NEW YORKSeveral league sources shot down the comments made by former NBA executive Dave Checketts that the NBA and the NBA Players Association have agreed to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
"The rumblings coming out of both the players side and the owners side, are suggesting there is a deal," Checketts told ESPN 700-AM in Salt Lake City. "There're trying to finish everything up."
However, CSNNE.com spoke with two league sources that indicated Checkett's report was "not true."
"I wish he was right; hell, all of us wish he was right," said one source. "But the deal isn't done yet."
Both sides are still negotiating more than seven hours after they started.
But as the interview continued, it became clear that Checketts' announcement wasn't quite as firm as initially thought.
"This certainly could, and has already in this negotiation over time, crashed into a wall," Checketts said. "I get a different feeling about this. Both sides have come together and are trying really hard to iron out the details and come out unified."
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From there, he began to go into full Deion Sanders circa 1990-mode, with some pretty sweet back-pedal skills.
"I guess I have to soften a little bit," Checketts said. "And say I'm not as clear as I was, but good things are happening."