NBA negotiation set; decertification talk surfaces

NEW YORK (AP) -- Talk about a backdoor cut. The announcement Thursday that negotiations to end the NBA lockout would resume was followed by news that some players are investigating the possibility of decertifying the union. The NBA players union said it would begin negotiating with the owners again on Saturday, maintaining that the players are unified as they seek to end the lockout. Union president Derek Fisher, executive director Billy Hunter and executive committee members said after meeting for about three hours Thursday that there was no truth to reports of a rift among them. "We've had no problems, and that's the reality," Hunter said. Hunter said they spent no more than 10-15 minutes total on a conference call earlier this week and during Thursday's gathering discussed the reports questioning Fisher's allegiances. "The battle is not within our union," Bucks guard Keyon Dooling said. "Derek Fisher's the best president our union has ever seen. We'll stand as committee members -- I'm the first vice president and I stand behind him." Not every player does. About 50 disgruntled players held a conference call with an antitrust lawyer about the possibility of dissolving their union. A person briefed on Thursday's call told The Associated Press that small groups of players -- including some of the game's biggest stars -- have held informal talks about the notion of decertifying for some time. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because players on the calls agreed to keep details private. Thirty percent of players would have to sign a petition and then a majority would have to vote in favor for decertification. But mere talk of decertification could give the players' side leverage in negotiations. The person also confirmed that Boston's Paul Pierce, Orlando's Dwight Howard and Miami's Dwyane Wade were among those participating in Thursday's call, though the person did not provide specifics about who did the bulk of the talking and what was said. "It's an option," the person said of players possibly choosing to decertify. "We didn't ask for this. We want to play. If this gets us there, I'm all for it, because something's got to happen." The New York Times reported that the disgruntled players plan to push for dissolving the union if this weekend's labor talks are unsuccessful or prompt what's considered an undesirable deal. On Wednesday, the NBA had asked federal Judge Paul Gardephe to rule that the NBA's lockout will not be considered an antitrust violation if the players dissolve the union. Gardephe did not immediately rule, but appeared skeptical of the arguments made by league attorney Jeffrey Mishkin. Owners and players haven't met since talks broke off last Friday. Hunter said federal mediator George Cohen contacted him earlier this week about possibly rejoining the negotiations. The conversation led to Hunter calling Commissioner David Stern on Wednesday about resuming talks, though it has yet to be determined whether Cohen will be involved. Hunter said union leaders had spent the last several days cautioning players that the sides were still far apart on several system issues, so completing a deal was not as simple as a compromise on the revenue split. "Our guys are in a position of they still want us to negotiate a fair deal," Fisher said. "They've given us that power. They've given us that support. "Obviously, we're going to have individual members in individual sets of circumstances that want to get back to play. We want to get back to play. But we realize the ramifications of agreeing to a bad deal at this moment. ... This particular collective bargaining agreement will forever impact the circumstances of NBA basketball players. We can't rush into a deal we feel is a bad deal just to save this season." The lockout, which began July 1, has already led to the cancellation of a month of regular-season games. The sides met for three days last week, but again the talks stalled when they turned to the revenue split. They will get back at it Saturday, though neither side seems to be shifting its stance. "It's not wise or prudent for us to not meet or let huge gaps of time go by and let the clock run and not meet, because then we just become more entrenched in our respective positions," Hunter said. "At least if we're around the table something might happen; I can't predict if anything will." Hunter said he told Fisher after negotiations broke down Friday: "You will see the kind of friend I have been and will continue to be."