Federal Mediator to Enter NBA Lockout Talks

Same guy who brought NFL together hopes to do the same here

With NBA owners and players nowhere near settling on a deal that will end the lockout and start the season, a federal mediator has been hired to try and bring the two sides back to the table.

George Cohen, who mediated the 1995 Major League Baseball strike, this year's NFL lockout, as well as labor disputes between the Federal Aviation Administration and air traffic controllers, says that his priority is not only to get the owners and players on the same page, but to get the non-millionaires effected by the work stoppage back on their feet too.

"It is evident that the ongoing dispute will result in a serious impact, not only upon the parties directly involved, but also, of major concern, on interstate commerce — i.e., the employers and working men and women who provide services related to the basketball games, and, more generally, on the economy of every city in which those games are scheduled to be played," he said via statement.

Experts say that this is a step in the right direction since Cohen has no personal ties to either side and may be able to settle the growing tension between the two who have at times had shouting matches during meetings.