AJC: Hope on horizon

[Hawksquawk]

We’ve been here before but it looks like an end to the lockout is within sight.

The two sides are meeting this morning, and Chris Sheridan reports that the split of basketball revenues is at the top of the agenda. That’s been a source of contention between the sides in earlier sessions. Also, things have usually gotten tougher once the small negotiating groups go back to their constituents. So there’s still time for everything to fall apart but there was real optimism after last night’s bargaining session.

Union exec Billy Hunter said the two sides are “within striking distance of a deal.” Adreian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports quotes a source saying: “There's a strong expectation [within the negotiations] that hands will shake [Friday].” Howard Beck of the New York Times goes so far as to report that there’s still the possibility of an 82-game schedule if a deal is reached soon and that the league has called arenas to clear dates in late April.

It sounds as if they’ve made …

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