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Berger On NBPA, Mavs, Grizzlies, Oden, Young

January 17th, 2013 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

It's been months since Derek Fisher, Billy Hunter, and the NBPA were making headlines, but the law firm hired to look into how the Players' Association has spent its money and conducted its business is nearly ready to release the results, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. While it's not clear exactly what the report will reveal, several players believe the union needs a change in leadership, and are hoping Hunter will step down from his post even if the report exonerates him of any wrongdoing, according to Berger.

The latest edition of Berger's "Postups" column also features some trade rumblings, so let's round those up….

Mark Cuban's declaration this week that the "Bank of Cuban" is open was met with indifference by some rival executives, who don't see many attractive assets on the Mavericks besides Dirk Nowitzki. "I don't think anybody is in a hurry to get [Chris] Kaman or [Elton] Brand and all that stuff," a rival executive said. "Unless he's trying to take a contract that's loaded."
Since Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien is determined to make a good basketball trade rather than just dumping salary, there's a growing sense that Memphis will hang on to Rudy Gay and others, and deal with the team's cap and tax issues over the summer. I suggested as much when I looked at the Grizzlies' cap situation earlier this week.
While Greg Oden doesn't expect to return to action until next season, he hopes to sign with an NBA team in the next month to get into a training and conditioning program with a club. The Celtics are monitoring Oden's progress, and Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com reports that the Spurs and Cavaliers have also expressed interest.
Berger suggests that Nick Young is worth keeping an eye on as the trade deadline approaches, since his expiring contract could be valuable for a team in need of a scorer. The Sixers are currently four games out of a playoff spot — if they fall any further back, it definitely wouldn't surprise me to see them consider selling off pieces like Young.

Player Reps Never Approved Hunter’s Contract

January 17th, 2013 at 7:15am CST by Luke Adams

7:15pm: Hunter has issued a statement in response to the report, defending himself against the allegations and promising to work with NBPA officials to move forward (transcript via Ken Berger of CBSSports.com),

1:38pm: According to Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News (Twitter link), the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison report on the NBA union has concluded that Hunter didn't engage in criminal acts. However, he put his own interests ahead of the union's, and the NBPA should consider whether he ought to remain the executive director.

11:36am: The player representatives for the 30 NBA teams never formally approved a $15MM contract extension for NBPA executive director Billy Hunter, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The five-year deal, which was signed in 2010, is in possible violation of the NBPA's constitution, raising questions about Hunter's future with the union.

Hunter signed the contract extension at an executive committee meeting in June of 2010, but never brought it for a vote to the 30 team player representatives. appearing to violate a section of the NBPA's consitution that Wojnarowski passes along:

"The appointment of an Executive Director, and the terms of his employment contract, must be approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the combined total of all Board of Player Representatives and Executive Committee members."

As Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported earlier today, the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison has been investigating how the Players' Association has spent its money and conducted its business, and is on the verge of releasing the results. Berger suggested that many players believe it's time for a change in union leadership, and noted that several prominent agents have already begun reaching out to potential replacements for Hunter in the event that he steps down. Ronald Schechtman, the managing partner and chairman for the Pryor Cashman firm's Labor and Employment Group in New York, told Wojnarowski that the decision may not even be up to Hunter.

"They may have grounds to terminate his employment because he has no legal agreement," Shechtman said. "Even if he does have a binding agreement, he may have breached that agreement, and there may be cause to terminate him…. It's up to the leadership of the union to take whatever action is appropriate."

Billy Hunter

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.

Hunter Promises Player Input On Olympic Age Limit

August 3rd, 2012 at 6:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

A recent piece written by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports suggested Billy Hunter, executive director of the players union, was "too weakened and distracted" from the recent discord within the union to put up much of a fight against a move to limit the Olympics to players age 23 and under. Hunter, who has a seat on USA Basketball's board of directors, insists the players will have a voice in any discussion of an age limit, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes.

"Whatever the players decide, that's what I'll end up supporting," the union chief said. "They don't want anybody being able to dictate whether they can or cannot do that."

