Players, Owners To Meet Wednesday
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported Friday that the league and players' union were set to meet sometime this week. As for firming up which day, it appears that will be a Wednesday, according to ESPN.com.
The meeting is set to only include a small number of high-ranking officials, Berger says.
The session is expected to include only the highest-level people from both sides, likely limited to commisioner David Stern, deputy commissioner Adam Silver, union chief Billy Hunter and president Derek Fisher, the person said. Also possibly in attendance could be Spurs owner Peter Holt, the chairman of the owners' labor relations committee.
The limited number of people in the room and the fact that both sides are trying to keep the meeting quiet -- not even divulging the date or location in an effort to avoid media coverage -- should be seen as positive signs. Though full bargaining sessions featuring multiple owners and players get more public attention, smaller sessions -- especially involving the lead negotiators -- typically are more conducive to serious negotiation.
This will be just the second time the sides have met since the lockout was put in place July 1.
It's likely that this meeting could determine whether or not the preseason and training camps will be missed, as the league has reportedly set a Sept. 15 deadline for those things to happen. If there's movement towards the middle, it's possible there could be some momentum towards reaching a deal. But if it's more of the same, more rhetoric, more posturing, then it's almost a sure bet that there won't be any preseason games.
So mark Wednesday on your calendars. Because it's a big day for the NBA.
