Keep an eye out for Ron Artest bringing the ball up the court. Pretty funny…

When the NBA and NBAPA left today’s negotiation session, all they spoke of was doom and gloom, but as CBS Sports’ Ken Berger writes in his excellent column about the status of the negotiations, things aren’t as bad as they seem.

The only thing both sides agreed on after this latest round of posturing and semi-negotiating was that the players had come to the table with economic concessions the owners and NBA negotiators could live with — or at least could envision writing into a new CBA. Though no written proposals were formally exchanged, hidden amid all the rhetoric and doomsday prognosticating was something extraordinary for how lost it became: the NBA and its union are on the verge of solving the biggest dispute between them, as in how much money each side gets.

Great, right? Well, sort of. The issue now is that the owners are demanding a hard salary cap and the players aren’t going to go for it.

The owners want significant salary concessions, which they’re on the verge of receiving, and they want a more restrictive cap system to go with it. They can’t have both, say the players. It’s straight out of the cake-and-eat-it-too negotiating handbook.

“We don’t want a system where players come in, they have no security and you have two or three marquee players who get a guarantee — and not a full guarantee as they have proposed, but a limited guarantee — that everybody else would not have,” Hunter said. “And these guys would be on one- or two-year deals and at any whim of any given owner or GM or whatever, they’d be out the door. And so we’re saying, ‘No way.’”

I’m in favor of a hard cap because it encourages parity and allows small market teams to compete on equal footing with teams in New York and Los Angeles. But Berger argues that revenue sharing can fix that issue. I supposed that’s true, but the level of revenue sharing has to be high enough to allow the small market teams to spend as much as the big market teams. (For example, if the hard cap is $20 million over the soft cap, then the small market team needs to receive $20 million in revenue sharing to make things equal. That’s not going to happen.) High profile free agents already prefer to play in a big market because of the impact it has on their Q Rating — a soft salary cap only exacerbates the advantage that the big market teams have over their competition.

People will point to the San Antonio Spurs, the LeBron-era Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder as small market teams that have managed to compete year in and year out, and it’s true, those teams have done a fine job, but they all have one thing in common — they were fortunate enough to have a #1 (or #2) pick in a year when a no-brainer superstar was available at the top of the draft. Without lucking into Tim Duncan, LeBron James or Kevin Durant, the Spurs, Cavs (R.I.P.) and the Thunder would be no better off than the T-Wolves or the Bucks.

Granted, the T-Wolves and the Bucks (and Bobcats, Raptors, Pacers, Grizzlies and Kings) had their chance to land a superstar with their lottery pick(s), but a small market team shouldn’t have to make mistake-free personnel decisions to compete. If the big market teams screw up, all they have to do is slash salary and then they’ll eventually be able to lock up a superstar — just look at the Knicks.

Anyway, Berger thinks the two sides are closer than they seem and wonders if they’re willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater in their pissing match over a hard cap.

Are the owners, having essentially received the economic concessions they were seeking, really willing to sacrifice $4 billion of revenues (roughly half of which they’d get, depending on how the deal ultimately is written) in order to impose a hard cap that may or may not allow Charlotte Bobcats to make the conference semifinals?

Are the players, having fought back the owners’ quest for what Hunter called Tuesday “total capitulation,” willing to cut off paychecks for more than 400 players for a year so that Corey Maggette can make more money than he deserves until his contract finally can be dumped into a voodoo-math NBA trade at some future deadline?

These are good questions.

This is a big week for the NBA, per ESPN.

A pivotal stretch in the NBA lockout begins Tuesday, when full bargaining committees return to the table.

That could move players and owners closer to a new labor deal, but it also could send things in the wrong direction with time running down if more voices in the room leads to discord.

Any setback now would diminish hopes of the preseason opening without delay.

The process toward getting a new collective bargaining agreement seems to have gotten back on track after three meetings in the past two weeks between top negotiators from each side.

They decided their full committees have to return before they can go any further, so the owners’ labor relations committee and the union’s executive committee were told to come to New York for a session Tuesday, and perhaps even Wednesday. That should more than double the number of people in the room from last week, when there were nine.

The league is running out of time to get something done so that the season isn’t delayed. Although no one seems particularly optimistic about the chances of the two sides striking a deal, it’s a good sign that they’re bringing their bargaining committees to the table. We’ll have a better idea where a potential deal stands on Thursday.

ESPN’s TrueHoop dissected comments from player representative Derek Fisher and wonders if the two sides are holding something back:

The two sides have agreed not to characterize the talks to the media. And in the spirit of keeping that promise, Stern and Fisher peppered their talks with let’s-not-get-carried-away language. Stern said, “I don’t know if it’s positive or negative,” that the groups’ meeting will expand next week. Similarly, Fisher said, “It doesn’t imply that we’re somehow on the verge,” and added that, “We still haven’t found that place where we can come out and say here’s where we are, here’s where progress is being made.”

