The NBA won't make same mistake

cashpath · #1 (**permalink**) 02-21-2005

DENVER — The NBA won't make the mistake its NHL counterpart did in its labor negotiations.

NBA players, owners, league brass and union representatives met in here Friday in a joint effort to bolster labor negotiations with an eye toward reaching some sort of agreement before the regular season end.

Union chief Billy Hunter spoke optimistically about an agreement being finalized within the next six weeks.
"What I'm able to report is while there are some significant differences, we are making progress, and it's our intent to intensify the negotiations over the next month or so and to see how much progress we can make, to see if we can close the gaps," he said. "We'd like to see if we can hopefully get an agreement between the respective sides prior to the close of the season, obviously as quickly as possible and make every effort to do it an expeditious fashion."

NBA commissioner David Stern, who deferred to Hunter at the start of their annual All-Star weekend address to the media, was in total agreement with Hunter. Both said that they would step up their negotiations in order to avoid a lockout similar to the seven-month stall that cut short the 1998-99 season.

"We went down that road seven years ago; we're trying to avoid it," Hunter said, "David and I have agreed, along with our respective constituencies, that we'll do everything within reason to reach an accord."

The collective bargaining agreement expires July 1. Rumors of a possible extension of the current agreement were neither confirmed nor dismissed. But many of the issues separating the sides thus far — namely the length of contracts and a proposed age limit — would suggest that a new agreement, and not an extension of the current one, is necessary.

With the ongoing NHL drama as a cautionary tale, the NBA is looking to avoid a similar public mess.

"It's the opening prayer at all of our meetings," Stern said as the crowd laughed. "I mean, I don't know what else to say. We talk about it. And it sort of drives us to say, 'OK, we may not be talking with everyone in this room about how we feel about every position and what we intend to do. But we have a pretty good idea where the other guy stands, and the question is, what trades can we make to narrow the gap.'

"So we are pretty well revealed to each other, even if we are not revealed to the public, and I think that's really what, in a way, didn't happen in hockey, without characterizing one side or the other."