The NBA lockout gained its first true villain when Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett allegedly helped hijack labor talks a week or so ago. (NBA commissioner David Stern and NBPA executive director Billy Hunter have been reviled for so long that they don't count as villains any more.)

Garnett, the story went, interjected into the discussions to stamp his foot down and launch into one of his patented intimidation acts, sending a message to both the league's owners and his own union leadership that he was there to draw a line in the sand. Garnett caught hell for this story, of course, because he's a bully on the court, he's stubborn, he's a little bit off his rocker, he was called uninformed as to the state of earlier negotiations and, most importantly, he's rich beyond his wildest dreams, having netted career NBA earnings of more than $200 million.

But everything said about Garnett goes double, triple, or one hundred fold, for Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen. And, wouldn't you know it, Allen emerged on Thursday as the latest villain of the ongoing NBA lockout charade.

Hunter said in a news conference that Allen was tasked with telling the players union that the owners would refuse to negotiate if the players would not agree to a 50/50 revenue split. Hunter said he responded by asking whether they could table that issue to return to a discussion of system issues, and Allen only responded with silence. Shortly thereafter, talks broke down.

Allen is Garnett on steroids.

You want stubborn? Allen rode his pipe dream of running a cable company all the way to the ground, losing billions of dollars and eventually declaring bankruptcy.

You want off his rocker? He's currently being sued by his own ex-military bodyguards for allegations of illegal activity, his helicopter recently crashed during an excursion to Antarctica and, oh yeah, he's gone through two general managers and a vice president of basketball operations since the 2010 NBA Draft. He passes his time, including on Thursday morning, exchanging tweets about what rock song the Seattle Seahawks, his NFL franchise, should play at practice. Carroll plays along, of course, because he, like every Allen employee, knows his job depends on it.

You want "uninformed" on the state of the negotiations? Allen deputized team president Larry Miller to attend Board of Governors meetings and labor negotiations on his behalf. He put exactly the same amount of blood, sweat and tears into the possibility of a labor agreement as Garnett: none.

You want emotional? Allen recently wrote an autiobiography that included many unflattering stories about, and a recounting of decades-old grudges towards, his Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, one of the world's greatest philanthropists. The book led to a falling out between the two men, who had been friends since high school, with Allen admitting during a television interview that Gates had stopped talking to him.

And, of course, there's the money issue. All you need to know about that is that Allen has a private island for sale, owns multiple yachts (one of which cost $200 million to make, nearly as much money as Garnett has earned during his NBA career), and has a helipad on the roof of the Rose Garden, Portland's home arena. Forbes pegged his net worth at $13.2 billion on a recent list of the 400 richest Americans, a figure that made him worth more than the next two richest NBA owners on the list, combined.

Why, you might be asking, would the owners pick Allen, of all people, to deliver the hard-line message to the union that ultimately led to the disintegration of talks and all sorts of harsh accusations on Thursday?

Because he's so rich that he's immune to the criticism, as capable of buying silence and peace of mind for himself as anyone on the planet. A man who has been cleanly divorced from the common man for decades. A man who claims to have lost a billion dollars on the Blazers in his two decades of ownership and therefore couldn't care less about the fallout that results from a nuclear explosion in the middle of labor talks.

Allen refused to take questions from the media after firing GM Kevin Pritchard on the night of the 2010 NBA Draft and again refused questions when he abruptly fired GM Rich Cho in May. He doesn't care about accountability and he definitely doesn't care about the notion of a "fair deal for both sides." All he cares about, in the end, is pursuing his own self-interest to the max. Allen answers to no one, ever. If he can toss aside a childhood friend, business partner and colleague like Bill Gates, why are we or the NBPA surprised in the slightest that he is only willing to negotiate on his terms? Everything is take it or leave it with him.

