An e-mail seeking comment from Mike Bass, a spokesman for the NBA, wasn’t returned.
Staff members from both sides also met July 15 to discuss issues not specifically related to the labor negotiations. The discussions this week are expected to center on topics related to the system the two sides are playing under, such as the cap on player salaries.
Following the owners’ 10-year proposal disclosed by Stern on June 21, Hunter said those terms placed the sides more than $7 billion apart.
The last time there was a lockout, in 1998, the sides weren’t able to reach an agreement until the following January, shortening the season from 82 games to 50.
Schedule is set The NBA champion Mavericks will open the season - if it begins on time - at home Nov. 1 against MVP Derrick Rose and the Bulls, then host the Heat in a Finals rematch Christmas Day.
The NBA released its complete 2011-12 schedule despite being in a lockout that could last months and cause it to be scrapped.
If the season begins on time, Utah will host Houston in the Rockets’ first game under Kevin McHale, and Oklahoma City will visit new coach Mike Brown and the Lakers to conclude the opening-night schedule.
It’s unclear what would happen to the schedule if the season is delayed, though it would likely depend on when a deal gets done. The 1998-99 season didn’t begin until February.
Other interesting dates on the tentative schedule include the Magic and Nets playing a pair of games at the O2 Arena March 7-8, the second straight year the NBA is staging regular-season games in London ahead of the 2012 Olympics.
The All-Star break is scheduled for Feb. 24-26 in Orlando. The regular season ends April 18, with the Nets hosting the Bulls in their final game in New Jersey before moving to Brooklyn for the 2012-13 season.
