Inan interviewwith New York radio stationWFAN, commissioner David Stern said that next Tuesday, Oct. 18, is a critical date in the ongoing labor negotiations between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. The two sides are scheduled to meet individually with federal mediator George Cohen on Monday and then all together on Tuesday. Following Tuesday's meeting, the NBA's owners are scheduled to meet among themselves on Wednesday and Thursday. If a deal is not reached on Tuesday, Stern said he would "despair" because it would likely mean further cancellations to the NBA's 2011-2012 regular season and could even put the league's annual Christmas Day games in jeopardy. He also predicted that both sides would harden their negotiating positions if no deal was reached with the help of the mediator.Here's a linkto some key quotes from an interview conducted byDavid AldridgeofNBA.com. ---------------------- "Each side is going to meet with the mediator on Monday, and if there's a breakthrough, it's going to come on Tuesday," Stern told NBA.com. "And if not, I think that the season is really going to potentially escape from us, because we aren't making any progress ... how many times does it pay to keep meeting, and to have the same things thrown back at you? We're ready to sit down and make a deal. I don't believe that the union is. Hopefully by Tuesday, aided by the mediator, they'll be ready to make a deal. Certainly I'll bring my owners ready to make a deal." ---------------------- The NBAcancelledthe first two weeks of the regular season on Monday.Timmay!posted a link在FanShots中介过程s.Ken BergerofCBSSports.comhas further details on Cohen's track recordhere. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter