Today's the day. Just like last Friday was the day and the last week in June was the week. But seriously--today, which would ordinarily be the first day of training camp after Media Day--is the day.
Didn't you read the letter from the cabal of powerful agents, representing a large portion of the NBA, to their clients--obtained by various media outlets and released in their entirety Monday--who comprise some of the league's top talent, including MVP Derrick Rose, urging players not to go for a deal that concedes any further concessions?
What about union president Derek Fisher's anticipatory response to his constituents and comments to the media Monday in New York that "a lot of signs point to tomorrow being a very huge day"?
Not to discount the significance of Tuesday in the ongoing bargaining talks, the lingering threat of the aforementioned agents mobilizing their clientele to push for decertification of the union or even the returned presence of superstars--including Kobe Bryant, back from a promotional tour of Italy, which is increasingly rumored to be his next playing destination; the latest reports have him close to signing a 10-game, 3 million-deal as his representatives "intensely" work with Italian club Virtus Bologna--to the negotiations in Manhattan, but in some shape or form, haven't we heard this all before? And will likely hear it again.
"Each side understands exactly whats at stake and where potentially there is movement in order to try to get a deal done, NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver told reporters after a five-hour session Monday. I mean, we can only say were running out of time so many times. We both understand that if we dont make our best offers in the next few days, were going to be at the point where were going to be causing damage to the game, to ourselves, and theyre going to be out paychecks."
Even the most diehard NBA fans hanging on every trace of optimism in these work-stoppage discussions understand that despite all of the posturing muddying the waters, it doesn't take a Harvard MBA to know that both sides are still very far apart.
And with the union having already proposed giving back a percentage of basketball-related income, if the league doesn't bring to the table something a bit more palatable, the next subsequent step will be to cancel the remainder of the preseason, with regular-season games soon to follow.
NBA
Once that occurs, any logic goes out of the window, as each party will have to first reassess their individual priorities--from the players voting on decertification to the less hard-line owners promoting the spirit of compromise--in order to save the season.
As a smarter person than myself once said, "When games are missed and the checks don't come, that's when it's officially a lockout." Can that be avoided?
Aggrey Sam is CSNChicago.com's Bulls Insider. Follow him @CSNBullsInsider on Twitter for up-to-the-minute Bulls information and his take on the team, the NBA and much more.