“The circumstances have changed among [David Stern's] constituency,” Hunter told a group of lawyers Wednesday, as quoted in the Baltimore Sun. “In the last six or seven years, there is a new group of owners to come in who paid a premium for their franchises, and what they’re doing is kind of holding his feet to the fire.”

Hunter told an American Bar Association conference that if he “had to bet on it”, he would wager that there will be no NBA season.

“We’re $800 million apart per year,” Hunter said Wednesday, adding, “something has to happen that both of us can use as leverage to save face.”

NBA owners and players held a formal collective bargaining session for the first high-level negotiations in a month Monday but after nearly three hours of discussions the sides emerged as far apart as they were when the day began. Stern said the sides were “at the same place” as they were when the lockout began July 1 just before the old collective bargaining agreement ran out.

Owners are seeking significant changes to the league’s salary structure, claiming $300 million in losses last season and hundreds of millions more in each year of the previous agreement, which was ratified in 2005. Players have acknowledged the losses but disputed their size, and they’ve balked at the league’s push for a hard salary cap and reduction in salaries and maximum contract lengths.

NBA 2011-2012 Season Cancelled

The union has encouraged players to find work rather than give in to the owners’ economic demands, with the hope that owners would offer better proposals if they see their players have other options. Hunter recently sent a memo to all players endorsing locked-out players to consider playing overseas.

Nets All-Star Deron Williams agreed to an overseas deal with Besiktas of Turkey, the only superstar with an overseas deal thus far, though some lesser players have one. Many elite players say they are keeping it as an option.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Miami Heat star LeBron James remains confident there will be an NBA season.

Speaking Friday to reporters in Taiwan, James said “right now I am working toward the NBA season, I believe there will be a season, and hopefully both sides can come together.”

Players have been locked out since July 1 since the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.

The sides are split over issues including distribution of revenues. Last week, players’ union chief Billy Hunter said he was doubtful about the 2011-12 season going ahead.

James is on a two-day promotional tour of Taiwan.

NBA 2011-2012 Season Cancelled

• nba 2011-2012
• nba 2012
• nba 2011 2012
• 20112012 nba season
• nba 2011-2012 season
• nba 2012 all players
• nba season cancelled

The NBA roster include Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Darko Milicic, MinnesotaTimberwolves, Tyreke Evans, DeAndre Jordan and Mario Chalmers.

NBA All-stars vs Smart Gilas, PBA this July 2011

Among the PBA players set to face the NBA stars are James Yap, Marc Pingris, Rabah Al-Hussaini, Arwind Santos, Mark Caguioa, LA Tenorio, Gary David and Gabe Norwood.

The Smart Gilas Pilipinas team aims to use the tune-up games as replacement for their canceled European training trip. The team is set to play in the Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei in August.

The event is also said to be a post-birthday celebration of basketball chief Manny V. Pangilinan who turns 65 this July 14th.

{via Noypitstuff]

NBA All-stars vs Smart Gilas, PBA this July 2011

• pba vs nba
• nba vs pba 2011
• arwind smart gilas
• pba all star vs nba all star
• arwind santos wallpaper
• pba vs nba 2011 highlights
• pba players 2011

After two consecutive seasons in which the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers claimed the #1 seeds for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference respectively, there will be a different NBA playoff bracket scenario this time.

This is why the 2011 NBA Playoffs is one of the most exciting and anticipated in recent memory as a new powerhouse in the East has emerged, the Chicago Bulls. The Miami Heat with its three-headed monster are not to be taken lightly as well.

In the West, an old sleeping giant has waken up from its deep slumber ready to retake its crown, the San Antonio Spurs.

There are also new faces absent from last year: the Indiana Pacers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Orleans Hornets.

These teams will have to go through four rounds: the first round, the conference semifinals, the conference finals and the finally the NBA Finals.

2011 NBA Playoff Bracket: 1st Round

2011 NBA Playoff Bracket: 1st Round

• 2011 nba playoff bracket
• all nba team 2011
• nba 2011 playoffs teams
• nba playoffs 2011 bracket
• nba teams 2011
• nba playoff bracket
• nba 2011 teams

Making for quite the romantic birthday excursion, Justin Bieber enjoyed a loved-up outing with Selena Gomez in Beverly Hills, CA on Tuesday (March 1).

The cute couple spent the “Baby” hitmaker’s 17th b-day at a local shopping center as they picked up purchases at Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton – where the two shared a few intimate hugs giving Justin a big birthday boy smile.

According to a GossipCenter insider, Justin and Selena then stopped at PinkBerry, where Justin got a sweet treat to-go.

Here’s Justin flipping the middle finger at the papz while trying to drive away from the restaurant they were eating dinner at Maggiano’s Little Italy at The Grove in Los Angeles, CA for his 17th birthday.

Selena also flips the paps her middle finger, expect she does it with a little more class.

• selena gomez and justin bieber
• selena gomez i justin bieber
• selena gomez fuck
• justin bieber fuck selena gomez
• selena gomez fucked
• selena gomez fucking
• justin bieber middle finger

The Carmelo Anthony saga came to an end Monday night, with James Dolan finally getting his man.

In a blockbuster deal months in the making, Anthony became a Knick Monday night and will make his Garden debut Wednesday night against the Bucks.

The trade – which involved nine players – completely overhauled the Knicks’ roster, but left them with two superstars in Amare’ Stoudemire and Anthony, who punched his ticket out of Denver at the start of the sesaon when he refused to sign an extension.

A source said the deal was completed when Dolan, the Garden chairman, gave in and included 7-foot Russian center Timofey Mozgov in the deal. According to a report, heading to Denver with Mozgov are Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler and draft picks.

Incredibly, there were deals all throughout the NBA that were being held up essentially because of Mozgov. When informed yesterday that he might be the most important player in the NBA as of this moment, Mozgov replied, “Thank you.

“You told me this,” he added. “I didn’t know that. I will know this. It’s great. But I don’t feel nothing about it.”

There are reports that the Nuggets, after making any deal with the Knicks, could send Mozgov, along with another player, to the Nets for first-round picks. That would unite Mozgov with fellow Russian Mikhail Prokhorov, who owns the Nets.

The Nuggets traded Melo to the New York Knicks tonight, a league source said. Denver gets Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks 2014 first-round draft pick, the Warriors’ 2012 second-round pick, the Warriors’ 2013 second-round pick and $3 million in cash.

Anthony will go to New York, along with Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman.

• carmelo anthony for 5530