Bold steps needed to avoid a lockout, says Stern
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}By Steve Ginsburg
MIAMI (Reuters) - NBA owners and players must take "bold" steps to avoid a lockout and prevent a slowing of the league's upward momentum, Commissioner David Stern said Tuesday.
Stern said the two sides had scheduled a "full blown" negotiating session for Wednesday in hope of working out an agreement before the current labor deal expires on June 30.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The question is whether the owners and the players will be bold enough to do what has to be done here to keep this sport on the tack that it is on now, which is straight up," Stern told reporters before the Miami Heat faced the Dallas Mavericks in the opening game of the NBA Finals.
Stern said in October the league hoped to cut between $750-800 million annually from player salaries and benefits that total $2.1 billion.
The commissioner said he would not want to consider the odds of a work stoppage.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I don't even want to make guesses, because I know that both sides will make their best offers before the lockout, because if they don't, then there's going to be a lockout that would be destructive of our business from the owners' perspective and the players' perspective," he said.
"So that's why we've scheduled these sessions, and we'll schedule more, because we want to face this issue."
Last week the NBA Players Association accused management of unfair labor practices in a complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The complaint said the NBA had not bargained in good faith, made inflexible demands and had bypassed the union to deal directly with players.
"We learned about the unfair labor practice charge on our way to a negotiating session last week in which they were delivering to us some ideas, and then we agreed to schedule meetings for tomorrow and next week," Stern said.
"So I think that's a part of the challenge, really, whether we're going to be bold enough to negotiate as opposed to posture."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said the uncertainty was having a "great impact" on the league.
He would not rule out extending the deadline but said the emphasis remained on reaching a deal before July 1.
"It would be a mistake for both sides if we do not put our best proposals forward before that deadline, because it is a very real deadline," said Silver.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And while we've incurred some damage already, it will move to a new level once we're in a work stoppage, if that were to occur."
(Editing by Nick Mulvenney)