NBA Lockout: Union Disbands and Passes on Owner's CBA Ultimatum

NBA lockout talks have broken down and that has led the Players Union to notify all 30 teams of its intention to disband, according to Kurt Helin of Basketball Talk. The decision is a major setback in negotiations and puts the entire season in serious jeopardy.

After speculation that a deal was on the horizon in recent weeks, talks stalled out during recent meetings. Apparently, the players and their representatives became frustrated enough to take a more drastic step in order to force the owners' hands.

It's a move that was utilized by the NFL players during their labor talks earlier in the year. However, the NFL union used it much earlier in the process and began legal proceedings. The NBA union still has a lot of work to do in order to reach that point.

A final offer from the owners, which was considered an ultimatum, was rejected and led to the decertification decision. By doing so, the players have signaled that they are in this for the long haul and will not accept what they believe is a low-ball offer just to start playing again.

The lockout has already cost the league several weeks of play and commissioner David Stern has said there is no chance of a full season. After the most recent breakdown, it's becoming more likely that there won't be any games played at all.

And, as Evan Daniels tweeted, it could take some time to sort out. That's just pure speculation at this point, of course, but it's still a sobering reminder of what NBA fans are dealing with.

An extended lockout will have a major economic impact on the NBA that will only increase with every week missed. Unless there is a quick change of heart, the players appear to understand that consequence and will continue to stand together in order to get the best deal.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wonders why the Players Union didn't take this step sooner considering agents pushed the idea four months ago. Executive director Billy Hunter seemed confident a deal could be reached without disbanding, but it never materialized.

Monday was considered a make-or-break day for the NBA and it appears to have broken. While both sides will blame each other, the real losers are fans as well as workers who depend on the league for employment in these difficult economic times.

Those individuals have been held hostage by the ongoing negotiations and now face an uncertain future. Hopefully the legal process is an accelerated one, to get both sides back to the table, but only time will tell.

For more information, make sure to check out Bleacher Report's NBA page.