It's Official: Games Cancelled through Nov. 30th
With talks between the NBA's locked-out players and owners breaking off Friday without a deal, commissioner David Stern has announced the cancellation of games through Nov. 30th and that the NBA will not play a full season "under any circumstances."
"It's not practical, possible or prudent to have a full season now," Stern said.
Stern made the announcement after a third consecutive day of meetings ended without a deal in sight. While the two sides made progress on system issues during talks on Friday, it screeched to a halt when the topic turned to revenues, he said.
An "amnesty clause" is expected to be part of a new CBA. But some owners support adding more flexibility this time, sources tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Reiterating the league's offer to go as high as a 50-percent split of basketball-related income with the players, Stern said union executive director Billy Hunter "said that he was not willing to go a penny below 52 (percent)."
So, there you go. Not to say this was going to be much of a surprise at this point after earlier developments. The latest cancellation means the Celtics will miss eight more games, including a November 16th game at Miami as well as a visit to Orlando. Barring further cancellations, the Celtics will open the season on December 1st, hosting the Miami Heat.
