'Unified' NBA union to meet with league

The NBPA insists it is unified and also says it is ready to resume negotiations with the NBA.

Union president Derek Fisher and executive director Billy Hunter held a meeting with the NBPA executive committee at the union's Harlem-based office Thursday to dispel reports of a rift between them and to plan the strategy for the next round of collective bargaining, which will take place in Manhattan Saturday. Talks abruptly ended last Friday after there were strong indications of progress toward a deal, and the sides have not met since.

Hunter said he reached out to NBA commissioner David Stern on Wednesday to schedule another meeting.

"We're going to meet,'' Hunter said. "The only way we're going to get a deal done is if we meet . . . I don't know if it's going to accomplish much, but we're going to meet.''

Hunter also suggested that the sides bring federal mediator George Cohen back into the mix, which has yet to be agreed to by the NBA. Cohen, the director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, presided over three days of constructive talks that suddenly broke down and led to Cohen's removing himself from the process.

The major issue remains the split of league revenue. The owners want the players to accept a 50-50 split, but the players have drawn a line in the sand at 52.5 percent. The union insists that the split isn't the only point of contention, as there are issues with the salary-cap system that need to be resolved.

What was resolved Thursday is that Hunter and Fisher remain on the same page. The two dismissed reports, which originated at FoxSports.com, that they were at odds over the revenue split. Fisher also denied a report that said he cut a side deal with Stern about a 50-50 split.

"Derek and I have an excellent relationship and continue to have an excellent relationship,'' Hunter said. "The board, we're all together. So if you all were expecting anything other than that, you're wasting your time.''