Following Tuesday's NBA labor negotiations in New York, league commissioner David Stern announced that the remainder of NBA preseason games -- the league already announced the cancellation of exhibition games from Oct. 9-15, 43 in all, as well as the postponement of training camps, which were slated to begin this week -- will be cancelled. Stern added that if a deal between the league's owners and the players' association isn't reached by Monday, the first two weeks of the NBA's regular season will also be canceled.
Stern's comments followed a four-hour session in Manhattan, in which the union reportedly refused to give up more than a 53-percent share of basketball-related income, although various reports cite the league's willingness to take a 50-50 deal. Regardless of whether the latter scenario is true -- Stern and union executive director Billy Hunter had conflicting answers to questions about the intricacies of the reported informal proposal; Hunter also told reporters the union would now consider decertification, a tactic used by the NFLPA during its work stoppage and something reportedly being urged by several powerful player agents--no new meetings are on the docket.
For the Bulls, missing the rest of the preseason schedule means four games -- Oct. 19 against the Timberwolves in Sioux Falls, S.D., Oct. 21 against the Pacers at the United Center, Oct. 25 against the Bobcats in Charlotte and Oct. 27 against the Bucks in Chicago -- will be cancelled. If the first two weeks of the regular season are canceled, seven games -- against the defending champion Mavericks at Dallas on Nov. 1, against the Hornets in New Orleans on Nov. 2, the home opener against the Hawks on Nov. 5, against the Clippers at the United Center on Nov. 8, against the Thunder in Chicago on Nov. 10, a home game against the Kings on Nov. 12 and against the Wizards in Washington on Nov. 13 -- will be missed.
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.