NBA Lockout: Conflicting Reports as Negotiations Rage On

In one of the wildest sports weeks in history, there has been yet another huge turn of events.

As the NBA endures Day 132 of the lockout, it looks like the two sides are on the brink of finally coming to a deal. Or so we think.

Here is one report from former president of the Knicks and Jazz Dave Checketts, who currently works for ESPN Radio:

However, you can’t start celebrating just yet. Especially when this tweet was sent out a mere minutes later by Sports Illustrated scribe Sam Amick:

This is nothing new. CBS Sports Ken Berger confirms that the Thursday session is still in full swing:

Just when you think the two parties have made serious progress, there is a setback. The main issues right now is the distribution of BRI (basketball related income), and it’s turning into an ego thing. Derek Fisher and the rest of the players' union have reduced their demands to 51/49 in favor of the players. Considering it was 57 percent in favor of the players under the last agreement, it’s a large compromise.

Yet, that’s not the only issue. There are multiple-other system problems that are all intertwined with the revenue splits. It’s a complicated process and both sides are trying to play down progress to ensure they don’t get people’s hopes up on either side.

After another 12-hour marathon session on Wednesday night that lasted until after midnight, both parties sounded cautiously optimistic. But it’s hard to get excited when you hear David Stern make comments like, "We're not failing and we're not succeeding, we're just there."

In the end, even if an agreement is reached between the two parties today, Miami Heat beat writer for the Sun Sentinel Ira Winderman reminds us that the lockout still isn’t officially over:

So, for every positive story you hear about at this point, take it with a grain of salt. The same thing can be said for any negative story that surfaces. 

Such is life in labor negotiations that impact thousands of employees across the United States.