By Chris Sheridan
NEW YORK — Billy Hunter is scheduled to get on an airplane Sunday and fly to Los Angeles to give a briefing to several players on the state of the NBA lockout.
David Stern and Adam Silver are observing the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur on Saturday, when sunset comes at 6:27 p.m. EDT local time and both men can break their fast, have a bite to eat and pick up the telephone — if they so choose.
Right now, the owners have set a precondition for reconvening collective bargaining talks — telling the union to accept the 50/50 split of revenues to clear the way for hammering out compromises on the remaining unresolved system issues.
The union says it will not accept any preconditions, and that is why the sides are not scheduled to meet. Yet.
That’s where things stand as of midday, Saturday.
Now, let’s all take a collective deep breath and remind ourselves that Stern has set Monday as the deadline for making a deal to salvage the scheduled Nov. 1 start of the regular season (and it should be noted that Stern did not specify an exact time on Monday).
And if Stern makes a phone call, removes the preconditions, sits down with Hunter and Derek Fisher and is within inches of a deal by 11:59 p.m. Monday night, he also has the power to stop the clock.
So right now, the thing to watch for is whether Hunter gets on that flight to Los Angeles on Sunday, or whether he stays in New York.
And even if Hunter gets on that flight to LAX, Stern and Silver can get climb aboard the NBA’s corporate jet, fly out of Teterboro airport in New Jersey and touch down on the West Coast five hours later. Come to think of it, if everybody is in California on Monday, that buys them an extra three hours because of the time zone difference. Hmmm.
The point here is that it is not yet Monday, and a lot can happen between sundown Saturday and 11:59 p.m. PDT Monday. So stay tuned.
We cannot see the future. We cannot change the past. We can only live in the now with an eye towards gaining enough power in the future to wreck revenge on everyone who ever screwed us in the past.
Chris,
I am a big fan of your NBA coverage and your new site. You are as good as it gets as a reporter and writer, and that’s a fact, so keep up the good work. As for your prediction the lockout will end prior to missing any games, I love your optimism, but it sounds a little hollow at this stage. Logically, your arguments make sense, and I think I get why you’re saying that, and it is true that a deal is definitely there for the taking, but I sense that’s missing the point a bit. My sense is that both sides have been resigned all along to taking and giving out some pain before making a deal. The question isn’t whether we’ll miss ANY games, it’s how MANY – that’s actually been my question all along. Once Monday comes and goes without a deal – that will be your question too. You might want to be careful how far you decide go out on that limb. .As David Stern so wisely put it a few months back, “these things tend to take on lives of their own”, and when that happens, logic and reason are as reliable as J.R. Smith’s jumper.
Give it up, Chris. You’re wrong on this one.
Just man up and say so. It’s obvious we’re not getting a full season here. I wish we were, but it’s time to stick our heads out of Fantasyland and into the real world.
It’s OK to be wrong. Just admit it.
For your sake you better hope this gets done.
Your credibility will be shot after this.
I hope you are right. I really want this to end.
Enough is enough.
Don’t know if it hurts his credibility. He has said all along this is his opinion based on his logic. It would be absolutely stupid not to ride the NBA’s popularity into next year and settle for a deal on both sides. He assumed owners were just positioning themselves for the best deal possible and the players are waiting for the owners to give them that deal.
But it looks like he was wrong, the owners might be going for the throat on this.
Not to be nitpicking but you need to correct your statement.
“But it look like he was wrong.”
He isn’t wrong yet key word yet…..Lets get to Monday then if he is wrong then it is time to say he is wrong.
well…..you got me there. I am an impatient man.
Chris, up until recently your optimism has been appreciated…but I must say, the last few days you remind me of the Kevin Bacon character in “Animal House” — “Please disperse, there is nothing to see here, ALL IS WELL!”
C’mon…an agreement by Monday ain’t happening.
Well guys, in the beginning I saw no way this Lockout would actually get to the point where games are missed, but at this juncture, I’m feeling less optimistic. Looks like the Owners may be trying to dig their heels in on this one…Is a 50/50 split that bad of a deal for the Players….?
@Fabrizio well chris has been close on quite a few things but he has given us a bit of false hope though at time – while it may not even be his fault as the owners and players may be constantly changing their minds and tactics and nobody really knows exactly whats goin on!!!
those reporters who have predicted that the owners were stalling just so the players can miss a few checks look like theyre correct because it doesnt look like this will get resolved anytime soon!!
It doesn’t look the Owners ever had any intention of attempting a reasonable negotiation….
Oh, c’mon… You’ve been awful about the lockout.
You’ve missed every single prediction, just too optimistic… Or maybe just too much willing to be different from the other reporters, as if you needed your voice to be heard.
Take this advice for a reader from Italy: stop it.
Please.
Lets be fair, why don’t you say the same thing to the people who are way to much pessimist regarding this whole lockout from the begin with when people predict the doom, and gloom even before the lockout started?
At this moment right now things are not looking good however Chris make a good point that Stern did not reveal what time he’ll announce the cancellation the first two weeks of the regular season games. He only stated on Monday but not the time so it is something to think about.
I will say my optimistic have been shot down at the moment but lets hope they work things out before its to late.
I’don’t think you follow me all over the net to see if I criticize them too… or at least I hope for you you don’t!
So let’s stay on this one…
I like Chris job. A lot.
Or I wouldn’t be here reading his columns.
But on this specific topic…
He missed it all.
Not a chance.
It’s not a matter of logic as somebody wrote, it’s a matter of reporting.
I mean, if I were in a war country I should write “I think tomorrow they’ll stop shooting, ’cause it makes no sense”?
I don’t think so.
At the same time, given the informations Chris, the other reporters and we all have got…
He’s just not doing a good job.
In my opinion, of course.