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The NBA fined Miami Heat owner Micky Arison $500,000 on Monday for recent comments he made on Twitter that violated the league’s censure on speaking publicly about the lockout, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The fine is one of the largest for an individual in NBA history. Yahoo! Sports

Miami Heat, Micky Arison, Lockout 

NBA commissioner David Stern came down hard for what was a clear undermining of the league’s selling point that the owners are united on demanding sweeping and unprecedented financial givebacks from the Players Association. While the union has long believed there are severe splits between big- and small-market owners, this was the first public sentiment from such a high-ranking NBA official confirming it. Arison responded to a poster on Twitter who had directed a comment to him questioning, “How does it feel to be a part of ruining the best game in the world? NBA owners/players don’t give a damn about fans … Fans provide all the money you’re fighting over … you greedy pigs.” Yahoo! Sports

Miami Heat, Micky Arison, Lockout 

Arison responded to a poster on Twitter who had directed a comment to him questioning, “How does it feel to be a part of ruining the best game in the world? NBA owners/players don’t give a damn about fans … Fans provide all the money you’re fighting over … you greedy pigs.” In response, Arison posted: “You are barking at the wrong owner.” Yahoo! Sports

Miami Heat, Micky Arison, Lockout 

The NBA came down hard on Miami Heat owner Micky Arison on Monday, fining him $500,000, according to league sources, after he used his Twitter account as a sounding board about the lockout last Friday. The league did not issue an official announcement, but an NBA spokesman confirmed to ESPN.com that Arison had been fined. The $500,000 fine, first reported by Yahoo! Sports, is five times the amount other owners have previously been fined for public comments about the ongoing labor situation. ESPN.com

Miami Heat, Micky Arison, Lockout 

According to multiple league sources, commissioner David Stern was lobbied by some of Arison's fellow owners to levy the stiff fine. Arison and several of his peers have been at growing odds as the lockout has deepened -- a rift which spilled over into cyberspace last week. Arison sent out a series of tweets from his verified account following the latest breakdown in talks between owners and players. Owners and league executives are under a strict mandate not to discuss the lockout and Arison appeared to violate it several times. ESPN.com

Miami Heat, Micky Arison, David Stern, Lockout 

Anthony Tolliver: So does Mickey Arison's $500,000 fine for telling the truth on Twitter go back to the owners or is it included in the BRI? #serioustweet Twitter

Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Anthony Tolliver, Micky Arison, Lockout 

Brian Cardinal: When @Micky Arison gets fined for his HONEST tweet, will the next CBA session reflect that as money lost or money gained for the NBA in neg. Twitter

Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, CBA, Micky Arison, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Brian Cardinal 

Chris Sheridan: NBA says "nothing to report" on possible fine for Heat owner M.Arison for his tweets last night. My translation: I'd say he's in deep doodoo Twitter

Miami Heat, CBA, Micky Arison, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

A random NBA fan wrote on Twitter a message directed at Heat owner Micky Arison. "Fans provide all the money you're fighting over," wrote the fan. "Honestly u r barking at the wrong owner," replied Arison on his Twitter feed. RealGM

Miami Heat, CBA, Micky Arison, Lockout, NBPA, Owners 

Later, from another Twitter account came this post to Arison's account, "Know it's not ur fault at this point, it's become child's play. Grown men making stupid decisions over money." Replied Arison, "Exactly." South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Heat, CBA, Micky Arison, Lockout, NBPA, Owners 

Arison then retweeted a post from another account that read, "Heat ratings proved that fans want to see super teams in big markets instead of a ton of small-market teams each with one st(ar)." South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Miami Heat, CBA, Micky Arison, Lockout, NBPA, Owners 

When another fan said that NBA owners don't care about fans, Arison tweeted, "Wrong, we care a lot." Asked for his thoughts on Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, he simply replied, "lol." CBSSports.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, CBA, Micky Arison, Lockout, NBPA, Donald Sterling, Owners 

Adrian Wojnarowski: As @Micky Arison knows, Stern will hit him hard on tweets. Deep down, Stern agrees with him - just doesn't have enough Arisons to get deal. Twitter

Miami Heat, CBA, Micky Arison, David Stern, Lockout, NBPA, Owners 

Ethan J. Skolnick: Billy Hunter says @Micky Arison was among owners willing to make a deal. Not surprised. He's caught in middle. Twitter

Miami Heat, CBA, Micky Arison, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA, Owners 

Sources in the deep-into-Wednesday-morning session could point to no substantive progress, despite the long hours. But if you don’t want to trust “sources” consider the on-the-record comments from the talks during Tuesday’s marathon session. While the talks were ongoing Heat owner Micky Arison tweeted about how he’d rather be having a burger on one of his cruise ships. When the Grizzlies’ Tony Allen tweeted to let him know if there was a deal, from the talks Roger Mason Jr. quickly tweeted to him to go to bed. ESPN.com

Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, CBA, Tony Allen, Roger Mason, Micky Arison, Lockout, NBPA 

Arena workers, such as those in security or concessions, rely upon the Heat's home dates - close to 60 if the team makes a long playoff run - to make a living. Already, many are struggling in an unforgiving economy and are seeking new employment or additional hours at other jobs. Heat employees haven't been spared, either. According to multiple sources, members of the basketball operation - coaches, trainers, scouts, equipment men, media-relations staffers and so on - were presented with an option last fall, after the Heat had signed James, Wade and Chris Bosh and was selling tickets at an unprecedented pace. To guarantee that they kept their jobs during a potential lockout, the staff members had to accept a 10 percent pay cut from the lockout's July 1 start through Sept. 30. Palm Beach Post

Miami Heat, Micky Arison 

On Oct. 1, that pay cut was scheduled to grow to 25 percent through March 31 or until the lockout ended, whichever came first. The agreement said the pay reduction would grow to 50 percent if the lockout continued past March 31, which would surely mean the loss of the entire season. Since owner Micky Arison has a reputation for treating employees well, the measures surprised and disappointed many staffers. While it amounts to more lost money for the likes of Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra - both of whom also took cuts, according to two sources - it hurts those on the lower levels far more. And many of those staff members, such as scouts, haven't yet experienced a real change in their duties. Dolphins owner Steve Ross rolled back salaries as much as 20 percent during the NFL lockout, but made up the difference when the impasse ended. Heat employees have been given no assurance that Arison will do the same, according to sources, even though 95 percent of season tickets have been renewed and the club gets to keep that money during the lockout. Palm Beach Post

Miami Heat, Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Micky Arison 

After the Wade story was posted, a GM reached out to tell me: “There’s absolutely no doubt that the top NBA stars are the most underpaid in sports. The max salaries created the Heat. The owners have only themselves to blame if they don’t like what happened with the Heat. There’s no way [Heat owner] Micky Arison could afford the $140 million to pay those three in a free market situation – and that’s $140 million annually.” Yahoo! Sports

Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade, CBA, Micky Arison, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

Howard Beck: Eight owners from labor committee here (all but Dolan, Cuban, Grousbeck), plus Micky Arison. Twitter

CBA, Mark Cuban, James Dolan, Wyc Grousbeck, Micky Arison, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA 

Ken Berger: According to #Heat owner @MickyArison, dustup between Wade and Stern was "a friendly chat, lol." Twitter = amazing. Twitter

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, CBA, Micky Arison, David Stern, Lockout, Billy Hunter, NBPA