On Monday, top officials from the NBA and players' union met Monday for the first time since the NBA lockout began on July 1. Predictably, no progress was made, according to comments from National Basketball Players Association Derek Fisher reported by Ken Berger and David Aldridge.
From Berger:
Derek Fisher emerges from nearly 3-hour bargaining session and acknowledges owners and players are still in the same place as 30 days ago.
Aldridge also reports that Fisher said he and the players have not yet "circled the wagons" regarding potential decertification of the union, which would lead to an anti-trust lawsuit and a potential bombshell by the league: the voiding of all current guaranteed contracts and a unilateral setting of rules for next season.
It's believed that the NBPA is instead waiting to see the results from an unfair labor practices complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board. A positive ruling for the players from the NLRB -- expected no sooner than the end of August -- could lead to an injunction lifting the lockout.