Progress in NBA labor negotiations?

The ability to preserve a full NBA season may be riding on a meeting Wednesday in Manhattan between the NBA and its players union, after both sides emerged from a brief but productive collective bargaining session Tuesday.

No proposals have been exchanged, but one could be in the making. "There isn't anything that we've discussed that becomes formal until it's formal," NBA players union president Derek Fisher said. "We've talked extensively in ideas and concepts. These are things that, if we can get into the range or get into the zone, maybe we can put a deal together."

The sides broke after just over two hours, when Fisher said it was time to "go back up to our offices and huddle up a little bit" to review "ideas and concepts" that were discussed in the meeting.

David Stern, who, like Fisher, emerged from last Thursday's meeting looking downcast, was smiling Tuesday but revealed little else. The NBA commissioner described the meeting as "quality time discussing concepts."

The sides have been at odds over two major factors in a new collective bargaining agreement: split of the basketball related income (BRI) and salary-cap system. There appeared to be some minor progress made on the split, even after the NBA reportedly proposed an 11-percent decrease in the players' share last week.

Once again, the sides kept to a small group setting that has proved to be more productive during the course of these negotiations. Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver were joined by San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt, the chairman of the labor relations committee, and the league's general counsel, Dan Rube. From the National Basketball Players Association, it was Fisher, executive director Billy Hunter, general counsel Ron Klempner and outside counsel Jeffrey Kessler. One notable absence was Kevin Murphy, the union's economist, who was out of town because of a previous engagement. Fisher said Murphy, who is an important figure in the negotiations over BRI, would be at Wednesday's meeting.

With several members of both sides of the negotiating table observing Rosh Hashanah Thursday, it is possible that talks could be picked up again over the weekend, which would be a positive sign. "We have both agreed that so long as there's a reason to keep discussing, we will keep discussing, undeterred by the calendar or weekends or things like that," Stern said. "We will know more after [Wednesday's] session."