NBA Lockout: Players Finally Decide To Fight Back in War of Words

There is just one positive taken from the recent stint of NBA labor meetings: It's that the players are now fed up and are ready to take the fight to the next level. 

As a fan, I find it hard to take up arms for either side. But when critically thinking about the NBA landscape, I couldn't help but notice the players were letting the owners shape the message and tone of the proceedings. 

For weeks, we heard from just one side as David Stern and Adam Silver delivered soundbite after droll sounding soundbite. 

After the meetings broke down Thursday, and irate players union claimed just one thing, and that is they have had enough. 

After the breakdown, deputy commissioner Adam Silver maintained the split was based on players refusing to drop their proposal of accepting 52.5 percent of basketball-related income (BRI) down to a 50-50 split with owners. 

When Derek Fisher took the podium, he was as blunt as we have seen him in the past few months. His words were precise and a sign of things to come. He said, "I want to make it clear that you guys were lied to earlier. It's that simple."

He and Executive Director Billy Hunter claim the talks broke because the owners simply didn't want to budge on the main issues. A room of negotiators apparently had one side that was unwilling to negotiate. 

Finally, we get the players' side of the argument, delivered with a passionate plea that will only escalate in the coming weeks. 

The players will work to use every tool at their disposal to gain some leverage. The owners can sit back and let millions slide past as games become endangered. 

The players really have only a couple tools. One of them, decertification, would lead to a great deal of transparency as the public gets to see how much money the owners are really raking in. 

The second is the opinions of fans. The more that they can bring the fans to their aid in support, the more the owners will feel the pinch. 

The failed meetings are good for nobody. We will certainly see more games being cancelled as the sides continue to be miles apart. But at least we are about to see the players union fight for the first time in months.