HoopsHype.com Rumors

Jorge Sierra: Free agent center Etan Thomas is indeed negotiating with UCAM Murcia of Spain, Thomas' manager Carlisle Sealy told HoopsHype. It's the only team in Spain he's talking with at this point. @tubasket was first to report last week about the potential deal with Murcia. Twitter

Atlanta Hawks, Free Agency, Spain, Etan Thomas 

(Spanish club) UCAM Murcia is close to signing power forward Etan Thomas, a nine-year NBA veteran, for the 2011-2012 season. TuBasket.com

Lockout, Spain, Etan Thomas, UCAM Murcia 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: This growth in popularity has made for a huge financial pie that must be divided among the owners and the players. A knowledgeable league source tells me the NBA's league-wide revenues came in at an all-time high of $4.3 billion this season. The players, like any group of well-paid employees, want to keep their slice of the pie as large as possible, but the owners need to rein in their costs. How can they lower their expenses? The Atlanta Hawks' Etan Thomas, in a HoopsHype.com NBA blog, says the league's opening position in the bargaining was more like "a Christmas list to Santa Claus than an actual negotiation. The NBA expressed desires of a new imposed hard cap, removal of all guaranteed contracts, drastic economic concessions, and a guaranteed profit for each team. They wanted to ensure that no matter what poor business decisions teams make (economic, personal, et cetera) they can expect guaranteed profits." ESPN.com

CBA, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Etan Thomas, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 

Free agent center Etan Thomas is seriously considering an offer to play in Spain, Thomas’ manager Carlisle Sealy told HoopsHype. “He doesn’t see the lockout ending this season,” Sealy said. HoopsHype

Free Agency, Lockout, Spain, Etan Thomas 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Atlanta Hawks player Etan Thomas wrote a very interesting article about the players viewpoint on the lockout. http://tinyurl.com/5vkwf5t Twitter

Etan Thomas, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 

Al Horford: Check out Etan Thomas article on hoopshype.com "United we Stand" Twitter

Atlanta Hawks, CBA, Al Horford, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Etan Thomas 

Etan Thomas: In a similar manner, the NBA presented the Players Association with a proposal that appeared to be more like a Christmas List to Santa Claus than the start of an actual negotiation. The NBA expressed desires of a new imposed hard cap, removal of all guaranteed contracts, drastic economic concessions and a guaranteed profit for each team. They wanted to ensure that no matter what poor business decisions individual teams make (economic, personnel, etcetera) they all can expect guaranteed profits. HoopsHype

CBA, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Etan Thomas 

The Players Association and the NBA have continued to talk in an attempt to reach some common ground, but our efforts have been thus far unsuccessful. While I appreciate the NBA taking the time to meet with the Players Association repeatedly and give, as David Stern called it, “virtually the best shot we think we have to avoid a work stoppage,” I have to respectfully take issue with the their approach. Last Tuesday, David Stern felt it appropriate to reveal detailed information about the league’s salary cap proposal and as a result I feel the need to put it all in perspective just so everyone has a clear understanding of what is going on without the Fox News-type spin. HoopsHype

CBA, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Etan Thomas 

Changing the language in how a hard cap is defined does not change it from in fact being a hard cap. The term “flex cap” may sound nice, but at the end of the day it’s still a hard cap. The NBA’s “concession” of backing off their desire for non-guaranteed contracts, but implementing a hard cap system is fool’s gold. It absolutely does us no good. There would still be roll backs. Each contract would have to conform to a hard cap system, meaning they could be reduced by as much as a third depending on the actual hard number agreed upon. It would cut out the middle class completely. Two guys may be able to obtain an actual contract while it will be difficult for the rest of the team to get guaranteed deals, etcetera, etcetera. HoopsHype

CBA, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Etan Thomas 

This cannot be a starting point for us. They have in essence tried to insult our intelligence by making us think that something they have “given us” is a slam dunk when in reality its very far from progress. Again, it’s fool’s gold. Not to mention the fact that we already have guaranteed contracts as well as a soft cap system. They have put two non-starters for us on the table and tried to begin negotiating from that standpoint. HoopsHype

CBA, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Etan Thomas 

Hawks center Etan Thomas was not at the game Friday because he did not return in time from attending funeral services for his grandfather. Thomas played seven minutes in Game 1 and was inactive for Game 2. “We are just giving him time to deal with it,” Drew said. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta Hawks, Etan Thomas 