NBA commissioner David Stern told Zillgitt last week that he's in no rush to push for an age limit, and Hunter, who said he met with Stern two days ago, echoed that an age limit is still a long way from becoming reality. There are no meetings scheduled to discuss the topic, though USA basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo wants to begin formal talks shortly following the London Games.

Stern, at the behest of Mark Cuban and other owners who've expressed displeasure about allowing NBA players to take part in competitions that aren't under NBA control, has spoken publicly about engaging FIBA in discussion on limiting player participation in the Olympics and funneling them into the World Cup of basketball, a rebranded World Championships that would take place every four years under some kind of partnership between FIBA and the NBA.

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.

Latest On Discord In Players Union

April 25th, 2012 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The turmoil among NBPA leadership continues to dominate headlines as the Association hopes to turn the focus to its postseason, which will get underway this weekend. Here are today's updates on the conflict involving Derek Fisher, Billy Hunter, and the NBA players union, with the latest up top:

A lengthy Yahoo! Sports investigation delves deep into how exactly Hunter's relatives are connected to the players union. Adrian Wojnarowski and Rand Getlin report that the NBPA executive director sought a $7MM+ investment from the union for a bank with ties to his son.
The union's executive committee sent out a memo to player representatives that depicted union president Fisher as a "rogue leader who has been deliquent in his duties since the end of the lockout," reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. The memo says the executive committee has become "increasingly concerned" by Fisher's actions and presents a timeline of events that led them to call for Fisher's resignation.
Hunter defended himself against accusations of nepotism, telling Howard Beck of the New York Times that "there's nothing illegal" about a payroll that includes a number of Hunter's relatives, who he says are highly qualified for their positions.
At the Huffington Post, Etan Thomas, a member of the executive committee, wrote an open letter to Hunter and Fisher calling out both men for their recent actions and imploring Fisher to resign.

Latest On Derek Fisher, NBPA

April 23rd, 2012 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA Players' Association is beginning the process of conducting an independent review of the union, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The NBPA is hoping Derek Fisher will voluntarily step down as union president now that the business review process is underway.

A group of player representatives headed by James Jones will begin the process of selecting a management consulting firm to conduct the review, potentially with input from the MLB or NHL players unions, according to Berger. Part of the reason the executive committe was initially upset with Fisher's call for a review was Fisher's decision to use the law firm Patton Boggs without consulting all the executives, says TNT's David Aldridge.

It's unclear what Fisher expects the business review to uncover. Aldridge hears that Fisher claimed to have sources inside the union that said things weren't right and a review concerning the appropriation of funds was needed. According to Berger, the NBPA's business relationships and "hiring the right people for the right jobs" are a pair of issues that concern Fisher. A report over the weekend suggested that Billy Hunter had multiple family members working for the NBPA, but Aldridge's source says "nepotism is not the issue [Fisher]'s calling for a review of."

Both Berger and Aldridge conclude that things may get messier before they get better. One of Aldridge's sources said Hunter and Fisher were "both guilty of not communicating better, making sure that everybody is on the same page." You can catch up on the discord in the players' union with our posts on the subject here and here.

Latest On Discord In Players Union

April 21st, 2012 at 4:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:15pm: Evans says Fisher did not participate in a conference call the committee set up to give Fisher and Hunter a chance to share their sides of the story following the audit request, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Evans is upset the union's business has gone public, and says that Fisher has not been absent from many union activities of late.

4:03pm: Derek Fisher remains committed to staying as president of the National Basketball Players Association, even as the NBPA executive committee has voted 8-0 to ask for his resignation. Still, Fisher's opponents seem to have a replacement already lined up, as Maurice Evans tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that he believes fellow committee member Chris Paul will be the next president.

“He played an intricate role during the lockout and throughout the negotiations," Evans said of Paul. "He has the confidence of a lot of guys on the board and around the NBA. Going forward, we believe that he would do a great job. That has yet to be determined or voted on and we’ll address those matters down the road. For now, we’ll continue to support every member of the executive committee and value every member’s opinions.”

