---

NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik announced today that, due to the Players Association’s recent reversal of position on several key issues, there are no further negotiations scheduled at this time and issued the following statement:

“Since the All-Star break the NBA and the Players Association have been in arduous negotiations to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. For its part, the League has offered in any new agreement to raise the salary cap from 48% to 51% of BRI, to lessen the impact of the luxury tax by distributing escrow funds to all teams equally, and to guarantee the players as a group the same 57% they have received in each of the last two seasons. At the conclusion of a bargaining session on Sunday, April 17 we thought we were very close to a deal, with only a few items remaining to be compromised.

“On April 19, a day after the Players Association met with a group of player agents, we were informed that the Players Association could no longer agree to a previously-committed five-year rule on length of contracts. Then, last week, after promising a written proposal to form the basis of a new agreement, the union instead advised us orally that it needed to backtrack on several other essential terms that had already been resolved. “Since we are at a loss as to how we can possibly reach a new deal that is in any way consistent with the principal terms that we have been discussing for many months, there are no further meetings scheduled at this time.”

If a new agreement is not worked out by June 30, there could be a lockout. If this is the case, all NBA-related activities, including free agent negotiations, new signings, NBA summer leagues and the start of the 2005-06 season could be delayed until a new collective bargaining agreement is worked out.

The NBA, representing team owners, and the NBA Players Association, representing the players, have met on and off many times for the last few months.

The Associated Press reports: In a statement, the NBA accused the union of backtracking on several items that the sides had agreed upon. The collective bargaining agreement expires on June 30. ``Since we are at a loss as to how we can possibly reach a new deal that is in any way consistent with the principal terms that we have been discussing for many months, there are no further meetings scheduled at this time,'' deputy commissioner Russ Granik said.

Ticker reports: Among other issues, the league said it was led to believe that the union would accept a reduction of the maximum contract length from seven years to five years. In his statement, Granik said the union met last month with a group of player agents before informing the NBA it "could no longer agree to a previously committed five-year rule on length of contracts."