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    Billy Hunter and NBPA Demanding that Derek Fisher Resign: A Fan's Take

    By | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Fri, Apr 20, 2012 6:55 PM EDT

    NBPA Union President Derek Fisher has made some pretty big enemies over the past few days. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard reportedly sought to conduct a financial review of the NBPA and executive director Billy Hunter.

    As a result, Hunter and the NBPA have asked Fisher to resign as Union President. The NBPA voted 8-0 that they have lost confidence in Fisher as the president and asked for him to resign. Fisher said it best in his statement when he said that he "thought that there were some serious questions that needed to be answered."

    With the quick demand for his resignation coming on the heels of him asking for a financial review, it is clear that Hunter and other members of the NBPA have something to hide. Hunter's statement was more damaging than Fisher's. While Fisher took the high road and said he would take the negative comments, the NBPA didn't pull their punches.

    The statement from the NBPA read in part that "Fisher engaged in conduct detrimental to the union, including acting in contravention of the players' best interests, during collective bargaining, declining to follow the NBPA Constitution, and failing to uphold the duties of the Union President."

    With the Thunder heading into the postseason and Fisher needing to keep his focus on the game, this comes at a horrible time. It is obvious that Fisher knows there is something wrong within the NBPA, and after the messy lockout, it is clear that he believes that the player's union is doing something wrong, and in his own words, to the detriment of the players themselves.

    A vote will take place since Fisher won't resign and it sounds like he will be forced out of power soon, but I have to wonder what it is that Hunter and the NBPA are hiding. Fisher said he wants what is best for the players and I am starting to wonder if Hunter feels the same. After the lockout, the one person I thought should be removed from power was Hunter, who did nothing to help end the lockout properly.

    This is going to be a mess and I can't imagine anyone, from Fisher to Hunter to the union, coming out of this looking good. Fisher said he won't resign and once again asked for an audit of the union. The fact that one executive committee member said they wanted to handle this internally without involving the players tells me there are some secrets here they want to remain buried.

    Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and is an avid sports fan that has lived in Oklahoma for over 40 years. He used to religiously follow the Dallas Mavericks until Oklahoma City found a team to call their own.

    Source: CBSSports

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