Night of the Living Deadline

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Published: November 10, 2011

After meeting for 12 hours on deadline day, the small groups representing the NBA and NBPA could not agree to the framework for a collective bargaining agreement. Stern said nothing was worked out and that there are many issues other than the five points believed to be the most important.

Silver indicated the system and economics are independent.

Fisher and Hunter echoed Stern’s characterization: there was no major progress, but they will continue to talk. Their position remains that economic concessions by the players should be match by system concessions by the owners, contrary to Silver’s stated position.

The two sides have agreed to meet at noon (EST) on Thursday and pick up from where they left off tonight. The 50% deal will remain on the table until this bargaining session ends, whether that be Thursday, Friday, etc. The parties are expected to remain constant.

The players have reportedly gathered enough votes to disclaim interest, a quicker procedure than decertifying. It involves the NBPA giving up its role to bargain for the players, immediately exposing the NBA to anti-trust litigation. This could be done in short order if negotiations break off.

The owners may discuss these proceedings prior to the resumption of the negotiations. Depending on the state of the owners, this could have any effect or no effect.

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