NBA players are pushing for more money in the next collective bargaining agreement -- for the players who came before them.Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, vice president of the National Basketball Players Associations executive committee, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the union has prioritized getting aid for retired players.The NBA and its players have agreed that the next CBA will include new league-funded programs to help retired players with education and medical expenses, four people with knowledge of the situation told the AP. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because talks are ongoing.In exchange for those programs, and pending full approval from both sides, the split of basketball-related income would remain the same 50-50 deal as it is in the current agreement.Deciding how to divvy up the revenue pie was the biggest obstacle that led to the ugly lockout five years ago. But with that issue essentially taken care of this time around, negotiations have been much smoother as both sides look to reach an agreement on a new deal before the Dec. 15 deadline to opt out.For James, NBPA president Chris Paul and the rest of the union, taking care of those who are no longer playing is a worthy compromise for trying to recoup any of the financial ground lost during the 2011 labor dispute.We got a group of guys that are in there that know the negotiations, so any way to give back and try to help our former teammates and help former players and things of that nature, James said. Because weve all built this league together. No matter how big of a guy you were or if you were the 15th guy on the bench, we all built this league into what it is today. But its not just my idea. Im not taking any credit for that. But its all part of the process.Mike Glenn, a 10-year NBA veteran and a member of the National Basketball Retired Players Associations board of directors, said the CBA has dominated conversations among retirees for more than a year.Were very thankful to Chris Paul, LeBron and others who have provided the leadership to include us in the negotiations and have the foresight to see that theyll be us in a couple of years, said Glenn, currently an Atlanta Hawks analyst for Fox Sports Southeast. There are so many guys with medical issues who have had hip and knee replacements. With the cost of health care going up, it would be the biggest thing thats happened for retirees in 10 years.The CBA process will resume next week, when the league and the union meet ahead of the NBA Board of Governors meeting in New York, which begins Oct. 20. NBA commissioner Adam Silver and union head Michele Roberts met in Spain earlier this month, when the league had a preseason game there. Silver and Roberts -- along with other members of the negotiating committee -- are preparing to return to the bargaining table with both sides in deal-making mode.New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony?expressed optimism that a deal will get done before Dec. 15.Were working. Were working towards figuring out a solution and kind of how we want to work together, he said Thursday. Believe it or not, we dont want to strike and they dont want to strike. So the best thing to do is really figure it out sooner rather than later. We want to try to get something done. I think the NBA and the owners are very receptive to that, and we are, too. I think this time before we were so far away from each other. You can feel the difference, you can see the difference, you can see the reaction, you can see the contact were having, the information thats being sent on both sides. I think were closer to getting something done. Hopefully itll get done soon.During the bitter negotiations of 2011 that resulted in the loss of 16 games for each team, the players ultimately accepted a decrease from 57 percent of basketball-related income to a band between 49 and 51 percent depending on a variety of economic factors for each particular season. After the league secured a new $24 billion television contract, franchise values skyrocketed. There was talk of the players opting out of the 10-year deal and seeking givebacks from the owners.But the talks between the owners and players this time around have been much more cordial.The influx of money has been key for the players, Anthony said.Were not going in there saying we want more money. We dont want to mess that up, Anthony said. We see how the league is growing, we see the growth of the league. We want to be a part of that. Theres certain things within the CBA that we would like to see as players of the union. So hopefully we can make something happen.There also is a trust level that was absent from previous talks, a factor that was only strengthened when the owners agreed to the new programs that will help players after their careers come to an end.James stressed that the medical and education programs benefiting retirees were not his idea alone, but a collective decision from the union to seek help for the players who helped make the league what it is today. Now, with so much revenue flooding the system to the benefit of both sides, the dialogue appears to be centered on the greater good over dollars and cents.I just want to see the league continue to grow; thats all that matters to me, James said. The players are a huge, huge piece, but we also know the owners have great minds as well. Our commissioner is great, but our league, our logo, the Jerry West logo is probably the most well sought-out, admired logo in the world, and weve got to figure out a way to keep it going, keep raising the bar. Thats my only concern.The new agreement is expected to include several other new elements as well, said the people with knowledge of the discussions.They said owners are pushing to give their teams more options to keep homegrown players in their organizations, a topic that came to the forefront after Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder to form a new super team with the?Golden State Warriors. One of the proposals, the people said, includes the possibility of adding a second five-year maximum contract. Currently, teams can offer only one five-year max contract, which can make it more difficult for teams to keep multiple stars happy.The people told the AP new elements also include an increase in the rookie salary scale to fall more in line with the surging salary cap, which was first reported by Yahoo Sports. The people also say two-way contracts that would pay players less when they are in the D-League and more when they are with their NBA teams -- a structure that has worked well in hockey for some time -- will be a part of the deal.ESPNs Ian Begley and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Jakub Voracek Flyers Jersey . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Dave Schultz Flyers Jersey . 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With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Ivan Provorov Jersey . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. Eddie Jones is set to mix up Englands starting 15 for Saturdays match against Fiji at Twickenham and plans to win the match by restricting the Islanders creativity.England have won 11 on the bounce -- 10 under Jones -- and after ending their 10-year hoodoo to beat South Africa on Saturday, are turning attention towards Fiji who lie in wait next weekend.Fiji fell to the Barbarians on Friday evening and Jones says his team must play smart against the Islanders and says they plan to bore them to death.You go to Fiji and everyone is throwing 15m torpedo passes, flicking the ball through their legs, side stepping, Jones said. If they cant do that they get bored.If they get bored they dont want to play and when they do that you get points against them. We are going to win the game and I want to win it conclusively.To win it conclusively we have to bore them to death. It doesnt mean playing bad rugby -- just being actually smart against them.Jones was pleased with Englands win over South Africa but said he expects improvement over the coming weekends with Fiji, Argentina and Australia all set to face England at Twickenham.The England coach is likely to mix up the team a little for Saturdays match against Fiji but he will not be handing debuts and caps for the sake of giving players game time. He could give Nathan Hughes his first start while Semesa Rokoduguni -- the Bath winger was left out of the squad for the Boks -- could also come into contention.Wee want to keep improving the team so there are guys that I want to have a look at who I think may be better than the guys I have in now so there may be an opportunity, Jones said.ddddddddddddIm only going to select people who are better than what we have at the moment or potentially can be better.There are a few players that have earned it and they will get it. You come in the fly by night and youre not going to start for England. I dont believe in that.Jones was delighted with Tom Woods return to the England fold and continues to be impressed by Billy Vunipolas form at No.8. And he said scrum-half Ben Youngs can develop into a player who can have the impact Fourie du Preez had during his days with the Springboks.Hes got an athletic advantage because hes a big lad for a half-back, Jones said of Youngs. He weighs 88 or 89 kilos, depending on how many lollies he has eaten! Hes got a nice turn of pace and a nice awareness of space. We want to develop that running game with him. Hes got an exceptional kicking game. The only other half-back Ive seen with a kicking game like him is Fourie du Preez.He can have the same influence for us that Fourie du Preez had on the Springboks.We want to be the sort of team who can play completely off nine, completely off 10 or completely off 12. That will make us so hard to defend against. ' ' '