NBA - Little progress in NBA lockout talks

NEW YORK (NBA) - The NBA lockout seems unlikely to end in the immediate future after the end of another round of talks between the league and players on Monday.

The two sides met for the first time in several weeks in New York, but ended the sessions as far apart as ever on what they expect from a new bargaining agreement.

"We've made several offers but we don't feel significant movement back," said NBA commissioner David Stern. "There is still a very wide gap between us."

Union president Derek Fisher put it another way.

"There are lots of ideas going around, a lot of talk about how we can get a deal done, but we're still having a hard time trying to break through to it; the bottom line is, what's the bottom line?"

Fisher said that towards the end of the sessions, the talk turned simply to how many more times they might meet and when, with the idea of a resolution being in place in time for the planned tip off on November 1 seeming remote at the moment.

The sides broke up without scheduling another meeting, although more are expected in the coming weeks.

The dispute centres over the owners' claims that a huge change is required to the existing salary structure as the league collectively lost $300 million last season.

The players accept there have been losses, but have disputed the extent of them.

To illustrate how far apart the sides are, the previous agreement saw players guaranteed 57% of league revenues in salary.

The players have offered to reduce that to 54.3%. The owners want to move it to below 40%.

The lockout has had major ramifications for basketball not only in the United States but around the world.

National teams have been scrambling to insure their NBA players to play in Olympic qualifying tournaments this summer, with the lockout invalidating the agreement with FIBA on international call-ups.

So far, only Russia, France and Argentina have been able to guarantee their players can play, although others remain confident.

It is likely to impact on other domestic leagues, too, with several NBA players looking to play abroad if the season does not go ahead.

FIBA