No news is bad news, as far as NBA fans are concerned. Not only are there no new talks scheduled between the owners and the player’s association, but whenever talks do resume, they won’t have the benefit of being facilitated by federal mediator George Cohen. From Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick:
Federal Mediator Won’t Rejoin Lockout Talks, No New Meetings Scheduled, According To Reports
The two sides, according to one of the sources, spoke separately with federal mediator George Cohen about a possible reunion meeting this week, but the session will not take place. Cohen, to review, was the point man for three straight days of marathon negotiating sessions in mid-October that did not lead to resolution.
Howard Beck of the New York Times tweeted similar news. Cohen served as a mediator for three days of talks last month, but with the NBA’s owners and Player’s Association refusing to budge from the disagreement over how Basketball Related Income should be split, he stepped aside and released a statement saying there was “no useful purpose” in his continued participation.
It’s unclear if he approached the two sides to take their temperature or if it was the other way around, but either way, the current stalemate remains, well, stale.
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