The NBA players' association, not Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, proposed the elimination of the salary cap during negotiations aimed at ending months of labor strife, a league official said Tuesday.

Sticking to his deadline, NBA Commissioner David Stern erased the first two weeks of the season after negotiations failed to produce a new labor deal and warned that more games were in jeopardy of being cut.

They don't have a deal yet, and they are just about out of time.

David Stern wants progress in the NBA's collective bargaining talks by Labor Day. He may get his wish.

The NBA is headed to deadline day, with perhaps one last chance to avoid a lockout.

With NBA stars from veteran Kevin Garnett to Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin standing behind him, union president Derek Fisher said Thursday that players won't accept a bad deal to avert a work stoppage.

Commissioner David Stern said Tuesday that NBA owners have proposed a "flex cap" system, but players still insist it's a hard cap which they won't agree to.