Friday the NFL Players' Association decided to file for decertification and sue the NFL in court for violating antitrust law. The league then locked out the players Friday evening, shutting things down for the foreseeable future. And the effect of these actions were felt throughout the NBA, whose date with a work stoppage draws closer.

"Those (NFL) owners are pushing with the money they're making," said a source involved in the NBA discussions over the weekend. "I think our guys will do the same. Maybe there will be some decisions made in this court that will harder or soften one side one way or the other."

As each day passes, hopes that NBA can avoid its own work stoppage continue to dwindle, although both commissioner David Stern and NBPA executive director Billy Hunter said during the All-Star break that the rhetoric during their meetings with one another was much less heated than in previous sessions. But the reality is that owners want a new system, and the things they're asking for continue to be non-starters with the players.