Unless the NBA and the NBPA can come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement in the next week, the owners will elect to cancel the first two weeks of the 2011-12 NBA season.
After talks between the two sides broke off Tuesday, NBA Commissioner David Stern told reporters that the league will cancel the first two weeks of the regular season on Monday (nba.com, 10/4).
The NBA has only canceled games due to a labor dispute once before, during the 1998-99 lockout.
The NBA season is scheduled to begin on November 1. Should the first two weeks of the season be eliminated, TNT would lose six games, including the Bulls/Mavericks and Thunder/Lakers Opening Night doubleheader. ESPN, meanwhile, would lose seven games, including Heat/Knicks on November 2.
The league has canceled the remainder of the 2011 NBA preseason. TNT and ESPN were to televise two games apiece, starting with Heat/Grizzlies on TNT October 20.
(Tuesday’s news from NBA.com)
