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NBA referees are prepared to be locked out for the start of the season after negotiations with the league on a new contract broke down this week and Commissioner David Stern ended the latest bargaining session.
No further talks are scheduled -- and when they do resume, it'll be without the commissioner.
Referees spokesman Lamell McMorris accused Stern of acting childish and not negotiating in good faith, so Stern removed himself from the process.
Stern said Thursday he told McMorris that, "In fact, if it was going to get personal -- which apparently he's decided to make it by calling news media and leveling a series of inaccurate allegations -- that I would absent myself from the negotiations, which I have."
"Hopefully we'll make a deal with the referees, or we won't, but it won't be on the basis of personality, it'll be on the basis of economics."
"The problem is, David Stern does not negotiate. He tells you what's going to happen, and then when you don't do it, and do something differently, he whines and acts like a child," McMorris said. "That's not how you negotiate. Not with adults."
Stern said the NBA would be well-represented even without him, but didn't leave much hope that a resolution would come soon.
"On the basis of the last series of proposals, it doesn't appear that there's any point at this time to further negotiations, but obviously it still remains our goal to start this season with our existing referees working," Stern said.