The NBA will officially renew negotiations with its union
today in New York.  Players and owners are hoping to have an
agreement "by the end of the playoffs," according to USA TODAY.
Negotiations stalled after the resignation of Charles Grantham as
NBPA Exec Dir.  His successor, Simon Gourdine, will address the
following key issues:  the salary cap, the "Larry Bird
exception," defined gross revenues, merchandising and licensing
and a rookie salary cap.  The players and the owners have a no-
strike, no-lockout moratorium through the playoffs, but both
sides realize the urgency of reaching a settlement.  NBPA
President Buck Williams:  "We must get this resolved, before
there's talk about a strike or a lockout.  It would hurt us much
more than it did baseball.  I don't know if we could bounce
back."  NBA Commissioner David Stern:  "We both know what we have
to do, and we know the consequences of not doing it" (David
DuPree & Roscoe Nance, USA TODAY, 5/4).