NBA Lockout: Bargaining Session To Be Held Next Week, Possibly Monday

The first bargaining session since the NBA lockout began July 1 could be held as early as Monday, and will likely be held sometime in the first week of August, reports Zach Lowe of SI.com. SBNation.com had reported on Tuesday that the first bargaining session since June 30 was in the works for sometime in the first two weeks of August.

The delay of negotiations has been the source of a great deal of consternation among fans -- at least those most vocal -- and at least a few writers have noted that NBA commissioner David Stern once lamented that in 1998 (when the league last locked out its players) the sides took so long to get together. (The timelines are stirringly similar.)

It's not yet clear exactly who will attend the bargaining session beyond NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver and members of the NBA players' union's executive committee. It wouldn't be a surprise to see either Billy Hunter (the union's head) or Stern in attendance; both were integrally involved in negotiations in the run-up to the lockout.