Basketball: US lock out likely to keep top Breakers at home

Tom Abercrombie has a year left on his contract. Photo / Chris Skelton

The chances of Kirk Penney and Tom Abercrombie remaining with the Breakers next season have improved with a lock-out looming in the NBA.

The current NBA season ends in May but negotiations on a new collective agreement have stalled and most predict a lock-out, or player strike, which could delay the start of next season.

The current collective agreement ends on June 30 but, with clubs haemorrhaging money, players have been told salaries need to be slashed. A solution seems a long way off.

Abercrombie has one year remaining on his Breakers deal but has out-clauses which allow him to leave for a club in Europe or the NBA. He has talked about wanting to further his career there and has the potential to play at a higher level.

Penney, who had an NBA trial with San Antonia last year, is off contract but has an option with the Breakers for next season.

But the pair might find it more difficult to pick up contracts elsewhere. A lock-out will mean many fringe NBA players will head to Europe because of the uncertainty in the US. That will allow European clubs to be more selective in who they recruit.

Breakers general manager Richard Clarke said it could benefit the club: "With more players in the European market, it could have an influence on what Tom and Kirk do. If it's an uncertain environment, then something certain and concrete [like the Breakers] could be a better option. It's a little bit of an unknown."

The Breakers are well advanced in shaping next season's squad and can afford to take their time with recruitment. A replacement will need to be found for the retiring Paul Henare, and Tall Black Lindsay Tait looms as an option, but most of the rest will be back.

The two imports are signed on a year-to-year basis and it wouldn't be a surprise to see both Kevin Braswell and Gary Wilkinson return.

Tait joined the Cairns Taipans late last month as an injury replacement for Kerry Williams and played for the Breakers in their first three seasons. The 29-year-old also trained with the North Shore club in pre-season and is a current Tall Black. He had a brief stint with Wollongong in 2007/08 before a shoulder injury interrupted his season.

Tait would provide good cover as a back-up point guard but Clarke said any talk of him joining the club was premature.

"We want to keep the group together as much as possible so we will let this season play out and see what happens with Tom and Kirk," Clarke said.

"We also need to see how CJ Bruton and Corey Webster go for the remainder of the season. But it's not outside the realms of possibility. Lindsay trained with us pre-season. He would be one player on our list."