Arbitrator Roger Kaplan said that he will rule within "the next couple of days" on appeals of suspensions issued to four Indiana Pacers players.

Should Kaplan happen to rule in the players' favor and reduce some of the suspensions, NBA commissioner David Stern is expected to move the case to federal court.

The players' union asked for substantial reductions in those penalties during a six-hour arbitration hearing earlier this month. The NBA declined to participate in that hearing, saying Kaplan had no jurisdiction to arbitrate penalties for on-court behaviors.