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    • NBA Talks Stall, all Games through November Cancelled

    by admin in Basketball News | Comments Off on NBA Talks Stall, all Games through November Cancelled

    NBA commissioner David Stern cancelled the rest of the November schedule after NBA negotiations fall apart again on Friday over the division of the revenue. He also indicated that now a full 82-game season is out of reach.

    “It’s not practical, possible or prudent to have a full season now,” Stern said Friday, on the 120 day of the lockout.

    Once again the split of the revenue was the main point of disagreement. The owners insisted on a 50-50 split. The union restated its request for 52.5 percent. Neither side agreed. The meeting ended.

    Stern accused Billy Hunter, the union’s executive director, of walking away. Stern said the NBA owners were “willing” to go to 50 percent. But he said Hunter was unwilling to “go a penny below 52,” that he had been getting many calls from agents and then closed up his book and walked out of the room.

    Earlier, Hunter said the owners had essentially issued an ultimatum: “It was ‘50-50, take it or leave it.’ And we just said, ‘Well, today we’re leaving it, like we left it last week.’ ”

    “We held out that joint hope together,” Stern said, “but in light of the breakdown of talks, there will not be a full N.B.A. season under any circumstances. And I say that with apologies to the municipalities in which we play our games, to the workers who earn their living in our buildings, and from businesses around the buildings.”

    The month of canceled games will bring about $400 million loses almost equaly for the players and the owners. About $200 million was forfeited when the preseason was canceled and the players will now miss their first paychecks around Nov. 16.




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