Chapter 440: Must be white

In the early morning, in a hotel room, Arthur Smith was playfully enjoying time with Winona Ryder in bed. "The box office for While You Were Sleeping is doing great. I wonder how My Best Friend's Wedding will perform?"

Sandra Bullock starred in the low-budget romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping, which had already made $73 million at the North American box office!

"Don't worry, My Best Friend's Wedding has a better plot, better locations, and a better cast," Arthur said, leaning in to kiss the girl in his arms.

"Yeah," Winona nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Arthur's phone, which was on the side, rang!

He reached for it, saying, "Wait a minute, you're telling me the NBA is going on strike? The official announcement is coming this afternoon?"

"The Houston Rockets just beat the Orlando Magic to win the championship. I don't think they even had time to hold the championship parade!"

While nestled in Arthur's embrace, Winona took advantage of the moment to kiss his chest.

Then, with a gleeful look on Arthur's face, she dove under the covers!

"Ugh," Arthur sighed as he hung up, "Both sides still can't agree on the rookie contracts and the salary cap?"

After getting a confirmation, Arthur shrugged, "Well, the season is over, and the draft is just a few days away. A strike? That's something else!"

He put the phone down with a frown as if saying, "A strike, just like that."

With a muffled sound from Arthur, Winona, who was naked, covered her mouth and dashed into the bathroom...

...

In 1991, NBA players' salaries had surged significantly. Rookie Larry Johnson signed the biggest contract ever, a 12-year $84 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets in his second year. Last year's overall pick, Glenn Robinson, who was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks, demanded a 10-year, $80 million contract, but the Bucks' total franchise value was below that!

The Bucks' owner immediately called for a new round of labor negotiations, insisting that rookie contracts needed to be regulated and a salary cap established to prevent players from asking for outrageous salaries. Despite Glenn Robinson signing a 10-year $68.1 million contract with the Bucks, it was clear this incident sparked the negotiations that led to the strike.

In Manhattan, at NBA headquarters in the Olympic Tower on Fifth Avenue, Arthur came to discuss the labor agreement with the league's president.

"Arthur, you're a genius. Got any good suggestions?" David Stern was indeed troubled.

Arthur tapped his fingers on the conference table. "Rookie contracts definitely need to change. It's ridiculous for someone who hasn't even played a game to demand an outrageous salary right off the bat."

David Stern nodded, "We're considering implementing a first-round 2+2 rookie contract!"

Arthur smiled, "But two years down the line, rookies will just opt out and ask for even bigger salaries. The league has no rules on salary increments, contract duration, or maximum salaries at different stages. Mr. Stern, just think, in a couple of years, how many big contracts will flood the league?"

Arthur shook his head; many issues only come to light once they actually happen. By then, teams would have no choice but to offer exorbitant contracts to keep their stars.

"How can those smaller franchise teams afford such salaries? Also, the salary cap is going to be a tough battle, given the players' union's strong stance, a hard cap isn't likely to pass!"

David Stern looked taken aback, "Could that really happen?"

"Who knows?" Arthur shrugged. "The L.A. Galaxy is a big market; Galaxy Stadium will be opening next year. With my connections, I could even unite five All-Star players, but what's the point if the league isn't healthy? My team's value will drop."

"Starting next season, we'll have two new Canadian teams -- the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors."

"That's cool, so my suggestion is that both sides should consider more issues during these labor negotiations!"

David Stern, appreciating Arthur's insights, remarked, "Arthur, you should get more involved in league matters."

Arthur quickly shook his head. "I don't have that much time, but I'm just offering my two cents. A healthy NBA is the foundation for a strong league..."

Whether David Stern would heed his suggestions was uncertain, but Arthur had spotted high schooler Kevin Garnett on this year's draft list.

With the 19th pick of the first round, the L.A. Galaxy would surely miss out on him. Garnett was someone who jumped out of his rookie contract in his third year and signed a groundbreaking deal that changed the league!

...

In downtown Manhattan, at MGM Tower, Arthur checked the newspaper reporting that Batman Forever had opened to a remarkable $52 million, setting a record for the opening weekend.

The previous year, Jurassic Park had also just $47 million during its first weekend!

"Of course, it's Batman, even though reviews are mixed -- might not be as good as the first two, but it's definitely doing better commercially than what Tim Burton directed," Arthur pondered as he set the paper down.

He picked up a list of the crew for Independence Day. The lead turned out to be Brendan Fraser?!

"Why isn't it Will Smith?" Although the currently showing Bad Boys was doing well, Brendan Fraser wasn't bad either; he had starred in a few comedies.

Independence Day lacked big names, focusing primarily on visual effects. Having a black lead in this kind of blockbuster was indeed a bit risky!

After all, it was a $70 million investment, and Jurassic Park had primarily white leads.

Just like Sony was developing a script for Men in Black, all the potential actors being considered were white.

For Independence Day, race didn't really matter. There wasn't anything inappropriate since Brendan Fraser was a talented young actor.

"Will Smith has a great comedic flair!"

Arthur tapped the table; since he was out of the Independence Day project, he figured it was time to prepare the script for Rush Hour.

Teaming Jackie Chan with Will Smith would surely be a hit, especially since Will was still a fresh face in Hollywood!

As Independence Day was gearing up for filming, Arthur wasn't worried about director Roland Emmerich's talent. It was scheduled for a summer release next year, so there shouldn't be any major issues.

After all, after so much preparation, everything that needed to be ready was on track, and they could work on the special effects while filming.

*****

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