NBA Season in Doubt as Talks Break Down
Written by Bob Whalon, Tuesday September 13 2011
After the fourth meeting in 12 days with the owners yielded no progress, the National Basketball Players Association expressed pessimism that the NBA season will start on time.
Training camps are scheduled to open on Oct. 3, but NBPA president and Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Anderson said he doesn't "feel like training camp and the season will start on time."
NBA Commissioner David Stern blamed the players for the lack of progress, citing their insistence to keep the salary cap the same in the new agreement.
"Our concern was their stating to us that the only circumstances in which they would reach our agreement and sign off on economic issues was if the cap system remained exactly as it was today with the exceptions - the mid-level, Bird, trade, etc. - and that was just basically a non-negotiable item from their perspective," Stern said on Tuesday.
On the other side, it seems that NBPA executive director Billy Hunter is digging in his heels for a long fight. "No question in my mind players are unified," Hunter said. "The players are not prepared to accept this deal under any circumstances."
But he also seemed to place the blame for the collapse of the talks squarely on the owners. "We came, obviously with the intent of negotiating," Hunter said. "We were prepared to compromise somewhat on the position we staked out previously."
Unfortunately for NBA fans who want to see professional basketball played this season, Stern doesn't see things the same way as Hunter.
"All of the owners were completely unified in the view that we needed a system that, at the end of the day, allowed 30 teams to compete," Stern said. "We went back and said to the players that even though we have some ideas, it actually didn't make sense to respond to their non-negotiable demand that everything remain the same that it was and that we'd be best off going back and reporting to our respective sides at the meetings that we have on Thursday, and we agreed we'd be in touch."
All of that certainly makes it seem like the NBA season starting on time is a remote possibility. No further meetings are scheduled at this time.
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