NBA Lockout: Players and Owners Meeting Ends with Only Hope Being Delivered

One meeting turned into another. By the close of Thursday, the players and owners halted their discussions, and for once, a glimmer of hope could be seen. 

For months, we have been hit with two sides that were separated by millions in BRI and other CBA sticking points, and by an even wider margin in how to address those concerns. 

On Tuesday, players met with one another ahead of a David Stern imposed deadline. The owners and players then met Wednesday in good faith. That stringent deadline came and went with the knowledge that progress was being made. 

After hours of wheeling and dealing, the players have a deal they are not in love with, but they will present it to their colleagues anyway. There is finally hope surrounding the lockout, and in a few days, we will know how much of that hope is warranted.

Here is how the closing of the meetings was received by Twitter.

Adrian Wojnarowski, covering the lockout for Yahoo Sports, details the offer given by the owners to the players. The initial tweet states that Derek Fisher was not tickled with the offer, but thought enough of it to take it back to the players. 

The next tweet states what would happen if this offer is accepted swiftly by the players. 

Ken Berger of CBS Sports tweets that this offer would be the last from the owners. They will no longer negotiate and revert to the 47 percent the players must be dreading. 

This tweet gives you an idea of what a 72-game season would look like. 

Arash Markazi of ESPN LA tweets how a quick turnaround can be had. 

That is now what we have to go on as the state of affairs surrounding the labor negotiations. The players are not enamored with the revised offer. 

The NBA has most likely made concessions, but in the grand scheme of things, is still a great way off from what the players would find fair. 

That being said, the players will now have the pressure placed on them by those that want the season to start immediately and are ready to accept any offer. 

With a 72-game season on the line, Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter stated they will try to get the player reps into New York by Monday or Tuesday at the latest. 

At that point, we will know if the lockout is indeed ready to end. As you can see, fans were given only hope at the close of meetings Thursday. After months of deadlock, we will take it.