Former ESPN and AP basketball writer Chris Sheridan (now writing for his terrific new site, sheridanhoops.com) has made some of the best efforts in the industry to cut through the PR and politics of the lockout negotiation and provide a common sense argument as to why the season will start on time.

He's a connected man with inside information, and now he is reporting that the owners have agreed on the framework of a robust revenue sharing plan. In a recent piece on his site, he specifically says: "NBA owners told nearly two dozen players Friday they plan to quadruple their revenue sharing by Year 4 of a new collective bargaining agreement, and commissioner David Stern went so far as to say that one of the three remaining items of contention has effectively been settled." If true, this is undeniably great news for Bucks fans.

For more on his take, make sure to check out his excellent radio interview with Boers and Bernstein of Chicago Sports Radio 670AM The Score from Friday.