Suns owner Robert Sarver, part of the NBA's labor-relations committee, squirmed as he was portrayed as a hard-liner willing to sacrifice a season in collective-bargaining-agreement negotiations.

"I was consistently at the forefront of trying to get a deal done, knowing it was important for our fans to see NBA basketball again this season," Sarver said.

Sarver's reputation became a concern for the Suns brass, which has cleared salary-cap space for July 2012 to make a run at top free agents. The class could include Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

"I was concerned, and that was probably the toughest part about not being able to get the record straight," Sarver said. "It's important that Phoenix is viewed as a place players want to come to."