On the heels of Roger Mason’s now-infamous tweet in which the NBPA vice president wrote, “Looking like a season. How u,” but later claimed his account was hacked, one league source claims that union president Derek Fisher text-messaged numerous players last week indicating that some progress had been made and imploring them to be physically prepared just in case the season started on time. Â Read more after the jump.
There was another curious happening on Thursday, when — according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard — NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver attended the U.S. Open with Wasserman Media Group CEO, Casey Wasserman.
In addition to being one of the most influential agencies in the NBA, Wasserman Media Group relies heavily on an agent who just so happens to have a history of pushing back harder than the rest during a lockout landscape. Arn Tellem – who represents a league-leading 34 NBA players, including 10 All-Stars — drew the ire of commissioner David Stern and union executive director Billy Hunter during the 1998-99 lockout for taking a more extreme position than most of his colleagues.
“Let me say this in no uncertain terms, [fellow agent] David Falk and Arn Tellem do not run the union,” Hunter was quoted as saying in mid-November of 1998. “They’ve never run the union as long as I’ve been here. I’m going to make my own decisions. I’m my own man.”
According to one agent, the current-day Tellem is as extreme as ever in his views. It is believed that he is a strong advocate of a capitalist system that is far less restrictive than even the previous agreement and is an ardent fan of decertification. If progress had, in fact, been made in the current negotiations, the notion of a high-ranking league official like Silver checking in with the most staunch of opponents to gauge the likelihood of bridging the largest of gaps would seem to be a natural next step.
Either way, the players who are waiting for the latest word can’t afford to let the lockout get the best of their bodies no matter how long it lasts. Enter Abunassar, the renowned trainer who teamed with Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley to create a high-level training ground that is also the offseason’s first formal NBA-only event in the states.
