NBA Lockout: Talks Resume in Desperate Attempt to Save Christmas Games

Players and owners have reportedly gone back to the negotiating table with the hopes of getting the NBA back in time for Christmas.

Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted the news.

That was not the only development.

Wojnorowski also tweeted information that might indicate the players' balance of power may be shifting.

There is no word on why Fisher is not a part of these talks. There are indications of why these talks are happening, though.

The prospect of getting games back for Christmas is not the only motivation here. Mediation over the lockout looms as the next step. The players have consolidated their lawsuits into one suit.

One of the reasons this was done was to facilitate the mediation process.

Not only that, but these talks are probably nearing an end where they will continue unsupervised. The Washington Post reported, "[Billy] Hunter mentioned that Judge Patrick Schiltz could assign a magistrate to host a settlement conference by early next week to help resolve the NBA labor dispute."

If the owners and players want to get a deal done on their terms, without the interference of outside sources, now is the time.

These meetings are certainly some good news in a labor issue that hasn't had many positive developments. Although any hope that these talks will result in a labor deal would be served best to held onto until news of how these meetings went.