skyhookii

It's when the NBA owner and Player's association cannot make an agreement on how much players and the organization get payed. Basket Related Income (BRI) is key here. See, a team makes money form tickets, jersey sales, etc. and it has to share this income with the players. The owners of course want more money and the Player's association wants more for the players. The agreement right now (about 57% of BRI/income for players and about 43% for owners) is going to expire. If the owners and player's association cannot reach an agreement, no one gets paid, hence no one's playing for free and the owner's aren't setting up a season without money. As a result, there may be no NBA in the 2011-2012 season until they make an agreement, which could mean a shortened season if they resolve the issue quickly.