With the MLB playoffs and the NFL season in full swing, it’s easy to forget that the NBA is still in the midst of a messy labour dispute. For those still hanging on to the shred of hope that there will still be NBA basketball this fall, particularly those in the gaming industry who stand to lose a considerable amount of revenue, that hope is slowly slipping away with each passing day.
After meeting for four hours today, the NBA and the players walked away from the negotiation tables having made zero progress towards a new CBA. According to David Stern at a press conference, the owners went into the meeting willing to make a number of concessions on issues like the hard salary cap and guaranteed contracts, but when the proposal for a 50/50 revenue split was shot down by the players, negotiation talks effectively broke down.
With NBA season scheduled to start on November first, negotiations have reached a critical point. NBA commissioner David Stern said in a press conference that if no agreement were made by Monday October 10th, “the first two weeks of the season would be cancelled.” Stern also announced that the remainder of the exhibition season would be cancelled.
