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David Stern called in sick with the flu yesterday and missed last night’s sickening collapse of talks between the NBA and its players following a third day of federal mediation. The NBA commissioner also missed the hailstorm that ensued afterward between the players and owners as the lockout continued with no end in sight.
The sad result is the season has never been more in jeopardy, and Stern could officially cancel games through Christmas Day today.
Last night, players union president Derek Fisher called the NBA’s ownership committee liars. Federal mediator George Cohen will head back to Washington, unable to give President Obama his NBA season back.
There are no future talks on the horizon
“Certainly we don’t want to lose the season,” Spurs hard-line owner Peter Holt said after the seven-hour meeting collapsed. “I don’t think the NHL did either [in 2004-005] but it ended up happening. There are certain things we feel we must have.”
The union said it was blindsided yesterday when the Stern-less ownership gang gave the players an “ultimatum” and a “take it or leave it” offer — accept a 50-50 revenue split or the mediation was over.
“Two-and-a-half days of negotiating and they give us an ultimatum,” union director Billy Hunter said. “It was take it or leave it. We stood there somewhat shocked.”
“It was the owners who broke it off. For the record, we’re willing to negotiate. We’re willing to go back to the table anytime, but without preconditions.”
Hunter admitted the season is in peril, unless the owners get off their stance of only continuing negotiations if the players accept the 50-50 split. The union said they wanted to continue talking about the other big issue — the hard salary cap — but the NBA said no. Hunter indicated the union could accept a 50-50 split but only if it knows about “system issues” regarding the cap.
After deputy commissioner Adam Silver told reporters the union was stuck on a 52.5 percent split, Fisher told the same group, “You guys were lied to.” Fisher said the union proposed a “band” between 50 percent and 53 percent, pending the amount of revenues.
The harsh tactics by Silver and Holt stunned the players association since the first two days — which included 24 hours of talks — didn’t go badly. Hunter called the 50-50 demand, “the poison pill.”
“We were surprised by the 180-degree turn,” union negotiator Jeffrey Kessler said.
Hunter said he realizes some owners want a season, naming the Knicks’ James Dolan, LA’s Jerry Buss, Boston’s Wyc Grousbeck, Miami’s Mickey Arison and Mark Cuban of Dallas.
“But there’s too many of the small-market owners and they’re carrying the day,” Hunter said.
Before the end of the talks, Silver had announced Stern would be available via conference call during the mediation. However, Hunter said he wasn’t aware Stern could be reached.
“Maybe it was easier for them to take this position without him there,” Hunter said.
According to a sources, Holt/Silver made the take-it-or-leave it threat to the players’ negotiating committee. Sources said Hornets point guard Chris Paul shot back, “You’re saying take it or leave it?”
“Take it or leave it,” Holt was said to have responded.
The union said it wanted to continue negotiations but not under those conditions.
Hunter said the tone of the day was strange without Stern and with Blazers owner Paul Allen making his first appearance at the talks. According to Hunter, Allen gave a speech to the union, saying that at Wednesday night’s Board of Governors meetings, the owners felt they were already conceding too much in bargaining.
Hunter said he believed the whole week — with its nasty ending — was “preordained, preplanned, predestined.” One source said he believed Stern’s absence may also have been premeditated.
Holt said he wants the Spurs to have “an opportunity to be competitive and an opportunity to make a few bucks. We all understand that down in San Antonio I’m not going to make the kind of money that New York or LA is going to make. But we’re trying to get it where we have a system where all 30 teams have those opportunities.”
Hunter said it’s not about competitiveness, it’s “about putting money in their pocket.”
Silver said he would speak to the ownership committee today to decide about canceling games. It probably will be either two more weeks from Nov. 15-29 or all the way to Christmas Day.
“We’re not prepared to announce anything today,” he said. “We’re going to regroup (today) both with David Stern and our labor relations committee and make some decisions about moving forward.”
Cohen released a statement, saying, in part, “no useful purpose would be served by requesting the parties to continue the mediation process.”
“We’ve worn each other out,” Holt said.
marc.berman@nypost.com