBA officials in early July, and Hunter said there still have "been no comments at all from them about our proposal.'' Hunter, though, expects to hear something soon from the NBA, and then plans to offer some specifics on what the union proposal entails.
After the CBA expires next summer, many believe there will then be a lockout due to the two sides being far apart. Hunter has said he wants his players to be prepared for that possibility.
"Our contention is that the league is doing extremely well, and we hope to demonstrate that if and when we get together,'' Hunter said about why he doesn't have a problem with the current CBA in place. "We hope to demonstrate that to them, to go through our analysis of what the financial situation is.''
Hunter doesn't agree with Stern's contention about losses of $370 million. But he wants to state his case personally to Stern.
"I'm going to wait and talk to David and eyeball him and give him my interpretation,'' Hunter said. "We hope to hear from them any time. I've gotten word that they're going to be reaching out to us, and I'm just waiting to hear from them.''
Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson
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