Allen in the ultimate pit bull. Next to him, Garnett looks like a poodle. Did either man personally derail these lockout talks, which have seemed headed for disaster for months now? No. But if you were looking for an NBA villain, you got one on Thursday.

http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/32841752?source=rss_blogs_NBA

CrushAlot wrote:You want emotional? Allen recently wrote an autiobiography that included many unflattering stories about, and a recounting of decades-old grudges towards, his Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, one of the world's greatest philanthropists. The book led to a falling out between the two men, who had been friends since high school, with Allen admitting during a television interview that Gates had stopped talking to him.

but during that 'television interview' (60 Minutes) it was apparent the two weren't very close for quite some time. I wouldn't expect a basketball writer to know the business beat but that is inaccurate

In the end paul Allen owns the blazers, he is an owner, he is one of the unhappy bunch of guys who happen to write the checks.. what can I tell you?

tkf wrote:I don't see how any of those things about paul allen has any effect on the basketball negotiations... should we talk about the number or rape allegations with NBA players? the amount of NBA players that are flat out broke after earning over a 100 mil in career earnings. do we need to talk about the former players like pippen that are broke after all of the bad business deals.... owners start other businesses and some fail and some do well, some of these guys can be pricks.. so can a lot of NBA players.... what was the purpose of this?

In the end paul Allen owns the blazers, he is an owner, he is one of the unhappy bunch of guys who happen to write the checks.. what can I tell you?

The rich children who "grow up" to become NBA owners probably never played hoops. An owner could care less if the game were played at this level or not, just so long as their toys (read: Teams) do what's expected. It's a corporate mentality re: units of labor, and now they want the upper hand in the relationship. The players should all be STAT (standing tall...). They are protecting more than just their paychecks. They represent the labor movement just as much as an auto worker, but they are paid more because they are tall, got ups, and represent an established elite (i.e., they deserve to get paid, same as movie stars).

If corporations are now people (a.k.a. Citizens' United) then the players ought to b able to get up in their grill and say: Go Fck Yo'selves, Bitches! I really hope the players don't cave.

As the article above explains, NBA players may be wealthy whiners to some extent (especially KG), but owners are mega-rich, out-of-touch maniacs in comparison (with a few exceptions like Cuban or MJ, who actually love hoops). Dolan? Paul Allen?

Vmart wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

Vmart wrote:I think the players are living in a fantasy world. They don't see what is going on around them.

I think they realise clearly whats going on, and the position, and that the odds are against them they're in but they're trying to make a stand against it. Come on Vmart- do you just capitulate to anyone who tries to screw you over?

Trust me the players aren't getting screwed over. If anything the players are trying to screw the owners over. I owned a business with employees I tried my best to make sure all the employees I had were well taken care of. For some reason it was never enough for them. They saw me hit rock bottom and still some would come and ask for raises. For some reason employees always thinks the owner is making big money. I know these guys are Billionaire and I was a mom and pop operation. But I hated to take money that I had and try to throw it in to the business to make sure it grows. I'm sure the Billionaires are no different. They want the entity that they purchase to cover their expenses and make a profit, no one wants to go into their personal stash and throw it in to the business. I found out that it is human nature to think that you should be paid more than you get and it doesn't matter how much you make. Michael Jordan doesn't want to pay the players and he broke the bank. Owners have to adjust to the situation that they are dealt with I believe that it is in the owners right to make adjustment to make sure profitability.

I know exactly how you feel.. I was doing some contract work for a guy who owned a mfg company.. He came from a rich family, but the economy crushed his business.. He was taking loans from his family and believe me, over 5 years he put over a million of his own dollars to keep the company afloat and keep every single person employed, even after I and suggested he trim some of the fat... This guy was loyal, didn't even collect a check himself for a year.. but his employees never saw this, and it really is not for them to see, but they demanded this and that, and were calling him cheap.. I was like you people don't understand how many of you were this close from being unemployed.... His business is surviving, but had he done the hard thing, but the right thing and trim salaries, he could have saved more jobs and some of his other locations that he had to close... NBA owners are trying to adjust and people, fans, as well as players need to stop counting those guys personal wealth and expect them to get hammered just because they are rich..

