NBA Players don't understand Proposal

Commissioner David Stern (right) and deputy Adam Silver sought to correct agent "mischaracterizations."

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

Stern says misinformation is rampant about latest offer

The proposed deal would be a major win for the owners. The players are being asked to take a $280 million pay cut, with shorter contracts, lower raises and tighter restrictions on the top-spending teams. But league officials insist that the deal is not nearly as bad as the rumor mill suggests.

“It’s of grave concern to the league that there is an enormous amount of misinformation concerning our proposal, both on Twitter and in the more traditional media,” Adam Silver, the deputy commissioner, said Saturday night. “We believe that if the players are fully informed as to what is and is not in our proposal, they will agree that its terms are beneficial to them and represent a fair compromise.”

NBA commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver sought out various media outlets to answer questions and correct misinterpretations that they felt might impact the union's acceptance or rejection of the deal.

"The agents have come sweeping in with such mischaracterizations that my guys asked me if I'd be available for media," Stern said in a telephone interview with NBA.com. "I said, 'Whatever you want.' The agents are busy [saying] this is a terrible deal. No one talks about the deal itself."