Mbah a Moute hopes mediation will help end lockout

Milwaukee Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute believes he will be playing basketball again by the end of November.

But he is determined not to come back until National Basketball Association players receive what they consider a fair deal from league owners.

Mbah a Moute was one of the 30 or so players who attended a meeting Friday in Los Angeles, where union president Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers updated them on the negotiations to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

"There are still a whole lot of things that need to be worked out in the system," Mbah a Moute said in an interview Monday. "It's still very different from what we want."

Mbah a Moute, who serves as the Bucks' player representative, said he hopes Tuesday's meeting with Cohen could push the two sides toward a deal.

"We'll see what happens," Mbah a Moute said. "I have to believe anything extra could move the process. As long as we're meeting, it's a good thing."

Much attention has been focused on the division of basketball revenues, with the players union agreeing to accept 53% of basketball related income (BRI) after being guaranteed 57% in the old contract.

But owners have proposed a 53-47 split in their favor while talking of a possible 50-50 split, which the players rejected.

"We made a lot of concessions to the owners," Mbah a Moute said. "We went back from 57 to 53, and you're talking about huge money right there. We hope they will come back and negotiate in good faith."