NBA, players resume talking

NBA officials and players will continue settlement talks on Friday in New York, according to an NBA source.

Meetings this week between the two sides, first reported by Yahoo Sports on Wednesday, are the first since the NBA delivered its "final proposal" on Nov. 10. A few days later, the National Basketball Players Association - the union - rejected the offer and announced it was dissolving and filing an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA.

That lawsuit has been filed in Minnesota; these latest sessions are not collective bargaining talks, but rather an effort to reach a settlement in the lawsuit.

Friday's talks will be between lawyers for the players and NBA officials. CBSSports.com reported that these latest talks are being brokered by Jim Quinn, who helped both sides reach an agreement during the extended 1998-99 labor dispute.

It's unclear whether Derek Fisher, the president of the former union, will be present at Friday's session.

The New York Times has reported that the NBA hopes to fit in a 66-game schedule that would launch on Christmas Day. In order to fit in that many games - the league will have lost eight weeks of its season by Dec. 25 - the league would extend the regular season by approximately 10 days.

If a handshake deal is reached this weekend, the players union would need to quickly re-form and ratify the collective bargaining agreement.

The NBA needs approximately one month of preparation time to launch the season: a free-agency period, training camp, and at least one or two preseason games for each team.