HoopsHype.com Rumors

First, let's examine why this is happening now. The answer is because the lack of an HGH test has finally become embarrassing to the league and union. HGH is a substance with undeniable potential to help NBA players. It's widely discussed and available from any number of doctors and clinics. And Olympians have been tested for it since 2004. And yet the powers that be in the major North American leagues clung to the theory that the test was not reliable. That argument was always weak. The chief science officer at the United States Anti-Doping Agency, Larry Bowers, testified before Congress recently that HGH tests are so good that “the chances of an athlete who has not used synthetic growth hormone testing positive are comparable to the chance of that same athlete being struck by lightning during his or her lifetime.” He added that those questioning the tests were “lawyers, not scientists.” ESPN.com

CBA, Doping 

But the truth is only a tiny handful of athletes have ever failed HGH tests, and there's no reason to assume NBA players would be any different. ESPN.com

CBA, Doping 

During collective bargaining, the topic of biological passports was never broached, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. So it came as news to the union that the HGH blood test was viewed by the commissioner as a "precursor" to biological passports, since that aspect of drug policy was never negotiated. So it isn't necessarily that the players object to biological passports, which are baseline measurements from which departures can indicate the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The subject was never negotiated, and in order for it to happen, the players would have to agree to it. CBSSports.com

CBA 

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are close to an agreement to test players' blood for human growth hormone (HGH), according to sources with direct knowledge of the talks. Testing could begin as soon as the 2013-14 season. The NBA has long had HGH on its list of banned substances, but has never tested for it, because doing so means collecting players' blood, which the union has never allowed, and because there was little agreement about the test's reliability. ESPN.com

CBA 

Terms of the 2011 NBA collective bargaining agreement created a committee to hash out the particulars of HGH testing. Progress had been slow, until recently. There has also been pressure from the World Anti-Doping Agency, which chided the NBA for "gaps" in their testing program last fall, as well as the U.S. Congress. In late 2012, Rep. Elijah Cummings called delaying HGH testing over concerns about the test "incredibly ridiculous." ESPN.com

CBA 

"It's my business," Iguodala said. "That was part of the whole reason why so much of what happened, happened. Where we come from, guys aren't used to having what we have, and having access to it. So something like the union, it may not be as important to guys as it should be. But it's kind of like, we have to wake the guys up. They've got to have awareness. "I think guys have concerns and questions, but as long as those checks are coming in, they can get full. They can get satisfied. There's something that's bigger than just us. We've got to move forward for the guys coming in, and the next collective bargaining, and the one after that, and the one after that. "You have to set an environment of, this is how we handle business. We're going to get, the stereotypes are going to be, a bunch of African- American men, as long as they're getting paid, they're going to be fine with that. But we want to make it known where it's common that we care about our business, and we're involved. I think I can help in that area." NBA.com

Denver Nuggets, Andre Iguodala, CBA, NBPA 

There are a number of issues yet to be resolved from the lockout, including the "B List" non-economic issues. The league is hoping to get an agreement with the union on a new drug test for Human Growth Hormone. Commissioner David Stern said last month that he believes a deal will be worked out with the union on a blood test for HGH by next season. The NBPA has balked at making an agreement on HGH, but with the National Football Players Association and the Major League Baseball Players Association well down the road toward agreements for new HGH tests, the handwriting seems on the wall for the basketball union. NBA.com

CBA, NBPA 

But the dramatic drop from 11 first-round picks traded two years ago to just one this year illustrates the impact of the escalating luxury taxes that will take effect next year. Players making less are suddenly worth more. Much more. “Teams right now are scared of money,” one league executive said recently. Akron Beacon Journal

Trade, CBA 

What Stern, Hunter, Adam Silver and the rest accomplished two summers ago became as clear as daylight Thursday. They turned the NBA into the NFL -- the No Fun League -- when it comes to the trades and in-season player movement. No more stars forcing trades to the markets of their choosing with the reward of max dollars forming the cherry on top. "This is a pure CBA deadline," one general manager said Thursday after the dust settled. "If you can't get a first for J.J. Redick, this is a different world. That guy is a surefire lock to garner a first round pick in the past." CBSSports.com

Trade, CBA, Adam Silver 

Spencer Hawes: Watching the new cba play out and how it prevents teams from improving this year at the deadline. Taxes hamper growth in every spectrum Twitter @spencerhawes00

