The lockout drags on.
NBPA president Derek Fisher said the players aren't going to take the current offer on the table from the league, which probably puts us in a dark, dark place regarding the potential status of the 2011-12 NBA season. The owners would most likely have to seriously reconsider their hardline status against the players, which could mean there's going to be a long, protracted fight that could eventually lead to decertification, and the cancellation of the season.
Here are some of the paraphrased quotes from Fisher. Thanks to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports and Ken Berger of CBS Sports for reporting live on the scene and getting these quotes.
- 43 players were at the meeting today, with 29 of 30 teams represented.
- "Our orders are clear that the current offer on the table is not acceptable...."
- Players want to keep negotiating with the NBA on proposal, but will not accept owner's ultimatum offer.
- "We're open-minded about potential compromises on our (BRI) number, but there are things in the system that we have to have."
- There has to be significant change in league's proposal on those issues for a deal to be made.
- We've made the compromises on BRI and economics. Now it's on the NBA to make compromises on the system points.
- On risks of NBA deal getting worse and decertification movement: "We're focused on what we can control."
- "Time for NBA to make significant compromises on system."
Basically, the Player's Association decided to take the middle ground and see how the owners would react, and hope they would get nudged to blink first. Considering the owners have yet to blink in this process, a season isn't looking too promising for anyone at the moment.