NBA Lockout Watch, Day 57: NBPA Continues Regional Meetings In Chicago

More than a dozen NBA players met Thursday in Chicago "to listen and ask questions about the league's looming non-season of 2011-12, which is about a month away from being jeopardized in part or in whole by the labor lockout," according to Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter and Wizards F and NBPA VP Maurice Evans "had flown in Wednesday night for the fourth NBPA regional meeting in nine days." Similar sessions to "brief players on the mostly stalled collective bargaining talks and to offer tips and answer questions about enduring a lengthy lockout were held" last week in L.A. and Las Vegas, and this week in N.Y. Other meetings are "planned in Houston, Miami, Orlando and Atlanta." Earlier Thursday, Hunter, Evans and "other members of the union's traveling party met with a group of NBA player-agents in a downtown hotel ballroom." Evans said, "We're seriously committed to getting a deal. We're excited about trying to get a deal. We understand that this is a process and we respect their opinions. We just wish they respected ours and took them more seriously." Aschburner reported the negotiating session tentatively planned for next week "might be attended only by the key players in the talks" (NBA.com, 8/25). The AP's Brian Mahoney reported next week's meeting is expected to include NBA Commissioner David Stern and Deputy Commissioner & COO Adam Silver, as well as Hunter and Lakers G and NBPA President Derek Fisher. Others may attend, "but the meeting is expected to be small." Plans were for it "to be held early in the week, though that could change if expected bad weather from Hurricane Irene hampers travel" (AP, 8/25).