NBA Cancels First 2 Weeks of Play

New York Times, "The N.B.A. canceled the first two weeks of the season Monday night after another marathon bargaining session between league and union officials ended in frustration and despair.

Commissioner David Stern, who last week had set Monday as the deadline for a deal, announced the cancellations around 10 p.m., on a sidewalk outside the Manhattan hotel where the parties held 13 hours of talks over the last two days.

"We certainly hoped it would never come to this," Stern said. "I think that both sides worked hard to get to a better solution."

That solution eluded them, as it had repeatedly over two years of negotiations — and for the 102 days since the owners declared a lockout on July 1. They remain at odds over how to divide some $4 billion in league revenues, and over the entire system of rules that govern team payrolls and player salaries.

As a result, the N.B.A. will lose games to a labor dispute for the second time in its history, 13 years after a lockout reduced the 1998-99 season to 50 games. "

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Posted in: NBA News