NBA players' union boss is "99 percent sure" that there will be a lockout
Billy Hunter, the executive director of the NBA players' association, told the Associated Press on Monday that he is "99 percent sure'' that there will be a lockout next off-season.
"I think it's highly probable that there will be a lockout and that's what I'm preparing for because I don't see anything else right now,'' Hunter said.
Negotiations at a standstill
He said that he had instructed players to save their money because negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement has gone nowhere. Last week, both parties met but there was no
breakthrough in the negotiations. Hunter said that team owners were not backing down in their demands to reduce player salaries, annual raises, contract length and guarantees and the league's rookie salary scale.
"What's left?'' Hunter told the Associated Press.
Both parties are looking to meet again by next month. The union and club owners have been in negotiations for over a year, yet progress remains elusive. The league is demanding a cut in
salaries which amount to $700 million and $800 million and the introduction of a hard salary cap.
The players' association, on the other hand, contends that negotiated salaries have decreased for three consecutive seasons in spite of record ticket sales and revenue and strong TV ratings.
Both Hunter and league commissioner David Stern are targeting the NBA All-Star break in February as the deadline for an agreement. Otherwise, the league may have its first lockout since the
shortened 1998 season. Hunter expresses pessimism that a deal will be reached by then, saying that he is "waiting for some sign, some movement from the owners that they want to reach a reasonable deal.
"Right now they're being unreasonable and I can't tell you when reason's going to set in,'' he said.
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