NBA talks break off after half hour

NEW YORK— After lasting less than 30 minutes, NBA labor talks ended abruptly Saturday.

It was the latest sign that the 1998-99 season is in serious jeopardy as the sides fight over the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement. And it now appears certain that a season — if there is one — won’t begin until the end of January or early February.

Commissioner David Stern, deputy commissioner Russ Granik and their lawyers emerged dour-faced from the union’s law office after the meeting, which was one of the shortest in length since the lockout began 5 1/2 months ago.

“We’re getting nowhere,” Granik said. “We learned today that basically nothing has changed at all.”

The breakup came after the union told the league where it was willing to make some movement, a union attorney said. But the offer was not good enough to keep the sides at the negotiating table.

No new talks are scheduled.

“The reality is that the issues that we raised were extremely significant and pertinent, but they continue to be intransigent,” union director Billy Hunter said. “We’re trying, we’ll continue to try, but it’s still a situation where it’s necessary for us to fall on the sword.

“We’re being extremely reasonable, but how much is enough? That’s the issue.”

It was the second meeting between the sides in three days, and the site was meant to be a secret. Stern, deputy commissioner Russ Granik and their attorneys were among the attendees for the league, while the union was represented by Hunter, Patrick Ewing, Herb Williams and at least two lawyers.

All were surprised to see a handful of reporters awaiting their arrival.

And those same scribes were equally shocked to see the antagonists walking back out of the building a short time later.

“If it was worth it, we would have stayed,” Stern said. “We have to go back and report to ownership that we’re quite far apart.”

“We explored where we can go, they felt that it wasn’t enough and the meeting ended,” Ewing said. “I think that there will be a season. It’s in no one’s best interest to blow the season up. The repercussions of them doing that would be severe.”

Union officials would not say where they were willing to make some movement, but it was believed they were prepared to present further concessions on limiting the amount of money the highest-paid players could make.

The sides are still far apart on the biggest issue of all — what percentage of revenues should be devoted to salaries.

“Nothing has moved on this track from Day One, and despite the passage of time it didn’t move today either,” Granik said.

When the negotiators arrived, Williams said the owners had taken their proposed changes to free agency timing rules “off the table.”

Such rules, proposed by the owners, would prohibit teams who sign another team’s free agent from retaining their own free agent under the so-called Larry Bird exception.

The union said such a rule change would severely limit player movement as thus was a “deal-killer.”

“We’re still haggling over the percentage and the rookies and some other issues, but there’s nothing I think we can’t work out,” Williams said upon his arrival. “Both sides are anxious to get a deal done, so hopefully we can get a little closer today and maybe nail some things down so we can bring the committees in and finish the deal up.”

Although Hunter and Williams said progress was being made, Stern and Granik were as pessimistic as ever. Both sides agree that the public will be able to tell that substantial progress is being made when both sides call their full negotiating committees back to New York. The full committees haven’t been involved in a session since Dec. 3.

Now, it looks like they might not be back until after the holidays.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t have another meeting for several days,” union attorney Jeffrey Kessler said, “but I also wouldn’t be surprised if we get a phone call from them tomorrow.

“The problem is that they (the owners) don’t think they have to make any compromises in order to get a deal that will save the season.”

Associated Press