Lockout Terms To Know

Ok so here are some terms you will become all to familiar with during this NBA Lockout. Some you might know some you might not.

CBA- Collective Bargaining Agreement. I hope most people know this one but basically the CBA is the agreement that governs how the NBA is run. It is like the road map for everything. We do not have one in place and hence you have the owners locking out the players until on is in place.

BRI- Basketball Related Income. This is something that will be debated as to what is actually basketball related income. Things like parking revenue and other things. How you define it is open to interpretation and Players will consider almost everything part or the mix while owners will define it in very narrow terms.

MLE- Mid Level Exception. It is a loop hole under the old CBA that allows teams over the cap to still sign a player or players at a set amount based on where the cap is and some other factors. There has been talk the owners would like to eliminate it and players obviously are against this as it is a step closer to a hard cap system.

Hard Cap- Basically it is what it sound like. The Cap number is what it is with no exceptions. Owners want it to have cost certainty and the players do not as it would control salaries and basically cap them at a set number.

Non Guaranteed Contracts- The NFL has these and it allows teams the flexibility to cut loose players regardless of years remaining. Players are against this because it would make it very easy to ditch a player without really having to justify it. So it would give a huge level of control to ownership.

Franchise Tag- It is a exception to allowing a player to hit the open market. NFL has had this for years. How it works in that league is a player can have this tag placed on them by the team and they will be given a contract based on the averages paid to a player in similar circumstances. It allows teams an eliminate of control and makes it harder for things like what happened in Miami to occur. If Leborn James was franchised tagged by the Cavs he would have to sign with them for that set amount or come to another agreement with them. It is a short term solution that allows teams to hang on to a player an extra year.

Profit Split- Basically this is what is sounds like. The debate will be about the % of profits that should go to Salaries and the players. A couple of percentage points might not seem like a lot or to lose a season over but over the life of a deal it could mean big bucks.

Profit Sharing- The amount of money shared between the owners. You might say why should players care about this? Simple answer is the more teams that are viable and have money to spend the more chance there is to make money for the players.

Rookie Pay Scale- The set amount that rookies are paid upon entry into the league. This is already in place and owners would likely want to reduce these numbers. Players want it as is one would figure. Draft busts need to get paid isn't that right Big Country?

Those are just some of the terms you will become all to familiar with over the lockout. I could probably list more but this is not going to be a short affair so I got to pace myself.

In terms of the blog probably a couple more posts on the lockout and then will be taking a 2 week Vacation/lockout break and see where things stand. If you have ideas on how we can keep you entertained and engaged during the lockout would love to hear them.