National Basketball Players Association Rumors

Billy Hunter Issues Response To Report On NBPA

February 15th, 2013 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA players' union will meet this weekend in Houston to discuss the future of executive director Billy Hunter, along with a handful of other topics. In the wake of a report on the NBPA by the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, Hunter has been placed on indefinite leave in advance of this weekend's meetings.

However, it appears Hunter may not be permitted to attend the Houston meetings to rebut the findings in the Paul Weiss report. Instead, Hunter and his representatives have created a blog, on which they've published a 21-page preliminary response to the report, calling it "disturbing" that Hunter hasn't been invited to Houston to address the players. The blog also includes a PowerPoint presentation that Hunter had hoped to deliver to the union at this weekend's meetings.

Among the points Hunter makes in his response: No criminal acts were found by the Paul Weiss report, Delaware law was observed for the signing of his contract and for hiring decisions, and no cross-examination of the witnesses used in the Paul Weiss report was permitted to assess their credibility. Hunter also points to the progress he's made during his 17-year stint as the union's executive director, including his success in "turning the union's finances around."

Whether or not Hunter ultimately gets the opportunity to address the NBPA in Houston, we heard yesterday that his lawyers plan to present this information directly to union members this weekend.

Latest On Billy Hunter, NBPA

February 14th, 2013 at 9:29pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Recently placed on indefinite leave, NBPA executive director Billy Hunter is prepared to actively pursue efforts to keep his job in the next coming days as the annual player's meeting is set to take place this weekend in Houston (Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today). Facing accusations of nepotism and questions about the approval of his contract, Hunter and his lawyers are prepared to refute the independent report conducted by the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, which says that he failed to properly put the interests of the Union above his personal interests.

"There's no there there…This is an effort to make zero plus zero plus zero equal one," said Corey Worcestor, one of Hunter's lawyers who asserts that his client had done nothing wrong and acted in accordance with union bylaws.

This article from NBA.com indicates that while Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison originally planned to release a supplement to their original report, the New York law firm will hold off for now being that the government is now conducting its own investigation.

Zillgitt writes that the players will need a majority vote from the executive committee in order to fire Hunter, with or without cause. According to his contract, firing with cause would involve finding him guilty of "embezzlement, theft, larceny, material fraud or other acts of dishonesty." In this case, Hunter would be paid for the remainder of the year. Should he be fired without cause, Hunter would accrue all of what he is owed under his current contract, which isn't thought to be a consideration among the players union at this point. Zillgitt also adds the opinion of Geoffrey Rapp, a sports law expert and professor at the Toledo College of Law, who says that the players would likely only focus on the "acts of dishonesty" phrase being that Hunter hasn't been accused of committing embezzlement, theft, or larceny.

According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, J.J. Redick, who serves as the Magic's acting representative to the Union, along with the rest of his teammates in Orlando believe that Hunter's time as executive director is up:"I think most everyone in the NBA has reached the same conclusion, and that’s that we need some change.”

Kyle Korver, who is the Hawks' representative, also weighed in: "I think one of the weaknesses so far at this point has been a lack of communication. I think a lot of us were taken by surprise by a lot of things that supposedly have been found."

While Hunter is expected to release a statement to defend himself, the New York law firm plans to present information directly to union membership this weekend in Houston.

Odds & Ends: Prigioni, Hawks, Kupchak, Bonner

January 20th, 2013 at 1:03pm CST by Chuck Myron

Here's news from around the league on a busy Sunday, with one month and a day to go before the trade deadline:

The Knicks would have offered Pablo Prigioni a contract long before last summer if former coach Mike D'Antoni hadn't been so doubtful of the Spanish leaguer's foot speed, as Marc Berman of the New York Post reveals.
Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer sees plenty of complications to any return of LeBron James to the Cavs.
If Hawks GM Danny Ferry decides to change coaches over the summer, Quin Snyder and Mike Brown would be early favorites, according to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link).
There's speculation Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak could lose his job if the team doesn't make the playoffs, writes Bob Finnan of The News Herald. Finnan rounds up the week's rumors from around the league, and chronicles the rise of agent Rich Paul.
Players union vice president Matt Bonner shared his reaction to a law firm's report about its investigation into the organization's practices, and said he's not interested in succeeding Derek Fisher as union president, as Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News recounts.

Western Notes: Dwight, Fisher, Jack, Maynor

December 23rd, 2012 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Dwight Howard gave an update on his health to Sam Amick of the USA Today, saying he suffers from tingling and an occasional loss of feeling in his feet, and gave a slight hint about his plans for free agency in the summer, expressing a desire to inherit the team's leadership role from Kobe Bryant.