It's unclear what must happen for Fisher to be removed from his post. SI.com's Sam Amick says union bylaws are unclear on whether Fisher can be forced out if he refuses to go. Kennedy writes that Fisher may reconsider if the 30 team representatives join the executive committee in calling for him to resign, but as we heard yesterday, not all the player reps oppose Fisher.

The controversy was stirred earlier in the week when Fisher called for an audit of the union's finances. According to Evans, Fisher alleged that executive director Billy Hunter engaged in misappropriation of funds, poorly handled decisions during the lockout, and allowed nepotism take hold in the union office. Three members of Hunter's family work in some capacity for the union, while a fourth was used as outside counsel during the lockout, Amick reports.

A routine financial audit in February found no issues, Kennedy writes, and Evans rejects the notion that the committee is standing in the way of transparency, calling for the union to move forward with its business. There have been allegations that Fisher worked out a deal on the side between himself and the league during the lockout, and though Evans said some of Fisher's actions have been questionable, he wouldn't specifically confirm claims of a side deal, according to Kennedy.

NBPA Wants Derek Fisher Out As President

April 20th, 2012 at 4:44pm CST by Michael Pina

4:44pm: The NBPA confirmed in a series of tweets today that it has asked for Fisher's resignation. Maurice Evans, a member of the executive committe, spoke to Craig Stouffer of the Washington Examiner about the issue, explaining why the executive committee wants Fisher to step down.

"We sent out a letter on behalf of the entire board to Derek, telling Derek that we have appreciated his leadership up until this point, up until the lockout," Evans said. "From the end of the lockout to now, we have been dissatisfied with his actions. There's been a number of actions that have been questionable, and that have lost him the confidence of the board, not the other players, because the other players are not up to speed with what's going on."

2:27pm: Fisher made a brief statement on the issue at the Thunder's shootaround today, saying that he takes his position very seriously and that he's fighting for what's best for the players. Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman has the full transcript of Fisher's comments.

12:03pm: Not all the player reps are on board with ousting Fisher. One player rep told Wojnarowski, "Before we let Billy [Hunter] do anything else, I want an audit of this union… A lot of guys feel that way."

11:40am: Hunter is pursuing a call of team player reps today to vote on removing Fisher from his position, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski. Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that it's unclear just how much power the player reps have in the decision.

FRIDAY, 10:35am: In a letter to executive committee members, Fisher urged them to live up to their "fiduciary responsibility" and vowed not to resign, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

"He's lost the confidence of the players and he's not representing our interests," one union member told Berger. "We gave him the courtesy of having the option to resign without letting this thing get messy."

THURSDAY, 10:11pm: Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Billy Hunter, the executive director of the NBA Player's Association, has convinced the union's executive committee to seek the resignation of the organization's president, Derek Fisher.

Reportedly, the main reason for their fallout came when a power struggle occurred after Fisher convinced the executive committee to vote for an independent auditor to look into the union's finances. Hunter then turned around and convinced the committee that an audit wasn't necessary, and that they should instead try to oust Fisher from his position.

Mistrust between the Player's Association's two most public figures was first created during the lockout, when various players were forced to choose which side they trusted. As it stands, Fisher refuses to step down, and has two years left to serve as NBAPA president. Hunter has three-plus years left on his contract.

Hunter Discusses Future, Next CBA

March 1st, 2012 at 10:08pm CST by Sean Highkin

SI.com's Sam Amick interviewed National Basketball Players Association general counsel Billy Hunter, and the players' chief attorney discussed the recently-negotiated CBA, his future as an NBPA executive, and the next CBA the players' union will negotiate, probably in 2017. Here are the highlights:

Hunter is not paying attention to the backlash to his performance during the recent CBA negotiations, saying that criticism simply comes with the job.
Hunter is under contract through 2016, and strongly hints that he will step down when his deal expires.
The players and owners have an opt-out clause in the current CBA that can be used after the 2016/17, and Amick believes it will almost certainly be used by one of the sides.