Vmart wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

Vmart wrote:I think the players are living in a fantasy world. They don't see what is going on around them.

I think they realise clearly whats going on, and the position, and that the odds are against them they're in but they're trying to make a stand against it. Come on Vmart- do you just capitulate to anyone who tries to screw you over?

Trust me the players aren't getting screwed over. If anything the players are trying to screw the owners over. I owned a business with employees I tried my best to make sure all the employees I had were well taken care of. For some reason it was never enough for them. They saw me hit rock bottom and still some would come and ask for raises. For some reason employees always thinks the owner is making big money. I know these guys are Billionaire and I was a mom and pop operation. But I hated to take money that I had and try to throw it in to the business to make sure it grows. I'm sure the Billionaires are no different. They want the entity that they purchase to cover their expenses and make a profit, no one wants to go into their personal stash and throw it in to the business. I found out that it is human nature to think that you should be paid more than you get and it doesn't matter how much you make. Michael Jordan doesn't want to pay the players and he broke the bank. Owners have to adjust to the situation that they are dealt with I believe that it is in the owners right to make adjustment to make sure profitability.

+1

SupremeCommander wrote:

tkf wrote:

Vmart wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

Vmart wrote:I think the players are living in a fantasy world. They don't see what is going on around them.

I think they realise clearly whats going on, and the position, and that the odds are against them they're in but they're trying to make a stand against it. Come on Vmart- do you just capitulate to anyone who tries to screw you over?

Trust me the players aren't getting screwed over. If anything the players are trying to screw the owners over. I owned a business with employees I tried my best to make sure all the employees I had were well taken care of. For some reason it was never enough for them. They saw me hit rock bottom and still some would come and ask for raises. For some reason employees always thinks the owner is making big money. I know these guys are Billionaire and I was a mom and pop operation. But I hated to take money that I had and try to throw it in to the business to make sure it grows. I'm sure the Billionaires are no different. They want the entity that they purchase to cover their expenses and make a profit, no one wants to go into their personal stash and throw it in to the business. I found out that it is human nature to think that you should be paid more than you get and it doesn't matter how much you make. Michael Jordan doesn't want to pay the players and he broke the bank. Owners have to adjust to the situation that they are dealt with I believe that it is in the owners right to make adjustment to make sure profitability.

I know exactly how you feel.. I was doing some contract work for a guy who owned a mfg company.. He came from a rich family, but the economy crushed his business.. He was taking loans from his family and believe me, over 5 years he put over a million of his own dollars to keep the company afloat and keep every single person employed, even after I and suggested he trim some of the fat... This guy was loyal, didn't even collect a check himself for a year.. but his employees never saw this, and it really is not for them to see, but they demanded this and that, and were calling him cheap.. I was like you people don't understand how many of you were this close from being unemployed.... His business is surviving, but had he done the hard thing, but the right thing and trim salaries, he could have saved more jobs and some of his other locations that he had to close... NBA owners are trying to adjust and people, fans, as well as players need to stop counting those guys personal wealth and expect them to get hammered just because they are rich..

I hear what the two of you are saying, but I don't buy the NBA as a true business. It is some weird hybrid between a business and a luxury good. I doubt the majority of owners expect to turn a profit on operations. I do think the team can be used to promote other interests though and the owners make a killing. But I don't think most owners are savvy like Mikhail Prokorhov... I think most are rich kids that treat the team as such, and enjoy all the social benefits membership provides. You can use a country club to promote businees interests, or you can eat steak and play 18 holes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

It might be more hobby but the team and its balance sheet still reflect on the owner. They want it to look good both on the court and show its run proper. These are men with ego's and don't like being made look foolish. They like to win.

U make Rashard Lewis the #2 highest paid player in the league, you deserve what you get. And THAT is the major problem with the league. They are competing for talent, and they are scared someone is going to blossom and be stolen so they overpay them and lock them in. WHo's fault is that? U gamble by paying for potential and sometimes u win, and sometimes u lose.

