NBA talks resume in New York

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NEW YORK -- Officials from the NBA and players' association are meeting Wednesday, less than a week after three days of talks with a federal mediator couldn't produce a deal to end the lockout.

The sides began discussions shortly after noon ET. Talks broke down Oct. 20 after players said owners insisted they agree to a 50-50 split of revenues before they would further discuss the salary-cap system.

There was a far nastier tone than usual to the breakdown, with union president Derek Fisher of the Lakers accusing deputy commissioner Adam Silver and Spurs owner Peter Holt, chairman of the league's labor relations committee, of lying during their news conference.

The New York Daily News reported earlier this week that the NBA planned to cancel two more weeks of the season on Tuesday, but that announcement never came. The newspaper reported Tuesday night that the decision was on hold pending Wednesday's talks.

Just as they have multiple times this month, when they walked away from the table without another meeting scheduled, the sides are getting back at it relatively quickly.

The meeting will consist of small groups from each side, according to the reports. Commissioner David Stern, who was forced to miss the Oct. 20 session because of an illness, will take part.

Stern rejoined the talks Wednesday after missing last Thursday's session with the flu. He was joined by Silver, Holt, owners Glen Taylor of Minnesota and James Dolan of New York, and a pair of league office attorneys.

The union was represented by executive director Billy Hunter, Fisher, union vice president Maurice Evans of the Wizards, attorney Ron Klempner and economist Kevin Murphy.

Stern said that without a deal last week, he feared games could be lost right through Christmas. The sides tried, spending 30 hours together during three straight days for the first time since the lockout began July 1. They made some progress on minor issues, but continue to be stuck on the two main ones.

Players proposed lowering their guarantee of basketball-related income to 52.5 percent, leaving the sides about $100 million apart annually based on last season's revenues. They also are sparring over the length of contracts and the raises attached to them, along with the penalties teams would face for exceeding the luxury tax level.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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