NBA lockout: Players tweet their frustration
| LOS ANGELES
NBA players have spoken, and they're not happy.
They went to their Twitter accounts this weekend to express anger with the lockout, the cancellation of about 450 games through November and with NBA Commissioner David Stern.
Oklahoma City reserve center Nazr Mohammed led the online charge with more than 40 Twitter dispatches summarizing his thoughts on the stalemate between owners and players.
"Gotta love David Stern when he says his owners were willing to concede and give us 50% when we're the ones with all the concessions," Mohammed wrote. "I knew this would happen. He's a master at PR and negotiating. That's why he's the commissioner. Making us negotiate against ourselves...."
Veteran forward Tracy McGrady, who played for Detroit last season, also chimed in on Stern: "Lotta perceived momentum at conclusion of (Thursday's) talks... looks like david stern hit us (Friday) with one of them MJ pump fakes...."
Guard Kyrie Irving, the top pick in the June amateur draft, was frustrated that the two sides broke off talks without any further negotiating sessions planned. Irving hasn't been able to sign a contract since Cleveland made him an eventual multimillionaire on draft night.
"Mannn that's some non-sense...progress supposedly being made but still canceling more games," Irving wrote. "I don't get it!!"
Two Los Angeles Lakers also weighed in on Twitter, with Pau Gasol saying, "It's sad every time more NBA games are canceled," and Devin Ebanks adding, "This ain't right...another two weeks (lost)."
San Antonio forward Tiago Splitter wrote that he was getting "reeeeeally tired of this lockout!!!"
Then there was the curious case of Houston Rockets center Hasheem Thabeet, who showed a picture of himself standing inside an ice-cream store and told his Twitter followers, "What y'all want?? I work here now..."
An hour later, though, Thabeet seemed better. "Who are U for Halloween? Lemme see some funny pics, nice pics. LOL"
Perhaps San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili said it best: "No deal. I miss the game."
