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NBA labor meeting begins as season’s start hangs in balance

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NBA owners Peter Holt of the San Antonio Spurs, James Dolan of the New York Knicks and Glen Taylor of the Minnesota Timberwolves arrived for a bargaining session in New York with players union officials amid Monday’s deadline to reach a labor deal or see the first two weeks of the regular season canceled.

Commissioner David Stern promised as much last week. The season is scheduled to tip off Nov. 1.

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Union Executive Director Billy Hunter said upon arriving at the meeting: ‘We’re going to go in there, see if we can get a deal.’

Owners have locked out the players since July 1 and the sides are divided over how great a rollback in pay the players must accept. Owners contend the league lost $300 million last year, with 22 of 30 teams losing money.

As they began meetings Sunday, the players had moved from guaranteed earnings of 57% of basketball-related income last season to 53%. Owners last week offered a 50-50 split.

Players including LeBron James, union president Derek Fisher of the Lakers and Chris Paul on Monday tweeted ‘LET US PLAY,’ with the hashtag #StandUnited, urging a resolution.

Players want the owners to solve their financial issues with a more effective revenue-sharing program that would allow a small-market team like Sacramento to enjoy some of the fruits of the multibillion-dollar local television deal the Lakers recently signed with Time-Warner Cable.

Owners would like to install a harder salary cap to help competitive equity, instituting a more costly luxury tax that players believe will result in less guaranteed money.

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The sides met for nearly six hours Sunday night but declined to discuss any progress they made.

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-- Lance Pugmire

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