NBA and players union set for make or break talks on Tuesday – Labour Dispute News
The NBA labour dispute will enter a crucial phase on Tuesday, with various reports suggesting some major decisions. Many people had already labelled Tuesday’s session as a “do or die” one and the notion gained strength after both sides hinted the same after a meeting on Monday.
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) engaged the NBA owners for around 5 hours in New York on Monday. Both parties however refused to divulge any major details from the meeting, stating instead that a stage had been set for crucial talks on Tuesday.
"A lot of signs point to tomorrow being a very huge day," players' association president Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers said. "There will be a lot of pressure on all of us in the room, and we'll accept that responsibility and go in and see what we can get worked out."
The owners also agreed that talks were at a crossroads right now and Tuesday’s session could decide which way they head in the future. The NBA has already cancelled its training camps as well as 43 pre-season games. The NBA season is scheduled to start on November 1 and both sides know that time is running out to reach a deal before that.
"Each side understands exactly what's at stake and where potentially there is movement in order to try to get a deal done," NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said. "I mean, we can only say we're running out of time so many times.
"We both understand that if we don't make our best offers in the next few days, we're going to be at the point where we're going to be causing damage to the game, to ourselves, and they're going to be out pay checks," he added.
If the season’s start is delayed, it could pour on a lot of misery for both sides. Although the numbers suggest that the players are set to lose a lot more money than the owners in case the NBA season is cancelled altogether, repercussions will be serious for the owners as well.
The owners have complained of losses of around $300 million in the last season, but it is also a fact that the league has enjoyed unprecedented popularity over that period. Television ratings are high, new lucrative markets have opened up and the NBA’s revenue last season was its highest ever.
This explosion in growth is set to continue for the next many years and could very well make the NBA one of the wealthiest sporting entities in the world. However, if the lockout results in a lost season, all the good work of the past could be undone.
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