derek fisher and union
Hours after the NBPA said in a statement Friday that the executive committee voted 8-0 this week that it had lost confidence in Fisher's ability to lead, Fisher reiterated that he told them he will not step down.
"I, along with many others, are extremely disappointed with the Executive Committee," Fisher said Friday in a statement. "Their demand for my resignation and their need to protect the NBPA management and their own best interests instead of protecting the players we were elected to serve is unfortunate."
Fisher, who recently signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder after playing most of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, has been the union's president since 2006. He led players during the negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement this off-season.
A rift between Fisher and union executive director Billy Hunter seemed to develop during the lockout, Fisher often speaking to the media alone while Hunter left quickly after negotiating sessions.
The rift peaked Wednesday with the executive committee's vote.
"The Executive Committee based its decision on numerous instances over the past six months, where Fisher engaged in conduct detrimental to the union, including acting in contravention of the players' best interests, during collective bargaining, declining to follow the NBPA Constitution, and failing to uphold the duties of the Union President," the statement said.
Fisher said any player may request an independent review of the union's business practices and finances.
"The allegations that are now being directed at me are defamatory," Fisher said. "But I urge our members to order an independent review beginning immediately and that will be proven along with finding out definitively if there are any issues with the NBPA's business practices and finances."
Derek Fisher has said the decertification is in his opinion the best option present for NBA players at this moment. Fisher, who is President of the National Basketball Players Association, was speaking to reporters after the NBPA rejected an ultimatum by Commissioner Stern.
The union had been offered a take or leave it deal by Stern and the owners, which entailed a 50-50 split of the Basketball Related Income and did not have concessions on system issues that the players had demanded. The union, after a meeting on Monday, rejected the proposal and decided to disband and sue the owners on anti-trust basis in a federal court.
"This is the best decision for the players," Derek Fisher said.
Fisher conceded that many different players had different personal issues they had to face up to. Not all players were as financially stable as others who could bear the consequences of sitting out a whole season, but their collective interest lied in a decertification at present.
"I want to reiterate that point, that a lot of individual players have a lot of things personally at stake in terms of their careers and where they stand. And right now they feel it's important -- we all feel it's important to all our players, not just the ones in this room, but our entire group -- that we not only try to get a deal done for today but for the body of NBA players that will come into this league over the next decade and beyond." He said.
The Los Angeles Lakers guard was supported in rejecting the NBA’s offer by all 30 team representatives who attended Monday’s meeting, as well as around 20 other players who showed up.
The NBPA will now go to court to seek the dismissal of the lockout, which they believe is now illegal. There is a 45 day waiting period though before the National Labour Relations Board rubber stamps the decertification.
It had been argued by analysts that the 45 day window could be used for some last gasp negotiation between the two sides. Stances could be softened now as the season would most certainly be lost once the matter reaches a court, and the NBPA still seems to have left room for a deal outside it.
"I don't want to make any assumptions," union VP Keyon Dooling said. "I believe we'll continue to try to get a deal done or let this process play out. I don't know what to expect from this process."
The NBA owners and David Stern though have a much more rigid stance. When Stern presented his last offer to the union, he declared that no more negotiations will be held with players.
He seemed prepared for this perhaps.
Yahoo reports that the push is a united effort that includes the union's public face, Billy Hunter, as well as members of its board.
At the urging of executive director Billy Hunter, the National Basketball Players Association's executive committee has voted to seek the resignation of union president Derek Fisher, sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Fisher has flatly refused to step down and has been working to gather a coalition of players to challenge Hunter's business and financial practices, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Fisher has told peers he will not resign, but rather fight Hunter for further transparency regarding the NBPA.
SI.com confirmed those details after reporting earlier Thursday that tension between Hunter and Fisher was coming to a head.
Fisher, 37, signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder after being traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Houston Rockets in advance of this year's trade deadline.
The news comes just months after Hunter and Fisher led the players' side in negotiations that resulted in a new collective bargaining agreement and ended a five month long lockout. Throughout the negotiations, particularly towards the end, rumors arose of a rift between Fisher and Hunter on key issues, such as the split of basketball-related income.
From the outside, this looks like a classic tug of war for direction and control. Given that Hunter is the experienced professional negotiator, the fact that he is under contract through 2016 (according to SI), and the fact that Fisher is nearing the end of his playing days, it's unclear why Fisher feels he has leverage in pursuing greater transparency if he is receiving push back.
That the rest of the NBPA wouldn't immediately rush to the defense of a 37-year-old president isn't particularly surprising. He is, given the extended cycle of CBA negotiations, the definition of a lame duck. The earliest either side can opt out of the current CBA deal is 2017. Fisher, already one of the league's least efficient players, will be well past 40 by that point and his current term runs up in two years, according to Yahoo.
Perhaps this boils down to Fisher trying to leave a legacy or settle a score. Either way, it looks at first glance as if he's getting more than he bargained for.
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