MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - With some NBA teams, including his own Timberwolves, losing money, Minnesota coach Kevin McHale said "corrections need to be made" in the league's collective bargaining agreement.
"I think you'll see a lot of changes coming down the road," McHale said Tuesday before his team hosted the Golden State Warriors. "I think that the players' association knows it. You've got to put up the good fight, but I mean, you're not going to get a lot of sympathy from fans for the amount of money and stuff. But there will be changes."Signs of trouble - from half-empty arenas to salary dumps by teams at the trade deadline - have been surfacing for months.
Late in February, the NBA lined up another $200 million to distribute to teams interested in additional cash, which the league considers a sign of continued strength in a slumping economy.
But McHale wasn't so sure.
"The fact that the league had to borrow ($200) million, if that doesn't tell you there's some issues, what does?" McHale said.
Wolves owner Glen Taylor, who also serves as chairman of the NBA's board of governors, said he is "very concerned" about what the future holds for the league if this current economic climate continues.
"I'm hopeful we will start our talks early because I just see a lot of dynamics affecting the long range and how we're going to keep this a healthy business," Taylor said. "I do see some changes, that we have under contract. Don't know if we can make those changes as quickly as we probably should.
"We just have to wait for those negotiations to play out, but that's a couple years away. I think it will be a very important thing for the history of this organization."
Timberwolves veteran forward Mark Madsen, who serves as the team's union rep, said the players realize that these are difficult economic times for most people. But he also pointed out that it wouldn't be in the union's best interests to open negotiations early.
"Right now it appears we're in the biggest down cycle. The stock market's hitting all-time lows," Madsen said. "But the good thing is now is not the time when we have to redefine the collective bargaining agreement.
"What we're hoping is the economy bounces back and that we as players and teams can continue to improve so fans enjoy the experience coming out to games."
With players making 55 percent of gross revenues, and "stars" able to command 25 percent of the team's salary cap, McHale thinks something has to give.
"I think the whole thing has taken on a life of its own," said the Hall of Famer who starred for the Celtics in the 1980s. "I think our guarantees are way too long with way too much money. I said that when I played."
There were plenty of empty seats for the Warriors-Timberwolves game on Tuesday night, hours after Taylor announced the team will lower season-ticket prices next season on 95 percent of the seats and will refund money for any unused tickets if the buyer loses his or her job in 2009.
"Corrections need to be made," McHale said, before adding a one-liner. "We're kind of in the Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac era of subprime loans. There's some subprime contracts. We've got to be able to have the government absorb them."
McHale, who served as Minnesota's vice president of basketball operations before taking over for Wittman as coach, handed out his fair share of those bad deals, including to Marko Jaric (six years, $42 million), Troy Hudson (six years, $37 million) and Mike James (four years, $23 million).
