LOS ANGELES — Representatives for NBA players and owners stayed up until early Saturday morning to hammer out the framework of a new collective bargaining agreement.
Now everybody has to wait while a vote is collected the old-fashioned way.
There are still dozens of peripheral labor contract issues to discuss, including drug testing, draft-age eligibility and player disciplinary penalties, but the players union is not expected to form again until Friday at the earliest, and more likely Saturday or Sunday.
Forget about e-mail and the Internet. Think snail mail.
NBA players will vote on re- forming the union on cards that must be mailed to the union office in New York. Only then can they officially become a group again and continue negotiations with owners.
The union disbanded two weeks ago so players could file antitrust lawsuits against the NBA, but players are expected to approve the re-formation.
When owners and players reach agreement on the other loose ends of the collective bargaining proposal, the entire deal can be ratified with a majority vote of the 450-plus NBA players and 30 owners. The NBA owns the New Orleans Hornets, and the franchise will vote to accept the proposal.
Training camps and free agency are expected to begin Dec. 9. Meanwhile, a judge in Minnesota issued a stay on the antitrust lawsuit until Dec. 9, as per the players’ request.
