from Damien Cox of The Spin,

This deal will get done eventually. Perhaps not in time to save this season. Next season might also be impacted. But eventually, there will be a new CBA.

But how will the distrust created by this standoff, layered on top of unprecedented public cynicism over the entire mess, ever be reduced? Its hard to see at this point how, or when, the league and union might have a relationship based on mutual respect and common goals as was supposed to be the case after the last lockout but turned out to be a mirage.

At this point, growing the pie, which would benefits owners and players, appears to be the last objective on the minds of either side. It's scorched earth for both. This isn't about moving forward; we're back to the early 1990s in terms of the relationship between owners and players.

And isn't that the worst scenario of all? That this battle won't just be the biggest, nastiest one yet, but rather the first in a series in this new century.

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