Training camps are also off the calendar.
The NBA announced Friday that player training camps for the 2011-12 season have been postponed indefinitely because they have not been able to reach an accord with the National Basketball Players Association for a new collective bargaining agreement. Training camps had been scheduled to open on Oct. 3.
The NBA also said that it has canceled all preseason games scheduled Oct. 9–15, meaning that 43 games are off the calendar.
"We have regretfully reached the point on the calendar where we are not able to open training camps on time and need to cancel the first week of preseason games," said NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver. "We will make further decisions as warranted."
Among the issues is how to divide revenues. Under the deal that expired July 1, players received no less than 57 percent of the league revenue. Now the league wants the players to accept 46 percent of the revenue, but the players have not been willing to go below 50 percent.
In a meeting Thursday between NBA Commissioner David Stern and players’ union head Billy Hunter, Stern proposed that the players accept well below 50 percent of the total revenue to help the owners offset $300 million in overall losses, according to ESPN.com.
No new talks are scheduled, but both sides did say Thursday they hoped to meet next week.
What this all means is that there will be missed exhibition games and likely missed regular-season games in the NBA for the first time since 1998.
Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris
(Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
On Facebook
On Twitter
