Players and owners will resume talks on the collective bargaining agreement Saturday, eight days after talks collapsed over the BRI split.  But as many as 50 disgruntled NBA players – including several All-Stars – participated in a clandestine conference call with a top antitrust attorney on Thursday to discuss the process of decertifying the Players Association. Such a move would almost certainly result in a lost season.

Negotiations have led to agreements on issues including the structure of a salary cap, luxury tax and mid-level exception, but faltered on the split of BRI funds.  The owners want to the see a 50-50 split, down from 57-43 in the recently expired CBA. The players had said they won't go below 52-48. Talks begin at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Howard Beck reports that both sides are hardening in their resolve, with the most extreme factions pressing the hardest.  Beck adds that the hardline owners are led by none other than Michael Jordan. George Cohen, the federal mediator, is back Saturday.

• Players discuss decertification on call - Adrian Wojnarowski - Yahoo! Sports
  
• 50 N.B.A. Players Considering Dissolution of Union - Howard Beck - New York Times
• Hard-Line Factions Threaten Latest N.B.A. Negotiations - Howard Beck - New York Times
• Sources: Minority stake in Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats for sale - Mitch Lawrence - New York Times
  
• Group of NBA players discuss possibility of decertification - Sam Amick - Sports Illustrated
• NBA labor negotiations teetering on disaster - Zach Lowe - Sports Illustrated
  
• NBA players working toward decertification, sources say - Chris Broussard & Marc Stein - ESPN
• NBA -- Decertification threat a strong message - Larry Coon - ESPN
  
• Faction of NBA players discussing decertification - Chris Sheridan - Sheridan Hoops
• Federal mediator to return to NBA labor talks - Chris Sheridan - Sheridan Hoops
• Amid unrest, union leaders' quandary: Who are they fighting for? - Ken Berger - CBS Sports
• Report: Group of 50 NBA players threaten union decertification - Kurt Helin - NBC Sports
• NBA owners, players to meet - Marc Berman - New York Post