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For months, the feeling has been that the NBA and NBPA would agree to a new CBA well ahead of the December 15th deadline. Both sides teemed with optimism through the summer and fall, as talks had been ongoing for the better part of a year.

With the influx of money from the new TV media deal and changing economics surrounding the value of an NBA franchise, it appeared possible that everyone would get their cake and the fans would be able to eat it, too.

But of course, these things are never done until they're done, and ESPN's Ramona Shelbourne spoke with Knicks forward and NBPA executive Carmelo Anthony, who says that something's happened in the last week that has left him "skeptical" of a new deal.

"I'm skeptical of something getting done," Anthony, who is the vice president of the NBPA told ESPN after the New York Knicks practiced Saturday in Los Angeles. "Do I think something could happen by the 15th? Yeah I think something could happen. But I think this kind of put a dent in conversations."

"We had something so close. We were supposed to have a deal done weeks ago, and for this to happen at the 25th hour is tough."

Anthony declined to go into the specifics of the late snag in collective bargaining talks, but reiterated that "as players, we want to get a deal done."

Source: Carmelo Anthony of New York Knicks 'skeptical' new CBA done by Thursday.

The good news is that both sides can agree to an extension of the deadline, or pick things up this summer and work something out before the fall when training camp starts. There's a number of ways this could end up going well for all involved, and a lockout could be avoided.

However, these things are also deeply personal and delicate. The players feel absolutely exploited by the last lockout when the owners cried poor and then turned around and some sold franchises for as much as $2 billion. This is the most actualized and well-structured NBPA we've seen in decades and former litigator Michele Roberts has already established she is not someone the league can take for granted or try to bully. If the players have collectively decided a non-starter for the league is a must-start, or, more likely, if the league's owners have come forward with some restrictive measure which the players are unwilling to budge on, it's not a long road to a lockout.

League revenue has skyrocketed, ratings are up, the game's never been more popular outside of the Jordan Era. There's every reason for them to figure something out. But this isn't about the game. It's about money. And that determines an entirely different set of rules.

Also, it's notable that this came from Anthony. This is a well-known, star player issuing a shot across the bow. Everything that's leaked has an agenda, and the players have just sent a message regarding whatever this latest hiccup is, after months of under-the-table talks.