NEW YORK — owners and players are trying again to end the lockout before it can do further damage to an already-shortened schedule.
They resumed negotiations Saturday with federal mediator , who faced a difficult task in trying to help the sides close the financial gap that derailed talks again last week.
The two sides met for more than six hours.
Hall of Famer and Charlotte owner , plus Portland billionaire owner joined the bargaining, along with the usual owners’ labor relations committee. Both are believed to be hardliners who want to offer the players an economic deal even worse than the proposal they already have rejected.
Owners are determined not to give players anything more than a 50-50 split of basketball-related income. Players, who were guaranteed 57 percent under the old collective bargaining agreement, have proposed a reduction to 52.5 percent, leaving the sides about $100 million apart annually.
Commissioner warned after he cancelled all November games that future owners’ proposals could be made with their “extraordinary” losses from the missed games in mind.
A number of owners would favor that. A person briefed on the owners’ position Friday said there were many hardline owners who want a deal at 53-47 in their favor plus a hard cap.