I am easily sideing with the owners. Whoever thought splitting BRI 43-57 with employees must of been an idiot. Perhaps teams were making easy money back then. Even 50-50 split is more than they should give. I'd love to have a laugh seeing any of those players trying to make their own league. Who is going to pay them salary? Nike? Adidas? Pepsi? They would say goodbye to their 1st class flights, good hotels etc. As a business owner why would you deliberately manage your team at a loss? If you are in a minus, you cut your losses where it is the easiest. Having read the CBA, there are so many flaws and easy giveaways to players that it shocked me. Why should you charge the fans more?, why would you cut the arena or team staff salarys. The easiest place to look is the players, who are making the most money (and the average player is broke after 5 years anyway). Better luxury tax will bring the salarys of players down, smaller contract lenghts, less exceptions - everything makes sence. It's idiotic that teams trade contracts of over 10mil, while the player himself has been retired for 3 years etc. All these "you must pay a 5 year veteran no less than", and "you can't pay a second year player no more than" restrictions should go imo. Pay the player what he is worth and create a luxury tax that does not make the Lakers/Celtics owner go "meh".
As an owner I would cancel the whole season (unless players accept their terms, which would make the teams profitable again, nomatter how small the profit is). Nobody is able to pay all those players salary, they lack the funds to create their own league, nobody actually wants them all in europe (as they are a bit above average against the handcheck defence, no first step advantage, no 1v1 game etc).
Y I know, too long did not read...