As the weather begins to turn, I have been wondering if I will have a reason to head to the Q to see my hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. While many NBA fans have written off the season, I am still holding out for some sort of an agreement.
Thankfully the NBA lockout is starting to show signs of life. On Wednesday, Aug. 31, the two sides had a brief meeting. Not much is known of what happened, only a few representatives from each side met, and very few details were released afterwards, but the fact there was a meeting is hopeful for basketball fans.
Lawsuits vs. Bargaining Table
The NBA lockout suit filed by the league will be brought before federal judge Paul Gardephe on Wednesday, Sept. 7. Officials from the league and the players union will be there to flesh out some of mess behind the scenes. Even though both sides have said more progress will be made at the bargaining table, they are spending time in the courts dealing with unfair labor practice charges and a lawsuit against the players. The last time the top officials met on Aug. 1, commissioner David Stern accused the players of being unwilling to compromise which led to charges, lawsuits and a complaint filed with the NLRB.
More meetings, hopefully
Commissioner David Stern and the association president Derek Fisher confirmed that there will be additional upcoming meetings. Although it is closing in on the end, Stern added that there was “clearly enough time” to come to an agreement. It seems he is hopeful that the regular season will open as scheduled on Nov. 1.
Not close to a settlement
On the other hand, the gap between what the owners want and what the players will accept still seems huge. “I could see it going either way,” two-time MVP Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns told The Canadian Press on Tuesday. “It looks like right now we probably won’t start on time.
Deadline for NBA preseason
What is known is that if there is not an agreement of some sort in the Collective Bargaining Agreement by around September 15, the NBA preseason will be cancelled.
Cavalier Girls
On a completely different note, the Cavalier Girls were recently announced. After the auditions and public voting, the final 18 girls have been named. You can meet them on the Cleveland Cavaliers website, and hopefully will be able to see them perform at the first preseason game against Milwaukee on Oct. 11.
Resources:
Cleveland Cavaliers
Yahoo! Sports
More by Sylvie Branch:
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