Happy birthday, David.
On his 69th birthday, NBA commissioner David Stern gave strong indications an announcement on the postponement of training camp and cancellation of the first wave of preseason games is coming today.
After five hours of meetings at a ritzy hotel off Park Avenue, Stern was in a dour mood, despite receiving a birthday cake. He said he would speak to his ownership committee today and is expected to recommend the official training-camp postponement and abolition of the first week of preseason play because of the stalemate.
“I have no announcement to make today, but the calendar is not our friend,” Stern said of training camp being postponed.
With the next meeting not until sometime next week, there is no doubt preseason games already will have been lost before the two sides talk again. Camps officially open Oct. 3, and the Knicks are scheduled to open their preseason Oct. 11 in Philadelphia, followed by games Oct. 13 in Washington and Oct. 15 against the Celtics in Albany. All three games could be officially wiped out today.
During the 1998-99 lockout, the NBA postponed the start of camp on Sept. 24, along with 25 preseason games. In recent years, the Knicks have trained at Skidmore College in Saratoga but will not this year because of the expected shortened camp.
Players Association president Derek Fisher displayed none of his normal optimism.
“We’re still trying to figure out ways to come together,” Fisher said, speaking in a barely audible voice. “We didn’t do it today. Hopefully next week we’ll have another opportunity.”
The big stalemate is over the owners’ insistence on a hard salary cap the players feel will greatly diminish teams’ flexibility to spend on salaries. The sides are also disputing the revenue split.
“We believe we’re doing the best for our clients and trying to make a fair deal, but both sides have work to do,” Stern said. “We will be talking to our committee [today]. That’s all I can say.”
The meeting yesterday featured Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver representing the league and Fisher, union director Billy Hunter Jr. and Players Association attorney Ron Klempner.
Asked if he was concerned about the tone of yesterday’s meeting, Stern said, “My only concern is trying to make a deal that’s fair to both sides. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
The owners appear to have most of the negotiating leverage if their claim 23 owners lost money last season is true. Because of the Jewish high holidays, the next meeting likely will be early in the week.