NBA: No free agency now, maybe no NBA games later

NBA NBA No free agency now, maybe no NBA games later 1 Jul 2011, 11:15 pm NBA commissioner David Stern speaks to reporters after a meeting with the players' union, Thursday, June 30, 2011 in New York. Despite a three-hour meeting Thursday, the sides could not close the enormous gap that remained in their positions. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) â€" AP Union chief Billy Hunter speaks to reporters after a meeting with the NBA, Thursday, June 30, 2011 in New York. Hunter says "it's obvious the lockout will happen tonight" after players and owners failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, potentially putting the 2011-12 season in jeopardy. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) â€" AP NBA union chief Billy Hunter speaks with reporters after a meeting with the NBA, Thursday, June 30, 2011 in New York. Despite a three-hour meeting Thursday, the sides could not close the enormous gap that remained in their positions. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) â€" AP NBA Players Association president Derek Fisher speaks to reporters after a meeting with the NBA, Thursday, June 30, 2011 in New York. Despite a three-hour meeting, the sides could not close the enormous gap that remained in their positions. The CBA expires at midnight, after which all league business is officially on hold, starting with the free agency period that would have opened Friday. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) â€" AP Union president Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers, leaves a midtown hotel a meeting with the NBA, Thursday, June 30, 2011 in New York. Despite a three-hour meeting Thursday, the sides could not close the enormous gap that remained in their positions. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) â€" AP NEW YORK â€" The first casualty of the NBA lockout arrived quickly, when free agency did not open as usual on July 1. Games eventually could be lost, too, if owners and players can't make progress whenever they start talking again. Hall of Famer and TV analyst Charles Barkley says he doesn't think "they're going to play at all next season." The last lockout reduced the 1998-99 season to 50 games, and players say they're prepared to hang in as long as necessary this time, rather than agree to the financial changes owners are seeking. Teams normally would have been contacting free agents Friday. Instead, they couldn't contact players at all, and the league removed players' images from its official website. The Associated Press You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.