Basketball, Nba Players' Union | featured news

After 15 hours of negotiating that began on Friday, the two sides have 'reached a tentative understanding' early Saturday morning, Commissioner David Stern says. It took 149 days and countless hours of hand-wringing, but the NBA lockout finally appears to be over.

When the NBA labor negotiations broke down two weeks ago, disagreement over a half dozen or so significant "system issues" between the two sides was blamed. How significant? The owners and the players essentially had agreed on the money split -- going 50-50 on basketball-related income -- but only if each got what it wanted in the system. And each wanted it all.

National Basketball Association players rejected the latest labor proposal from the league’s owners Monday and prepared to turn to the courts to settle the labor impasse, a move that further jeopardized the 2011-12 season.

NBA players and owners did not reach a deal early Thursday morning on the bitter labor struggle that has postponed the basketball season.

NBA players have until the close of business on Wednesday to accept the latest proposal from the owners or risk receiving a significantly worse deal afterward. As of early Sunday morning, National Basketball Players Association president Derek Fisher and other representatives of the players’ union were unwilling to accept the deal, which would allow players to receive between 49 percent and 51 percent of revenues.

NBA players could have a choice Saturday: Accept a 50-50 division of basketball-related income or risk having more owners join the hardline faction that wants a 53-47 split in its favor— and a hard salary cap. When talks resume, they may quickly break down unless the sides can compromise on positions that seem to be hardening by the minute.

In a letter, Derek Fisher denies reports of attempts to cut a deal with Commissioner David Stern without the support of other union leaders.

Multiple sources predict a 78-game NBA season will be staged if the players and owners can compromise on the revenue split by next weekend, the New York Post reported Sunday. After hatcheting November's games following another labor negotiation breakdown, NBA commissioner David Stern proclaimed officially Friday that there is no longer a chance of squeezing in an 82-game schedule with a Dec. 1 starting date.

The National Basketball Association announced Friday that all games through November 30 are canceled as team owners and players continue to battle over a new collective bargaining agreement.

NBA owners and players called it an early night Thursday, with both pointing toward Friday as a decisive day for big moves to end the 119-day lockout. Or not. After two days of talks about the salary cap system, they will turn their attention back to the division of revenues, which derailed the talks last week.