CASPER
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NBA commissioner David Stern said there was no clear blueprint to get a new collective bargaining agreement signed in order to prevent a potential lockout of the players by the owners.
But even though the gap is wide, Stern said he was confident the lessons learned from the NBA's last work stoppage during the 1998-1999 season will spur both sides into action.
"There is no specific magic to how it gets done," Stern said at the Staples Center arena on Saturday, where the league is holding its annual all-star game weekend.
"It is hard to get a consensus on one issue because they are all so inter-related."
He noted that, just like 1999, there is "huge" gap now.
"We are smarter now. But obviously we haven't learned enough because we don't have a deal," Stern continued.
"What we have learned is both sides have the capacity to shut down the league and there is no magic that is going to keep this league operating if we don't make a deal. That is a very instructive lesson."
While there was been no breakthrough progress from Friday's labor talks at a Beverly Hills hotel, both sides are finally willing to discuss previously taboo subjects, according to Stern.
And the frosty tone that strained previous talks and resulted in a gap of two and a half months between bargaining sessions was replaced by a willingness to discuss the issues, he said.
"I liked yesterday's meeting because the union agreed to talk about some things that they said were non-negotiable," Stern said, referring to proposals from both sides.
"Yesterday, I heard for the first time that they are willing to talk about everything.
"Now we go back to New York and start setting up meetings first in small groups. Then, at the appropriate time, we bring in the principles, the player representatives and owners."
The last NBA lockout shortened the 1998-99 season by 32 games to just 50.
It also wiped out the 1999 NBA all-star game and kept NBA players from participating in the 1998 world championships on the American team.
The union said Friday that no meaningful progress had been made during the session other than the owners' verbal commitment to provide financial information from the 2009-10 season and agree to sit down again in the next two weeks to get a deal before the current one expires at midnight on June 30.
"You can't point to five or six things that have been negotiated in the deal but I think progress has been made," said Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, the Players Association president.
The owners want to implement a hard salary cap, saying they are facing projected losses of about $300 million this season.
They also want non-guaranteed contracts and hope to shorten the length and value of contracts.
The players' contention is that the league is not losing any money and they are opposing a hard salary cap, pay cuts and non-guaranteed contracts.
But even though the gap is wide, Stern said he was confident the lessons learned from the NBA's last work stoppage during the 1998-1999 season will spur both sides into action.
"There is no specific magic to how it gets done," Stern said at the Staples Center arena on Saturday, where the league is holding its annual all-star game weekend.
"It is hard to get a consensus on one issue because they are all so inter-related."
He noted that, just like 1999, there is "huge" gap now.
"We are smarter now. But obviously we haven't learned enough because we don't have a deal," Stern continued.
"What we have learned is both sides have the capacity to shut down the league and there is no magic that is going to keep this league operating if we don't make a deal. That is a very instructive lesson."
While there was been no breakthrough progress from Friday's labor talks at a Beverly Hills hotel, both sides are finally willing to discuss previously taboo subjects, according to Stern.
And the frosty tone that strained previous talks and resulted in a gap of two and a half months between bargaining sessions was replaced by a willingness to discuss the issues, he said.
"I liked yesterday's meeting because the union agreed to talk about some things that they said were non-negotiable," Stern said, referring to proposals from both sides.
"Yesterday, I heard for the first time that they are willing to talk about everything.
"Now we go back to New York and start setting up meetings first in small groups. Then, at the appropriate time, we bring in the principles, the player representatives and owners."
The last NBA lockout shortened the 1998-99 season by 32 games to just 50.
It also wiped out the 1999 NBA all-star game and kept NBA players from participating in the 1998 world championships on the American team.
The union said Friday that no meaningful progress had been made during the session other than the owners' verbal commitment to provide financial information from the 2009-10 season and agree to sit down again in the next two weeks to get a deal before the current one expires at midnight on June 30.
"You can't point to five or six things that have been negotiated in the deal but I think progress has been made," said Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, the Players Association president.
The owners want to implement a hard salary cap, saying they are facing projected losses of about $300 million this season.
They also want non-guaranteed contracts and hope to shorten the length and value of contracts.
The players' contention is that the league is not losing any money and they are opposing a hard salary cap, pay cuts and non-guaranteed contracts.
