This is a crucial weekend for the NBA as labor talks will reconvene in New York on Friday. The NBA lockout is entering its 92nd day and if things don't improve this weekend, Commissioner David Stern has insinuated that regular season games will be in peril. But the NBA is denying those reports. Either way, it's more important than ever that both sides come together and get closer to reaching an agreement.
On Wednesday, Stern said the owners and players "are not near a deal." But there is still hope that a deal could take place by next week to help preserve the 82-game regular season. If there is a deal constructed within the next 3-5 days, it would probably not include a hard cap and preserve guaranteed contract for the players. Those are huge priorities for the union. But the owners continue to ask for shorter contract lengths and want to decrease the slice of the pie that the players get. Another possibility, since this is a star-driven league, is a "franchise tag" similar to what the NFL gives out. The players have not budged on most issues, especially the revenue, where they earned 57 percent of basketball-related income last season. The owners want that figure to get sliced to the 40s while the players are still seeking 52 to 54 percent.