Wade Worries Fans Will Leave NBA
BRADENTON, Fla. (CBSMiami.com) – Instead of sitting down at the table and negotiating, the NBA and NBPA have resorted to demagouging each other. For Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, he's saying enough.
In an Associated Press interview, Wade said it's unrealistic to think every NBA team will be competitive every season. Wade said it can be done if a team is managed well.
There's great evidence of this in San Antonio, which is not a major market, but has claimed four NBA championships since 1999. Oklahoma City is also a playoff team that is heading towards a NBA Finals run thanks to great front office work.
Wade also expressed the point that the two sides' leaders have missed during the ongoing feud. Wade said the longer the lockout goes, "the more fans we're going to lose."
Wade's words are nothing new, but given his stature as one of the NBA's foremost stars, carry quite a bit of weight.
Still, the two sides are no closer to getting a deal done and with each regular season game that is cancelled, the further the sides get on the question of money.
Currently, NBA commissioner David Stern is trying to push for a 50/50 split of basketball related income. But the players have stopped at 53 percent, which has the players giving back more than $1 billion of the annual revenue.
Both sides are expected to meet with a federal mediator on Monday and Tuesday.
(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
