The NBA told the players’ union during Thursday’s bargaining session that they would lock the players out once the current collective bargaining agreement expires at midnight Eastern, and now it has made the announcement to the rest of us via this official release.
Besides the obligatory quotes from NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver attempting to defend the league’s decision, the statement also spells out exactly what the effects of a lockout will be on the league’s players.
The part about not being able to use team facilities for any purpose is worth noting, especially when you consider the predicament facing injured players who regularly work with team trainers there to rehab those injuries. Players in this situation will now have to find new facilities and new doctors to work with to get healthy, and do so presumably at their own cost.
This is just one interesting wrinkle of many that will unfold as the lockout begins to take shape. Next up will be the union’s official release, which undoubtedly is already on its way.