The precedent set by decertifying was welcomed by Atlanta center Etan Thomas in a column that ran this weekend on the basketball website, HoopsHype. If Doty rules for the players and that gets the NFL owners to the table faster, decertification will be hailed as a brilliant strategy. But if Doty goes the other way, NFL players will be left in the cold and their NBA brethren might be less inclined to take that ultimate step. NBA.com

Atlanta Hawks, CBA, Lockout, Etan Thomas 

Etan Thomas: I was granted permission by Billy Hunter to speak for the union, so I wanted to say that the NBPA is in full support of our NFL brothers and their stance against the NFL. We are convinced that an NFLPA decision to litigate will help our cause since any decision will be applicable to our situation, and we thank them for setting a precedent. HoopsHype

Atlanta Hawks, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Etan Thomas 

Etan Thomas: MLB has no salary cap and has virtually none of the restrictions on player contracts that the NBA has. For instance, there are no limits on the length of player contracts and no limits on the amount of annual increases in multi-year player deals. Yet MLB has had nine different World Series winners in the past 10 years. (Boston is the only repeat champ in 2004 and 2007). During this year’s Texas-San Francisco World Series commissioner Bud Selig was quoted repeatedly stating that “competitive balance has never been as strong in MLB as it is right now.” Wouldn’t a similar system be successful for both players and the NBA? HoopsHype

Atlanta Hawks, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Etan Thomas 

Etan Thomas contacted the Tulsa World, requesting to voice his opinion on the Booker T. Washington fieldhouse debate. If Thomas gets a vote, he says the new Hornet athletic facility should be named in honor of Booker T. Washington superstar Wayman Tisdale. After learning that Booker T. Washington would be getting a new $9 million, 58,000-square-foot gym, Thomas says his immediate reaction was, "OK, it will be the Wayman Tisdale Fieldhouse. For everything he brought to the city of Tulsa and Oklahoma as a whole." Tulsa World

Washington Wizards, Etan Thomas 

Speaking of Etan, it’s worth checking out his blog post at HoopsHype.com. The Hawks knew they were getting an outspoken player when they signed him and this is the first taste of what that means. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta Hawks, Etan Thomas 

What was your relationship with Gilbert like when you were here in D.C.? Etan Thomas: I had a good relationship with him. Me and Gilbert would talk about politics, he would ask me questions, we had a great relationship. I always tell people that, and they say, “wait, Gilbert talks about politics?” and I say yeah, he asked me questions all the time. I remember the night of the [Presidential] election, he called me like three different times and was like, “explain to me this Electoral vote, I don’t understand this” and I’d break it down to him and he’d say, “that’s stupid” and I’d say I hear you, but that’s what it is. So we had great conversations. Truth About It

Gilbert Arenas, Etan Thomas 

So why do you think he shows the media one thing, and his teammates another? Etan Thomas: That I can’t tell you. I can’t just tell you what my personal experience is with him. I have a lot of respect for him. I have respect for that fact that he’s battled back from his knee injury, how hard he works, I respect that, I want him to do well, and I wish him well. I think he’s going to do well. I know he has a chip on his shoulder, and that’s fine, that’s no problem, I just want him to do well. Truth About It

Gilbert Arenas, Etan Thomas 

I don’t think the Hawks are hot to add a fifth center (and a 15th guaranteed contract) after re-signing Twin and getting Etan Thomas. So while the Hawks have talked to Erick Dampier’s rep it doesn’t look like he’s going to end up in Atlanta. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta Hawks, Erick Dampier, Etan Thomas 

Etan Thomas: Every day, (Durant) is one of the first people on the court as well as one of the last people to leave. Even after dropping 30 points night in and night out, he is never satisfied. That alone means that although he is nearly impossible to guard as a 6-foot-9 two guard, he is going to get better. He works in the weight room so he is going to get stronger. He plays good defense now and can cover so much ground with his length. Again, he is going to get better there too. And even though he possesses all of these gifts, and this incredible work ethic, he remains humble. He takes criticism. Encourages his teammates. Is gracious with fans and media. And is a leader by example. HoopsHype

Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant, Etan Thomas