Mother's Day!

"The NBA Players Union just washed it away!"

Last summer I wrote a joint entitled, “Flip Flopping The Money!” about how the NBA players had all of the leverage if they would use it properly. Basketball is a global sport that has revenue all over the world. I always tell folks that there is no shortage of money out here. You just have to put yourself in a position to get it.

The league wouldn't be in a lockout right now if the star players wouldn't have been bluffing last summer. Everybody would still be getting paid right now. Remember when boyz were threatening to go overseas and play? Why hasn't anybody done that? There were several big time guys like Kobe and Darin Williams that had deals on the table to play overseas until the lockout was over. If the players had taken those deals, the flood gates would have opened for other superstars to sign with teams as well. Sure, the money wouldn't have been great but it would have put the owners on notice that big time players don't NEED the money bruh.

At that point the league would have to put something on the table that players would accept because they would have been stuck with the bottom end of rosters. Stars like Kobe, LeBron and D. Wade don't need the money so they could have been the leverage the players union needed. That would have put the league on their knees because the NBA can’t survive without its superstars. Therefore, forcing the negotiations to take place very quickly.

The players that NEED the money are the cats that are making $600K to a $1 million a year. They’re the guys that are hurting because that pay check on the 15^th didn’t show up. It was like Mother’s Day (the 1^st of the month) in the projects. By the way, there are two places that you must avoid on Mother's Day; McDonalds and Foot Locker! Boyz were waiting at the mail box but the only thing that came were bills. The superstars can run around and play flag football for the next ten years and it won't make a difference to them because they've got enough bread.

 The knuckle head that's making $800K per year that owns a $350K Bentley, wearing $100K worth of jewelry, living in a $1 million home and has 4 kids by 3 different women is the guy that NEEDED to get a deal done yesterday. He came through my crib and borrowed money last night.

In March of 2009 there was a very interesting article in Sports Illustrated entitled, "How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke" that broke down two important points:

1. By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce.
2. Within five years of retirement, an estimated 60% of former NBA players are broke.

Like I always say, if you aren't highly skilled in the art of negotiation and don't know how to use leverage to your advantage. Don't try to sit down with cats that play money for a living because you're in way over your head bruh.

All the players union had to do last summer was sit down with all of the star players from each team and convince them to go to Europe. Sign the deals that were on the table and let us handle the owners from here. The NBA makes a living by marketing its star players. The commerical on Christmas doesn't say Lakers vs Heat. It says Kobe vs LeBron! Without the stars the league can't survive. 

 Now that the first check has come up missing boyz will get this thing settled real quick like and it‘ll be business as usual.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Twitter: @jaygravesreport