ESPN’s Henry Abbott has already come out with his list of “Winners and Losers” of the new collective bargaining agreement, and it’s clear that there are more of the former and the latter. But that doesn’t stop some familiar NBA names from being placed among the “Losers.”
For Mark Cuban, Abbott writes, “The good news is he gets to have a season of glory and a chance to defend that title. The bad news is he is said to have wanted a system that would protect him from big losses even as he went all-out to field the most competitive possible team. A stiff luxury tax, however, does not get him there. Now, to protect his bottom line, he’ll have to develop a new skill: spending discipline.”
As for Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Abbott realizes that the Lakers will always be a desintation franchise, but having to “swallow the bitter pill” of revenue sharing is going to be tough for Buss.
David Stern didn’t lose an NBA season on his list of accomplishments and that’s a major point of note in all of this, as is Billy Hunter’s ability to stay involved in the negotiations and play a major role when it was believed he was on the outs.