Philadelphia 76ers, CBA, Spencer Hawes 

The tax, which kicks in when a team surpasses the salary cap (approximately $58 million this season) and goes above the threshold ($70.3 million this season), is at the root of the change. The dollar-for-dollar format that was in place in the old CBA has been replaced by a structure in which a team like the Lakers is on pace to pay at a rate as high as $4.25 for every extra dollar. But the "repeater tax" is a major factor as well, as – starting in the 2014-15 campaign – teams that are in the tax in four of any five seasons will be paying yet another dollar for every dollar above the threshold as well as facing serious restrictions when it comes to the mechanisms put in place to build their teams. "If you can find a reasonable facsimile (of a player) for a reduced (financial) number, you're going to do it," one Western Conference general manager told USA TODAY Sports. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the CBA. "The punitive nature of where we're going with the repeater tax and the escalating tax number puts you in a position where it's just not viable to have a third or fourth guy on your roster paid like a first or second guy." USA Today Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, CBA, Salary Cap 

Players briefed on the exhaustive, eight-month review of the National Basketball Players Association's finances and business practices have been told it uncovered no illegalities, but the final report is expected to include painstaking detail and numerous recommendations for changes to union policies and governance, CBSSports.com has learned. The review by law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is all but over and the report -- believed to be more than 100 pages long -- is being finalized, multiple people briefed on the matter said. Investigators combed through more than a decade's worth of union business transactions, conducted dozens of interviews and reviewed approximately 100,000 documents and emails, the people said. CBSSports.com

Derek Fisher, CBA, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

Union officials have met with 15 of the 30 teams during the past several weeks and informed players that the law firm uncovered no illegal activity or violations of the NBPA's constitution, sources said. But the final report is expected to contain numerous recommendations for NBPA governance, including changes to the union's constitution and bylaws, two of the people briefed on the matter said. CBSSports.com

Derek Fisher, CBA, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

The law firm also will make recommendations for addressing what it found to be a lack of player involvement in union practices and business. Among the procedural changes to be recommended will be that each team must have at least one player representative and an alternate, and that no player without a current NBA contract will be permitted to serve on the executive committee, CBSSports.com has learned. Of the nine current members of the executive committee, only four -- Chris Paul, James Jones, Matt Bonner and Roger Mason -- are in the NBA. "That could be one of the positives that comes out of this," one of the people briefed on the outcome said. "The players will be more involved." CBSSports.com

Chris Paul, Derek Fisher, James Jones, CBA, Matt Bonner, Roger Mason, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

In a series of conference calls with the executive committee and player representatives, the National Basketball Players Association has informed players that a law firm selected to conduct a review of union business practices needs more time to complete its report, league sources told CBSSports.com Friday. The report being prepared by the firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is expected to be completed in the near future. CBSSports.com

Derek Fisher, CBA, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

While the future of NBPA executive director Billy Hunter, president Derek Fisher and several members of the executive committee whose seats will be up for election is unresolved, the conference calls Thursday were mostly devoted to standard union business. NBPA officials briefed players on the new annuity program adopted for retired players in the new colletive bargaining agreement, the distribution of licensing money and discussions held last week by the newly revamped competition committee on several issues, including flopping. The competition committee continued to discuss flopping and what to do about it, but formulated no recommendations to be brought to the Board of Governors for approval, sources said. CBSSports.com

Derek Fisher, CBA, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

As the NBA returns to a normal schedule after the lockout that cut last season's schedule from 82 to 66 games, the owners' planning committee also met Wednesday in New York to debate the details and execution of a new revenue sharing plan, sources said. CBSSports.com

Derek Fisher, CBA, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

Fisher (a current free agent) remains in his position and sources said the respective probes of the NBPA -- from the U.S. Attorney's office investigation to the Department of Labor's review to the internal audit being conducted by the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison -- have yet to conclude. While the last inquiry was expected to be complete by now, resolution or clarity of any kind isn't likely to come by the time the NBPA holds a conference call with all participating players on Thursday. SI.com

Derek Fisher, CBA, NBPA 

According to a memo obtained by SI.com, the "Summer Meeting" was initially scheduled as an in-person affair at a hotel at Chicago's O'Hare airport. A follow-up memo was sent indicating that a conference call was preferable to most players and it detailed a fairly innocuous to-do list for the session. "We will provide an update of current union business and cover matters including the distribution of 2011-12 group license funds, implementation of the new annuity program, and proposed rules changes from the competition committee," the memo read. SI.com

CBA, NBPA 

"A lot of players don't have the information, like 'What's going on?' " Dudley, the Suns' team representative, told SI.com recently. "Derek Fisher wanted an audit. He wanted to know what's going on with the money and all of that. From the inside -- and I'm on the inside with the players -- it sounds fishy after the lockout that you want our president to leave, a president who's auditing the head chairman. "So that right there smells wrong. I'm not up to speed 100 percent with what went on. And the reason that I'm not 100 percent up to speed is because I feel like there's been no information [given out]. I think that's a plan for the NBPA and how they want to handle it internally, and that's fine." SI.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Derek Fisher, Jared Dudley, CBA, NBPA