"But there's going to come a day where he's going to be gone, and that's when I have to step in and fill that void and take this team to the next level," Howard said. "That's why I'm here. That's why they wanted me here, and I'm going to do my job and my part to make sure this team gets there – and it starts with me."

We'll surely hear more from Howard in the coming months, but in the meantime, here's more from the Western Conference.

When he signed with the Mavs late last month, Derek Fisher had a handshake agreement with owner Mark Cuban that allowed Fisher to leave if he felt he needed to be with family, as he did when he asked Dallas to release him this week. Jeff Caplan of NBA.com has the details. Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles notes via Twitter that there's no family health issue that led Fisher to leave the team.
Fisher endured a contentious year as president of the player's union, but unless he returns to play in the NBA, it appears his tenure will soon come to an end. Fisher was at odds with other members of the union's executive committee, but as SB Nation's Tom Ziller points out, only four of the nine committee members are still in the league (Twitter link).
Jarrett Jack is satisfied with his backup role with the Warriors, and isn't putting too much thought into his unrestricted free agency next summer, as he tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld. The point guard also said he anticipated the Hornets would trade this past summer when New Orleans selected Austin Rivers with the 10th overall pick.
The HoopsWorld scribe also checks in with Thunder point guard Eric Maynor, another point guard set to become a free agent next summer.

Berger On Josh Smith, Harden, Parity, Union

November 7th, 2012 at 5:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com discusses the willingness of players to speak up about political issues, but also provides insight on several on-court matters, including the suprising play of rookie Damian Lillard and the Blazers. Here's more of what Berger has to share.

While the latest we've heard on Josh Smith indicates the Hawks will most likely hold on to him this year in the final season of his deal, Berger believes there will be plenty of chatter about him as the deadline nears.
Citing the Thunder's need to retain leverage, Berger thinks GM Sam Presti was justified in giving James Harden only one hour to consider the team's final extension offer.
Several team executives think more teams will be hovering around .500 than usual this year, which could be a manifestation of the parity that the new CBA was designed to foster.
A New York law firm that, along with the U.S. Attorney's Office, is conducting a review of the players union's finances and business practices has yet to file its report, even though it was supposed to be finished by the start of the regular season. Bloomberg's Scott Soshnick wrote a few days ago that the investigation was nearing an end, but Berger recently heard from one member of the union's executive committee that there is "no rush" to get the report done.

Billy Hunter’s $3MM Salary Under Investigation

September 29th, 2012 at 2:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

U.S. Department of Labor filings show that player's union executive director Billy Hunter made $3MM for the 2011/12 season, a raise of $600K over the salary he made the previous year, Jeff Zillgitt of USAToday.com reports. Hunter's salary, along with the bylaws and union constitution that allow him to make that much, is part of an internal business review that is also examining charges that Hunter funneled millions of dollars to his relatives, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com hears.

The business review, conducted by a New York law firm, is going on side-by-side with a U.S. Attorney's office investigation. The examinations were prompted by a rift between Hunter and union president Derek Fisher. In April, the union's executive committee asked Fisher to resign, but he has remained in office and, with two years left on his term, has no intention of stepping down, sources tell Berger. Fisher remains unsigned as a player, though, and it's unclear how long he can continue as president if he's not with a team. Seven of the nine seats on the executive committee are up for re-election, but a vote may be postponed until the All-Star Game, Berger reports.

Hunter makes more than union chiefs in the NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball, though at 16 years of service he has the longest tenure amongst his peers in the other sports, Zillgitt writes. The Labor Department filings revealed Hunter's daughter Robyn, a union employee, received a raise last year, while his daughter-in-law, Inaba, who also works for the union, took a paycut. The union increased payments to a pair of firms that each employs a relative of Hunter.

NBPA Under Investigation By U.S. Attorney’s Office

April 27th, 2012 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Already in turmoil as it works through a conflict involving executive director Billy Hunter and president Derek Fisher, the National Basketball Players Association is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney's office, report Scott Soshnick and Mason Levinson of Bloomberg.com.

According to Bloomberg, the union confirmed the news in a statement today, saying "the NBPA will cooperate fully with the government’s investigation." The union has also appointed a six-member committee of player reps and executive committee members to oversee an internal inquiry, including a financial audit.

The NBPA has been in the news frequently this past week, after a call for a business review by Fisher led to the executive committee requesting the union president's resignation. Since then, Hunter has faced accusations of nepotism, with reports suggesting that many of his relatives are on the NBPA's payroll or have business relationships with the union.