NEW YORK — David Stern and NBA owners have made a new take it-or-leave-it offer to the players, who have until Wednesday to make up their minds. The new offer; incorporating suggestions made by federal mediator George Cohen, would give the players between 49 and 51 percent of revenues; depending on the level of financial growth. The union did not immediately comment following the 8 1/2-hour meeting, but Stern said union attorney Jeffrey Kessler had rejected the new proposal. Stern said the owners
Hunter, Fisher defend walkout and deny rift; NBA labor talks to resume Saturday
NEW YORK — If he had to do it all over again, Billy Hunter still would have walked out of the negotiating room. That was the defiant tone Hunter struck Thursday as the NBA players’ union held a news briefing at its headquarters in Harlem after owners and players decided they would resume discussions Saturday afternoon for the first time since their acrimonious blowup last Friday. At that meeting, after two days of discernible progress, Hunter and the players’ union representatives walked out of the room
Heisler Column: At Long Last, Crunch Time
By Mark Heisler Talk about the matchup we waited our whole lives for … Bryant Gumbel vs. Paul Allen! What’s the chance of them fighting a steel cage death match? Things look that bad — as things figured to at this point with the warring parties already out $330 million … soon to be $660 million when Jefferson Davis, er, David Stern cancels two more weeks. The NBA trotted out Allen, the nation’s No. 23-ranked billionaire, now cautioning prudence after years of $100 million payrolls
Lockout update: Interpretations
NEW YORK — The gag order imposed by federal mediator George Cohen has left the NBA lockout writers with a dearth of quotes to work with, so let’s have a look around the Web to see what they had left in the tank after doing stakeout duty during 24 1/2 hours of talks Tuesday and Wednesday: Ken Berger of CBSSports.com looks at the salary cap math but leaves out one important piece of the equation — the money that would be freed
Lockout talks end after 16 hours, to resume in morning
By Chris Sheridan NEW YORK — After more than 16 hours of meetings, there still is no deal to end the NBA lockout. Also, nobody is talking. Owners and players met Tuesday into Wednesday for what was by far their longest negotiating session since the lockout was imposed, breaking up after 2 a.m. and agreeing to reconvene later Wednesday morning after a few hours sleep. Both sides heeded the wishes of federal mediator George Cohen and declined to say anything publicly. Whether this represented tangible progress
Lockout update: Sides still talking after 13 hours
NEW YORK — Owners and players held their longest bargaining session since the NBA lockout was imposed July 1, breaking the 13-hour mark — and continuing to talk — as the clock hit 11 p.m. EDT Tuesday night. Federal mediator George Cohen was presiding over the meeting, which included the owners’ and players’ full bargaining committees. There were no details being released regarding what was transpiring in the bargaining room, but the very fact that the sides were spending so much time