NBA Deputy Commissioner & COO Adam Silver yesterday said that the league and NBPA "have agreed to hold two days of extensive meetings in early June in the city of the Western Conference champion," either Dallas or Oklahoma City, according to Tom Canavan of the AP. With the NBA CBA set to expire at the end of June, Silver said, "The throttle is down. We realize time is short. Both sides are very aware what has happened in the NFL and the disruption to their business caused by the work stoppage. Both the owners and the union want to avoid that at all cost." Silver said that the June meetings "will involve small groups, the full labor relations committee along with executive committee of union." He added the "silver" lining to the Lakers being eliminated from the playoffs is that Lakers G and NBPA President Derek Fisher can participate in the upcoming negotiations. Lead negotiators for the two sides met last week in N.Y. and Silver spoke with Gary Hall, the "lead attorney at the players' association" who died suddenly on Sunday. NBA Commissioner David Stern said that "the sides are farther along in negotiations with six weeks left in the CBA than they were 13 years ago." He said that the owners and players are "well aware how much money will be lost if there is another stoppage." Silver said that the NBA "has shared all its financial information with the union and admitted it is willing to discuss different ways to reach an agreement." The players are "dead set against a hard salary cap," but Silver and Stern noted that the league is "looking to create a system where owners can make profits from their investments and all 30 teams can compete for a championship" (AP, 5/17).
COMMITTED TO GETTING A DEAL: Stern discussed the league’s labor situation prior to the NBA Draft Lottery last night, saying the league is committed to sitting with the NBPA and getting a new CBA “without any interruption.” Stern: “We had a meeting last week. We're going to have a meeting next week, and we're hopeful that we'll be able to get something done." He added, "We cover everything, with the understanding that until we have a deal, we've covered nothing and that's sort of what we do. … I don't mean to suggest that we're at agreement or close to an agreement but there's nothing other than I would say goodwill, friendship. No acrimony.” Stern noted the sides "have to bridge everything." Stern: "We're talking about the percentage. We're talking about the kind of cap. We're talking about the length of contracts. We're talking about the strength of guarantees. We're talking about and we will be talking about entry age and everything you could possibly think about. This is going to be a long-term deal when it's finally made and we want it to be as extensive as it possibly can be" ("NBA Countdown," ESPN, 5/17).
TRAGEDY FOR THE NBPA: NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter said that Hall "was found unconscious" Monday morning in his N.Y. apartment. Hall joined the NBPA in '05, "leaving his job as a partner in the Syracuse law firm of Blitman & King." He "would have played a key role in negotiations between NBA players and owners during the offseason" (Syracuse POST-STANDARD, 5/17). ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan wrote Hall was Hunter's "right-hand man, the person" Stern and Silver "often used as a vehicle to convey certain thoughts and ideas" to the NBPA. Last night, Silver "recounted how Hunter and Hall would often regale him and Stern with tales of the cases they prosecuted." All four men are attorneys, and they "used their tales of legal battles from years gone by as a diversion from the business they needed to conduct with each other" (ESPN.com, 5/17).
