JaVale unfairly criticized
JaVale is being unfairly criticized for comments he made after leaving Friday's NBPA meeting. He said some players are ready to fold but the majority of players are standing strong. Then he said that the players who wanted to fold were told certain facts and they changed their mind.
The video of his comments are below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C95K4NepXog&NR=1
While McGee should not have said what he did, it was not as bad as the media and Derek Fisher are making it out to be. He simply acknowledged what everyone already knows – there are a few players who want to accept a deal now – but made it clear that those players agreed to stand strong once they heard the facts.
Was it a good public relations move? No. But it brings up a larger problem with the NBPA’s media strategy. Have you noticed that Derek Fisher leads almost every press conference? Why is that? He may be smart and wear nice suits, but he is a basketball player. He has no major business or legal experience. He has never led billion-dollar negotiations.
There are people whose career is focused solely on major labor negotiations, people like Billy Hunter and the union's lawyer, Jeffrey Kessler. They are the ones who should be controlling every public statement from the union. Jeffrey Kessler should be the one explaining the fallacy of Stern's arguments and the absurdity of the owners' demands – not JaVale McGee. The players should be used as a photo-op to demonstrate support for the union’s message, they should not be the ones explaining it.
David Stern understands this. He understands the importance of a unified, coherent message. Not only do the owners not appear at press conferences standing behind Stern, they are fined $100K just for mentioning the lockout. On the flip side, the players’ union actually encourages its players to make public statements about the negotiations. This is an incredibly bad idea. Why would you allow JaVale McGee, or any other player for that matter, to give his unfiltered opinion of what just happened in a crucial NBPA private meeting? What are you expecting to happen?
Billy Hunter and Jeffery Kessler need to step up and take control of the negotiations heading into the crucial mediation on Tuesday.
This represents the view of the user who wrote the FanPost, and not the entire Bullets Forever community. We're a place of many opinions, not just one.
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I don't think anyone's criticized the substance of his comments.
He’s been criticized for commenting when he shouldn’t have and, above all, for his incredibly stupid tweeted lie in which he tried to blame the media for slanting what he said.
Next time he puts on a Nick Young wig and goes in disguise.

Erykah Badu doesn’t get questions about the lockout.
by djnnnou on Oct 18, 2011 1:16 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I don't know what possessed him to say what he did
He said the players are not in solidarity and i can’t think of any thing dumber at this point in negotiations than what he said. He made things worse.
actually he said a few players wanted to fold but the majority were holding steady
and that after seeing the evidence, those who wanted to fold changed their minds.
Many fans loathe Mcgee and analyse a comment like this throught that prism.
If John had said it, the prevailing opinion would probably be how it’s great he isn’t afraid to speak his mind.
If Wall had been stupid enough to lie about something
that he had to have known was caught on tape, I’d be tearing my hair out that the Wiz really do have a lock on the nitwit market.
Because Stern is trying to divide the union
This is a tactic he used in past CBAs. Turn the regular player against the stars. One management negotator said the deal was about to be done when Garnett walked in to the room and was surly. Blame Garnett, not the owners. So it was stupid of McGee. He didn’t have to say any thing.
by hambonejackson on Oct 18, 2011 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions
You blame Stern for a comment by JaVale responded to by Fisher and other players?
No one is in charge of the Players side. That is pretty obvious.
by jmpalomo on Oct 19, 2011 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

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