“We remain very, very far apart on virtually all issues,” Stern told reporters in New York. “We just have a gulf that separates us. We are so far apart . . . we can’t close the gap.”
he cancellations include games originally scheduled from Nov. 1 through Nov. 14 and Stern said, “With every day that goes by, I think we need to look at further reductions on what’s left of the season.”
The league last lost games to a work stoppage in the 1998-99 season, which was reduced to 50 games.
Stern expressed sadness about the decision, a sentiment echoed by Derek Fisher, president of the National Basketball Players Association and a guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. Said Fisher: “This is not where we choose to be. We’re not at a place where a fair deal can be reached with the NBA.”
No further meetings have been scheduled. The Washington Wizards will lose five games — three home games against New Jersey, Orlando and Chicago and two road games against Orlando and Miami. Refunds plus interest are available for NBA season ticket holders for all preseason and regular season games that are canceled.
When talks stalled last week, Stern canceled the rest of the preseason and threatened to eliminate the first two weeks if the two sides couldn’t come to terms on the framework of a new deal by Monday. They sat down for more than 12 hours over two days to address several of the concerns that led the owners to lock out the players on July 1. But they could not find common ground on division of revenues, the length of the collective bargaining agreement and such salary cap systems as contract length, percentage of annual raises on contracts and the luxury tax.
Although the main topic in recent meetings was the split of basketball-related income, Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver said that Sunday and Monday's bargaining sessions solely addressed system issues like the salary cap, rollbacks, guaranteed contracts, and taxes. Specifically, Stern said that the two sides are miles apart on the luxury tax system, which the owners want to resemble a hard cap. The players are adamant against a hard salary cap, or any system resembling a hard cap.
The NBA estimated that two weeks of canceled games would result in $200 million in losses.
Stern said that future proposals from the owners would likely reflect, and incorporate, those losses.
With another work stoppage, the NBA risks alienating a fan base that sent the league's revenues and TV ratings soaring during the 2010-11 season. And the loss of the first two weeks of games will hurt workers with jobs dependent on pro basketball's six-month-plus season. A few teams have already trimmed their staffs, and more layoffs could be forthcoming.
The success of last season, on the court, at the box office and in the headlines, convinced many that the sides would never reach this point.
But small-market owners were hardened after watching LeBron James leave Cleveland for Miami, Amar'e Stoudemire bolt Phoenix for New York, and Carmelo Anthony later use his impending free agency as leverage to secure a trade from Denver to the Knicks. They wanted changes that would allow them to hold onto their superstars and compete for titles with the big-spending teams from Los Angeles, Boston and Dallas who have gobbled up the last four championships.
As the lockout drags on, Stern's legacy as one of sports' best commissioners is weakened. He turned 69 last month, and although he hasn't said when he will retire, he did say this will be his last CBA negotiation after nearly 28 years running the league.
He has insisted all along he wouldn't worry about the damage to his reputation and that his only concern would be getting the deal his owners need.
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