The NBA and the NBA Player's Union have until Midnight EDT to reach a deal or face a lockout

NEW YORK – Representatives from the NBA Player’s Union will meet with Commissioner David Stern and the owners today to try and feel out where everyone really stands on the upcoming NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The two sides are meeting in a sort of last ditch effort to make progress and give David Stern a good excuse to extend the deadline Midnight EDT. If no agreement is reached (and don’t expect one to be) and Stern doesn’t see a reason to extend the deadline(which he actually might), then as of Midnight New York time tomorrow, the league will have officially locked out the players.

Now if this all seems familiar like you’ve heard it before, you have. Not only has the NBA done this before, but the NFL is currently locking their players out after the NFLPA and the NFL owners failed to reach a civil agreement on a new CBA.

The ramifications of having two professional sports leagues (and two of the most popular and profitable I might add) locked out with their upcoming seasons in peril will not be a good thing for anyone let alone members of those respective groups. But if you’re betting against the lockout happening, either renege on that bet or prepare to lose that money you threw down. If the lockout doesn’t happen at Midnight, it will happen soon after.

If David Stern extends the deadline because both sides are talking, don’t be fooled. When both sides are prepping their legal cases they can mention how they both tried to play nice before the other side turned their backs.

It’s legal mumbo-jumbo like this no NBA fan wants to hear.

The deal that is set to expire at the end of today was negotiated six years ago and came after the last lockout which occurred in (more…)