Last week's labor talks came to a screeching halt when Spurs owner Peter Holt reportedly told union representatives that a 50-50 split of basketball related income was a take it or leave it proposition. That demand has apparently been dropped, at least temporarily, as the NBA and NBPA have re-opened discussions.
Can the different factions find common ground this time?
It's difficult to be optimistic, but there are positive signs if you look hard enough. As TrueHoop's Henry Abbott points out, union head Billy Hunter never said he wouldn't accept a 50-50 split of BRI, even as he was walking away from the bargaining table last Thursday. The implication is pretty clear; the union might be willing to accept that financial proposal, but not without significant concessions from the owners on "system issues."
I can see Hunter and the union signing off on a 50-50 deal, but only if the league also agrees to a less-punitive luxury tax system, keeps some semblance of the Larry Bird exception and comes to some compromise on contract lengths. But at this point, it is hard to imagine hard-line owners like Holt or Cleveland's Dan Gilbert signing off on that sort of deal.
Of course, there are other owners - notably Miami's Micky Arison, the Knicks' James Dolan, the Lakers' Jerry Buss and Dallas' Mark Cuban - that are reportedly eager to make a deal and get back to business. They could potentially take a larger role in these proceedings - and rightfully so, given that they'll be the biggest contributors to the league's new revenue-sharing plan.