But it’s hard to talk for 15 unscripted minutes, as Fisher did, without dropping some hints as to what has happened behind closed doors.

The most alarming of the hints came when Fisher explained expanding the meetings: “From our perspective, we want to make sure that our executive committee members who aren’t in the room are able to really fully understand the deal, the deal points, all the information that’s being thrown around the room, all the ideas that we’re going back and forth with.”

A deal? Deal points? There are deal points?

The post has more positive quotes from Fisher which do sound encouraging.

Is it possible that the NBA could reach a deal soon? It doesn’t seem likely given the reported chasm between the two sides, but compared to media attention surrounding the NFL labor negotiations, the NBA and NBAPA have been able to negotiate in relative anonymity.

A month ago I would have pegged the chances of the season starting on time somewhere in the 0%-5% range. Now I’d give the two sides a 15%-20% of coming to an agreement by mid-October.

Here are five questions about the C’s that ESPN posed to its network of basketbloggers along with my take.

1. Fact or Fiction: Rajon Rondo’s up-and-down play is a concern.
Fact! Of course you don’t want up-and-down play from your point guard. That’s a silly question.

2. Fact or Fiction: The Celtics should consider trading Ray Allen.
Fiction. What’s the point? The C’s are in “win now” mode, so why trade away one of the best shooters in the game? On the off chance that Kevin Garnett undergoes a resurgence and the C’s can get back into contender status, wouldn’t they want Jesus Shuttlesworth out there knocking down three-pointers?

3. Fact or Fiction: Boston should bring back Jeff Green and Glen Davis.
Fiction-ish. It depends on what Green wants to return. I think he could still be part of Boston’s future, but he’ll probably get more money than he’s worth. As for Davis, he looked lethargic last season and I’m not sure he can trim down enough to earn a new deal.

4. Fact or Fiction: The C’s will go as far as Kevin Garnett takes them.
Fiction, but KG is the key. The Celtics are a team in the truest sense of the word and will need contributions and good play from several players if they hope to make another title run, but Garnett has to get back to All-Star level play on both ends of the court if the C’s are going to go anywhere.

5. Fact or Fiction: The Celtics’ title window has closed.
Fact. It’s not completely closed, but if you’re standing a few feet away, it sure looks like it’s closed. It would take a perfect storm of good play and good health by the Celtics along with disaster striking in both Miami and Chicago (not to mention the Western Conference contenders) to re-open the window to let anything more than a draft through.

It’s time to discuss the Knicks. ESPN is running a five-question series with its network of bloggers, and I’ve been tossing in my two cents (which is worth about one and a half cents in today’s economy). Anyway, off we go:

1. Fact or Fiction: The Melo trade, as constructed, was a mistake.
Fiction. The Knicks didn’t gel right away (and never really did), but they still added a Top 15 player and anytime you can do that, you’ve won the trade. This question was never going to be answered in 2011. It’s going to be answered over the next four or five years.

2. Fact or Fiction: The Knicks will eventually form their own Big Three.
Fact. I’m not sure how they’ll do it, but the prospects of playing in New York with Carmelo and Amare would have to convince some point guard somewhere to force a trade or take a less than market deal.

3. Fact or Fiction: Landry Fields is a legitimate starter for a contender.
Fiction. But only because of the word “is.” He has the potential to be a legit starter on a contender, but I don’t think he’s there yet. He has to find his niche on the perimeter alongside Anthony, who holds the ball too much and that doesn’t jibe well with Landry’s game. But he can shoot, rebound and defend, so he can certainly develop into a legit starter.

4. Fact or Fiction: This is the final season in New York for Mike D’Antoni.
Fiction. Give D’Antoni a full season — wait, there’s a lockout isn’t there? I don’t think that the Knicks are going to find a better coach unless they’re somehow able to coax a revitalized Phil Jackson out of retirement. I think D’Antoni is capable of shaping the Knicks into the Suns of the East, but he needs to find a point guard to run the show.

5. Fact or Fiction: The Knicks are a top-four team in the East.
Fiction. I’d still take the Heat, Bulls, Magic (for now) and Celtics (for now) over the Knicks. They’re a “next four” team — should make the playoffs every year, but they aren’t going to make that next step until they find a good point guard.

ESPN asked five Minnesota-related questions of its network of NBA bloggers and it’s once again time for me to piggy-back on the proceedings.

1. Fact or Fiction: Ricky Rubio will be a star.

Fiction: I think he can be a better than average NBA starter, but by all accounts he hasn’t developed over the last couple of seasons as was expected. His shooting percentage is pretty dreadful, so that inaccuracy will limit his upside. On a positive side, he has great court vision and is a pretty good defender. I don’t see stardom, but I do see starterdom.

2. Fact or Fiction: Rick Adelman should be the Wolves’ next coach.

Fact. He’s the best coach available and has had success just about everywhere he’s landed. He’s not going to turn this ship around quickly, but he’ll make the T-Wolves better.

