Day: August 4, 2011

Billy Hunter thinks entire 2011-12 NBA season will be lost

Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News (blog) reports:

A huge gap in negotiations has convinced NBA Players Association executive director Billy Hunter that entire 2011-12 season will be wiped out because of the lockout.

Hunter told the Baltimore Sun that players and owners are $800 million apart, even after a round negotiations after the lockout began July 1.

A new group of owners strapped with high debt-service costs has helped changed the dynamics for NBA commissioner David Stern’s negotiating strategy.

“The circumstances have changed among his constituency,” said Hunter, the NBAPA’s executive director since 1996. “In the last six or seven years, there is a new group of owners to come in who paid a premium for their franchises, and what they’re doing is kind of holding his feet to the fire.”

That change limits Hunter’s confidence about a quick end to the lockout.

Was Dwyane Wade offered $2 million per month to play in China?

Dwyane Wade takes it home!

It’s quite probable we have a lost in translation moment here — and there are a lot of those when it comes to overseas sports media outlets in very far-away places — but if not, Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade may have been offered a lot of money to take his talents to China.

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:

Dwyane Wade’s tour of China was designed to promote the products he endorses. He apparently has done a decent job of promoting himself, as well.

The Chengdu Daily is reporting that Chinese Basketball Association team Zhejiang Guangsha has offered the Miami Heat guard $2 million per month to play in Hangzhou, where Wade visited last week.

While the Chinese basketball site niubball.com reported that the offer was denied by a Zhejiang Lions team official, Wade continues to remain noncommittal about his plans amid the NBA lockout.

“We are not there yet,” Wade told the China Daily. “We are going to start working out. The time to consider that has not come.”

Again, I tend to be very hesitant to believe such reports. One outlet in China says one thing, while on-record officials, and other outlets deny it. So, take this with a grain of salt.

But perhaps it’s a sign of things to come in the near future.

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