NBA labour talk’s session cancelled, David Stern blames players – NBA Labour Dispute update
Another disappointing development came to light in the ongoing NBA labour dispute when talks scheduled for Thursday between NBA players and owners were cancelled.
NBA Commissioner, David Stern was quick to point the finger at the National Basketball Players Association.
David Stern revealed while talking to a local newspaper that the meetings had been cancelled and said the NBA players were to blame, as he alleged that NBPA called
it off. The decision to call of the meeting, scheduled a day before the NBA owners and players gather inside the same building for the 2011 Hall of Fame, is yet another in a long line of bad turns for the negotiations.
The two sides have been formally at the table for over a year now but have failed to reach a compromise. The differences between their stances are vast and owners
took the decision to lockout the league once the old CBA expired. Since July 1st, talks for formulating a new CBA have been non-existent, with just one meeting held and both parties using the media to blame one another.
The NBA owners are perceived to be the greedier of the two sides as they are demanding a complete overhaul of the previous system in favour of a CBA which will
give them the vast majority of NBA revenue as well as impose other restrictions on the players. David Stern and the owners made the first seriously season threatening move when they filed a lawsuit against the NBPA in a federal court.
The NBPA had actually seen calls for filing a lawsuit against the league itself but President Derek Fisher and Executive Director Billy Hunter refused to take the
drastic step in favour of continuing the negotiations.
However the wide differences between both parties as well as the pressure tactics of David Stern have led to a real gloomy mood inside the player’s camp. The fans
are the ones suffering the most though because many analysts now believe that at least part of the next season will be lost as a result of the labour dispute.
Billy Hunter went one step further when he declared he did not expect there to be a 2011-2012 NBA season in the light of the current situation.
There is still hope that as the season’s start gets nearer and the threat of lost games looms large, pressure will build on both sides to talk and reach a compromise.
David Stern also echoed these sentiments when he told a reporter that,
“I expect that we’ll make a deal because the alternative is very destructive.”
Let’s hope they do reach a deal in time.
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