The Star-Ledger's Dave A'Alessandro writes that the NBA's labor negotiations are largely a charade between David Stern and Billy Hunter to help pacify their competitive, passionate and diverse constituencies.
While the exact specifics of what the two sides will eventually agree to are unknown, they are within a few percentage points of being clear and a middle ground is attainable.
There will come a time, according to D'Alessandro, where Stern and Hunter will go back to their side and say "This is as good a deal as we'll get."
Hunter even called the league’s latest ultimatum “preordained, preplanned and predestined.”
"These are the kind of people Stern and Hunter have to serve, and pacify, and endure. Each sympathizes with the other. So they choreographed every step of this lockout, like a fight scene in a bad western, until the time comes for them to contrive an agreement that will spit-shine both their legacies."
The NBA has already canceled two weeks of the regular season, but rumors continue to swirly that an 82-game season could be salvaged.
"This fall replacement series is his Orwellian Reality TV," writes D'Alessandro of Stern.