He waved to fans. He went into the stands to chat with Larry Brown, head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, but, more importantly, a fellow North Carolina alumnus. Fratello has been to a number of college games as well as to some CBA games. The letter, complete with charts and graphs, was sent by overnight mail as the opposing sides were deep into another lull in talks. NBA owners and negotiators are all white.
Players are mostly black.
There's an elephant in the room, and everyone pretends it's not there. In the NBA labor mess, all of the owners and virtually all of their negotiators are white. While the NBA's lockout may be costing the Cleveland Cavaliers dearly in lost fan interest and loyalty, it has actually been a financial boon to Gund Arena, which they call home. Michael Jordan started wearing long shorts, and others followed. And since Jordan has let it be known that the players aren't going to end the lockout by giving into NBA owners, his disciples have vowed to stand firm, even if it means there will be no season.