NBA Player's Union, league representatives meet to resolve the labour dispute
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, or CBA, is set to expire on June 30. However, the league owners and the players’ union are nowhere near finalizing a new agreement and the threat of a lockdown is getting more imminent
with each passing day.
Both parties have been very firm on their demands. The league owners want a hard salary cap as they claim the franchises face millions of dollars in losses every year. The players on the other hand, have rejected the idea out right.
With just a month remaining in the possible lockout, the league and player’s union’s representatives held a discussion on Wednesday. The union’s executive director Billy Hunter had previously said that he was 99 percent sure that
games will be lost next season because of the dispute. However, after the four hour discussion on Wednesday he has said he is “hopeful” that the situation could be resolved.
"I'm hopeful, and we know that the pressure's building, and if anything's going to happen, it's got to happen between now and (June) 30," Hunter said. "And so we're really going to make every effort to see if we can reach a deal."
Neither party provided much details of the discussion or any hint that they were prepared to make some concessions on the key issues.
For his part NBA Commissioner David Stern said there was progress in the talks. Stern said despite the differences of opinion, both sides were willing to sort the matter out.
"I guess on paper we're quite far apart. The question is whether we may be closer than we say we are, or we can get closer than we say we are," Stern said.
Teams and players stand to lose a lot of money if an agreement is not struck before the CBA expires on June 30. David Stern has already warned the players that they should avoid a lockout because the owner’s would take an even
stringent approach if there is any stoppage in the next season.
The owner’s demands, if met, would mean significantly lower salaries for the players. They will also close some loop holes in the current salary cap system which allows teams to often bypass it, such as resigning their own free
agents. Getting a group of stars together and keeping all of them well paid would also be very difficult.
The Miami Heat, for example, would not be able to pay their three stars as much as they do now, and could possibly be forced to part company with at least one, in order to fill out the roster.
In the current atmosphere, the discussion that took place on Wednesday and the two that are scheduled to take place next week in Dallas are good news for all concerned. As players executive Keyon Dooling put, "you've got a chance."
"But at the same time," he said, "we're far away and we realize that and we've got to try to find some middle ground so we can find balance."
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