NBA Commissioner David Stern told the player union the league will cancel the first two weeks of the regular season if no CBA is signed, and it now seems as though the sides are bracing for an elimination of regular season games. The parties have not scheduled an official labor meeting, and reports have indicated that the owners have refused to gather with the union on Monday.
The players union is planning a meeting amongst themselves Saturday in Miami and Monday in Los Angeles. The union requested that they would instead travel to New York to talk with the owners, but that plea was rejected.
According to the union, the owners said they would only meet if the players agreed to a 50-50 BRI split; however, they declined the proposal. There was some optimism heading into the weekend that the sides would sign a new CBA by Monday, but this latest lockout news indicates that the owners are not willing to give players a split of over 50%.
Nevertheless, NBA fans should still stay optimistic as labor talks can change any second. Sunday will be a major day in this work stoppage, and who knows, Stern and Billy Hunter may ink a deal before the Monday deadline.
