'Calendar isn't our friend' in NBA talks

The NBA's collective bargaining process has reached that first threshold of desperation, and the moment wasn't lost on the principals from either side of the table when Thursday's session in Manhattan ended without a compromise.

"Obviously we're not walking out here with a deal right now," NBA players union president Derek Fisher said after the five-hour meeting. "We met for a few hours, covered a lot of things. We'll get back at it again next week, hopefully earlier in the week . . . We'll keep working at it until we get this thing figured out, but right now there isn't anything really to report or say. I don't have any answers to any questions other than we'll keep working at it until we find some solutions."

Fisher deferred to NBA commissioner David Stern for comment on the impending cancellation of the scheduled opening day of training camps, which is Oct. 3. Stern hinted the NBA will likely reveal a decision in the near future when he said, "I have no announcement to make today, but the calendar is not our friend."

Multiple reports Thursday said that the league will cancel training camps and some preseason games today.

The NBA regular season is scheduled to start on Nov. 1, so while training camps may be delayed and the preseason compacted, there is still time to reach a deal before games are lost.

Still, Fisher used the same phrase -- "the calendar is not our friend" -- which suggests that was the underlying theme of the meeting. Thursday's meeting followed a smaller-group session on Wednesday that included deputy commissioner Adam Silver. Stern said he will address the NBA's negotiating committee Friday to discuss the events of Thursday's meeting. Curiously, Stern refused to say if a proposal had been made by either side.

Neither Stern nor Fisher would offer any details, which is a notable change from past meetings. Stern said both sides agreed before the meeting ended to keep things close to the vest and avoid any public disruptions that could compromise the situation, so both men seemed intent to stay completely expressionless (Stern, who celebrated his 69th birthday, only offered a smile when told he looked dour).

The fact remains that the league is still insisting on not only getting the players to agree to a significantly lower percentage of the league revenue -- it was 57 percent in the last deal and currently the union has offered to go as low as 53 percent -- but also install a hard cap salary system into the new agreement. That, above everything else, remains the bone of contention.

But if there is any evidence of a silver lining, it's that the leaders continue to negotiate with little to no animosity. It's the owners and agents who have provided most of the fireworks from the sidelines.

"We're trying to figure out ways to come together," Fisher said. "We couldn't do it today and hopefully we'll get another opportunity next week to continue to try and figure it out."