NBA Commissioner David Stern has revealed that only half of the NBA franchises are making a profit, according to a report from USA Today columnist Jon Saraceno.

Stern said he had no concern whatsoever that some clubs might be overleveraged and in potential trouble: "Our franchises are subject to debt limitations."

The commissioner asked for a "pass" on whether some economically embattled owners would favor letting the collective bargaining agreement ? set to expire in 2011 ? lapse, leading to a work stoppage.

"It would be premature for me to speculate now, other than to say that our owners are going to be very focused," Stern said, adding it was the league's goal to appoint a labor-relations committee this season to get a jump on negotiations."

The NBA is set to trim 9% of their workforce over worries about the U.S. economy, according to a report by Reuters.

"We made a decision some months ago that the economy was going to be a bit wobbly, so we began a belt-tightening that will result in a work-force reduction of about 9 percent domestically," Stern said Sunday, speaking before an NBA preseason game at London's O2 arena.

This translates into about 80 jobs, he later told Reuters.

"There is a season-ticket renewal rate decline, and new sales are also being hit," he said. "My guess is when [the regular season] kicks off, we will be down modestly in season ticket sales."