Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“It seemed like we just had a couple of issues, and now we have to go to court,” said Davis. “You don’t want to waste that amount of money going to court. But you stick your chest out, and now we are.
“If you want to negotiate with us, then don’t make it a pissing contest.”
Davis is also upset with the line of communication between the union and the rank and file, though he doesn’t blame player representative Paul Pierce specifically for this meager trickle of information.
“I don’t think I’ve been kept in the loop as far as what’s going on and how things are going on,” he said. “I want to be kept in the loop, but when I say that, they say, well, come to the meetings.
“It’s not just Paul making that decision,” said Davis. “It’s also Derek (Fisher) and Billy Hunter. I talk to players, but my friends are guys like Paul and (Kevin Garnett) – guys who are in a different stage of their careers.
“I don’t talk to a lot of the guys who are more in my stage, like Carl Landry and DeJuan Blair.”
Herald: Big Baby: Everybody has to stop sticking their chests out
Communication issues within the union have been a major issue. So has player apathy towards finding out information.
Part of the problem is players expect, because of how teams are run, everything to be provided for them. Their jobs are to show up at the gym and either workout as hard as they can or play as hard as they can. The rest of the details: weight room time, practice time, flights, game plan, hotel room, bus departure time.. and Lord know whatever else… is provided to them. If they need anything else, they call their agents and he gets it done.
That's what's been happening with players. Too many of them just didn't have it in them to go actively seek out information. They had a "if there's something important, someone will tell me" attitude instead of going out to find out for themselves.
Meanwhile, the union did about as shitty a job at communicating with players as it could… leading to players getting information about this latest deal off the NBA.com website. The NBA Players Union sucks. Billy Hunter didn't keep the players informed, he resisted tactics that could have pushed the owners to compromise sooner, and he made deals with the league that many player reps have said they didn't want to make.
It's horrible. It's a clinic in how not to negotiate. And guys like Baby are left in the lurch. Though those guys bear plenty of responsibility in not actively seeking out the info. They're both at fault. And it's everyone's fault we're here now.
So I'd like to suggest Glen Davis grab a big, hot cup of STFU and maybe go do something constructive instead of bitching about not getting the phone calls. Yes, you should have gotten a call… but you also should have called somebody too.
The rest of the links:
CSNNE: Missed season would be devastating for C's | ESPN Boston: Fans lose most (includes Rondo video) | Herald: Rondo: Union, not C's, first | Globe: (Shank) It's the worst move they could make
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