NBA owners, players talk again Thursday
Billy Hunter, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, holds a press briefing following a meeting between team owners and the NBA player's union. (June 21, 2011) Credit: AP
NBA owners and players met for about 5 1/2 hours Wednesday, plan to resume negotiations Thursday, and could even sit down again Friday.
While neither side would say if progress is being made, the frequency of the discussions seems a good sign. They met only twice in the first two months of the lockout that began July 1.
But they went for about six hours last Wednesday, and decided they would go multiple days this week. Both sides said they could even carry over the discussions into a third consecutive day if things go well during Thursday's session.
"We agreed that we're going to sit here for as many days as we can to see whether we can make progress, but we agreed not to characterize anything at all," Commissioner David Stern said.
Both sides were cautious not to portray any optimism -- though one player briefly did on Twitter, before saying his account had been hacked -- or any other feelings about what was happening in the room at a midtown hotel. They said last week they wanted details of the discussions to remain private and seem intent on keeping that vow.
"It's tough to characterize it in one fashion or another. Obviously, the more we have the opportunities to meet, talk and discuss and really try to figure out how we can put a deal together, the better, so you can characterize that as positive in a sense," union president Derek Fisher of the Lakers said. "But to characterize what comes out of the meetings and whether we're making progress or we have momentum, we can't say and it's tough to say. Until the deal is done, there is no deal."
Stern was joined on the owners' side by Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt, and NBA senior vice president Dan Rube. The union negotiators were Fisher, executive vice president Billy Hunter, attorneys Jeffrey Kessler and Ron Klempner, and economist Kevin Murphy.
Shortly after the meeting, Knicks guard Roger Mason Jr., a member of the players' executive committee, wrote "Looking like a season. How u" on his Twitter page. He later deleted that post and wrote a subsequent one that his account had been hacked.
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