Yeah this was a pretty shrewd move by the owners. Put an 82-game season back on the table and make what appears from afar to be a reasonable 50/50 revenue split. Now, if the season doesn't start on November 2, it will be the players looking like the bad guys. From a PR perspective, they have tilted the field completely back in their favor. Now, whether it actually serves to get a deal done, who knows. As noted, nobody expects the players to just accept the whole deal right away. They will probably come back in the 54/46 range with other demands, and then hopefully the real negotiating starts. The good news is there is a clear deadline that everyone has incentive to meet.