U lose too much? Ur stuck with overpaid players that aren't good and u don't make money. Maybe hire better talent evaluators or try to improve through the draft which is a safer, albeit longer, way of acquiring talent. Hire coaches who are better at developing talent.

Employees always want more money. Thats the name of the game. ANybody here think they shouldn't be making more money? Probably not. But if ur in charge and u have to let some people go in order to survive then guess what? Thats what u gotta do. If u have to raise ur prices in order to survive then guess what? U do what u gotta do.

What u dont do is get mad because u try to keep people on and they are ungrateful. Customers & Employees dont see the books, they think ur falling all over urselves with money. They think that unless u let them know very frankly as I have: I may need to cut jobs and/or hours, because we are not making money. I'll keep u posted, but until then we need to be careful not to be wasteful and treat all of our customers with respect as I try to drum up more business and do things more efficiently. U let them know the financial reality (but dont show them the books) so no one is asking for a raise. If they ask for a raise after uve shared what u r going through, then they have essentially volunteered to be laid off.

But these r not mom and pops, and no one who owns a team is losing money because they are doing the right thing. They are losing money because they are doing everything wrong thing. Some things need to be tweeked but they are trying to guarantee themselves a profit no matter what they do, and thats indefensible.

Killa4luv wrote:I own a restaurant business and the bottom line is you have to do what you have to do to stay in business. The difference between me and these BBall owners is that so much of what they have done is self inflicted. You can't be stupid. No business owner anywhere ought to be guaranteed a profit, period. What business school did they go to that taught them that? What country are they living in?

U make Rashard Lewis the #2 highest paid player in the league, you deserve what you get. And THAT is the major problem with the league. They are competing for talent, and they are scared someone is going to blossom and be stolen so they overpay them and lock them in. WHo's fault is that? U gamble by paying for potential and sometimes u win, and sometimes u lose.

U lose too much? Ur stuck with overpaid players that aren't good and u don't make money. Maybe hire better talent evaluators or try to improve through the draft which is a safer, albeit longer, way of acquiring talent. Hire coaches who are better at developing talent.

Employees always want more money. Thats the name of the game. ANybody here think they shouldn't be making more money? Probably not. But if ur in charge and u have to let some people go in order to survive then guess what? Thats what u gotta do. If u have to raise ur prices in order to survive then guess what? U do what u gotta do.

What u dont do is get mad because u try to keep people on and they are ungrateful. Customers & Employees dont see the books, they think ur falling all over urselves with money. They think that unless u let them know very frankly as I have: I may need to cut jobs and/or hours, because we are not making money. I'll keep u posted, but until then we need to be careful not to be wasteful and treat all of our customers with respect as I try to drum up more business and do things more efficiently. U let them know the financial reality (but dont show them the books) so no one is asking for a raise. If they ask for a raise after uve shared what u r going through, then they have essentially volunteered to be laid off.

But these r not mom and pops, and no one who owns a team is losing money because they are doing the right thing. They are losing money because they are doing everything wrong thing. Some things need to be tweeked but they are trying to guarantee themselves a profit no matter what they do, and thats indefensible.

I agree with this, a lot, but I do think the players are allowe dto do things that are not in the best interest of the game. I honestly think if the current economic system was more or less unchanged, but Derrick Rose could get rewarded for his awesome season and the owners could tear up Rashard Lewis' contract, everything would be okay. Meaning, the players get 57 percent but the allocation goes to those who perform.

How you achieve that, I don't know. But we've seen this problem with the Knicks. QRich, Jerome James, Curry... and guys like Penny, Jeffries, Larry Hughes, etc. If the team could have sent those dudes packing and distributed the BRI differently, how is this bad? Get creative. Maybe each current year is guaranteed, and the subsequent are not, then each team is expected to spend a minimum and there is no cap.