3. Fact or Fiction: Derrick Williams should start.

Fact. Let’s see if he can play the 3. If it’s a disaster, then bring him off the bench in a 6th man role and let him build his confidence against the other team’s backups. It’s not like losing a few games early is going to tank the T-Wolves’ season. It’s already tanked.

4. Fact or Fiction: Michael Beasley has a bright future in Minnesota.

Fiction. It’s doubtful that he has a bright future anywhere. This is a guy who, at one of these glorified playground games, recently pushed a fan in the face because he couldn’t take the criticism. Maybe he’ll turn it around — you never know. He did post nice numbers on a bad team in 2010-11.

5. Fact or Fiction: Minny makes the playoffs while K-Love is still there.

Fiction. I’m not in Love’s head, but I wouldn’t re-sign with a team that is run by David Kahn. So unless the team fires Kahn and brings in a great basketball mind, Love will likely sign elsewhere even though the T-Wolves can (currently) offer the most money.

It was Goodman League vs. Melo League in Baltimore, MD, and there were lots of dunks and not much defense. It looked like an NBA All-Star Game, only missing a few All-Stars. Enjoy:

The LA Times has the details about the case…

Crittenton allegedly shot Jullian Jones, a mother of four, on Aug. 19 as she stood outside her home with two other people, authorities said.

Atlanta homicide detectives said Crittenton was trying to shoot someone he believed had stolen jewelry from him in April, according to Georgia law enforcement sources.

The Washington Post digs deeper into Crittenton’s involvement in the Gilbert Arenas debacle.

Javaris Crittenton, murder suspect?

This is a tough one to digest, especially for many of us hanging on Arenas’s every utterance during the ordeal and after he returned from his suspension.

It was all Gilbert, all the time then. Crittenton was the forgotten counterpart, a foil for another mean-spirited Gil prank gone criminally awry. We were so worried whether his all-star career could ever be resurrected, whether Arenas was going to be okay after he pocketed, oh, $20 million per year, that we forgot to check on the guy who very possibly kissed his NBA career goodbye that day.

Little-known fact uncovered in court documents in the spring of 2010: Crittenton, via text message, asked to borrow thousands from Arenas to help pay his ill mother’s escalating medical bills. Just two months after their confrontation, Arenas obliged.

This puts the duo’s relationship in a new light since Arenas agreed to help Crittenton even after the lockeroom incident.

How Crittenton ended up shooting a mother of four is yet to be determined.

By special request (this is for you, Jester), I’ll take a stab at ESPN’s 5-on-5 on the Lakers.

1. Fact or Fiction: Mike Brown was the right hire.

Fiction. He’s not a terrible hire, because he is very defensive-minded, and defense is something the Lakers struggled with last season. And he has experience coaching a moody superstar, so there’s that. But offensively, the Cavs were dreadful under his guidance even though they had one of the best offensive players in the league. In five years with LeBron, he wasn’t able to convince him to develop a post game, so does he have the fortitude to “coach up” Andrew Bynum? I’m not sure I can think of a coach who is better suited for the job, but honestly, I’m not going to try too hard.

2. Fact or Fiction: Kobe Bryant is the best player in the West.

Are you kidding? Fiction. All due respect to Kobe, but Dirk Nowitzki is the current King of the West and Kevin Durant and Chris Paul are both also ahead of Bryant, in my opinion. Nowitzki’s playoff run was epic, and Kobe had a chance to stop it — but couldn’t. There were opportunities in that series where the old Kobe would have taken over and willed his team to a win and those opportunities passed the current Kobe by.

3. The Lakers need to …

…acquire a superstar. This is easier said than done, but perhaps the rights to Andrew Bynum would garner Dwight Howard or Chris Paul if the Magic or Hornets were convinced that they were on their way out of town. It’s important that the superstar acquired is not a wing, because that’s not going to work with Kobe. But he’d welcome an opportunity to play with Howard or Paul.

4. Fact or Fiction: L.A. should deal Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol.

Were you not listening? Yes, Bynum and his shaky knees have to go and the franchise needs to bring in a superstar to build around after Kobe hangs ‘em up. They need to target a franchise that is about to get LeBron’ed, and the Magic and Hornets immediately jump to mind. Of course, this is all moot because Jim Buss is reportedly running basketball operations at this point and Bynum is his guy, so he’s not going anywhere. The Lakers could try to move Gasol, but with his salary and age, his value is not nearly as high.

5. Fact or Fiction: The Lakers will win another title with the current core.

Fiction. It could happen, especially in an abbreviated 2011-12 season, if there even is one, but I wouldn’t bet on it. They would be the type of contender that could capitalize if other teams in the West (or the Heat) faltered. But the last time I saw these Lakers I thought they were done. They were completely disjointed and had terrible chemistry — and chemistry was never their strong suit. They got by on effort and execution, and I don’t think they’ll bounce back in these areas on the heels of Phil Jackson’s departure.