Players Union, Owners Meet for Six Hours
There’s still time for a deal to keep the entire NBA season intact, though it’s running out.
And with that in mind, owners and players realize it’s time to stop talking about each other, and start talking to each other.
They returned to the bargaining table Wednesday, meeting for about six hours in just their second bargaining session since the league’s lockout began on July 1.
“Everyone loses if we don’t reach an agreement, that’s something that I think has always been understood,” union president Derek Fisher of the Lakers said. “But as we approach Sept. 1 and obviously the training camp schedule to start on Oct. 1, the urgency is just continuing to build and increase on both sides, and we’re going to remain focused on finding a way to get this done.”
Neither side offered any specifics or would say if progress was made, but said they plan many more meetings in hopes of having basketball begin without interruption.
“I don’t see any benefit to characterizing our positions,” Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said, a thought repeated frequently by both sides.
“I will say we are not apart in terms of an agreed urgency on getting a deal done and we’re not apart on the need to avoid missing games and we’re not apart on the agreed impact that will have, not just on our teams and our players, but the communities in which they operate in as well.”
Commissioner David Stern and San Antonio owner Peter Holt, head of the labor relations committee, also represented the owners at a Manhattan hotel. Executive director Billy Hunter and attorney Ron Klempner attended from the union.
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