You just never know who you might run into in an airport coffee shop. Last weekend it was the Houston Rockets’ Charles Barkley. Over the exorbitantly priced cup of java, we talked about exorbitant NBA contracts and the current NBA lockout.

Barkley is not optimistic. “I don’t think this will get settled before the start of the schedule,” he said. He’s not bitter or angry. In fact, he views the NBA situation with major objectivity.

“The owners are paying too much in some of their salaries, especially for first-year players. The young players want the big money now, not later. The older players are trying to get all they can for the limited years they have left,” says Barkley. Barkley is not blind to the dilemma.

Barkley has made his life’s earnings in the NBA. He is set even if he does love to go to Vegas. He has prepared for existence after the NBA, so he can reflect with a veteran’s calmness.

Says Barkley, “The situation creates a problem among ourselves [the player’s union]. It puts the younger and older players in different positions.”

There are veteran players who think young stars should earn their keep before breaking the bank. There are young players who think that they are as good or better than some veterans and believe they should be paid their worth now.

The players’ association wants none of this in-house conflict to go public. No union would. The owners know those rumblings exist and hope it might force the players closer to a contract more in line with the owners’ desires.

Barkley said, “I just wish we could get the deal done so Michael [Jordan] can announce his retirement, we can play some golf and get on with the games.” What this means is that Jordan is playing one more vital role in the NBA. His ability to influence a settlement is far greater as an active player than a retired one. Jordan’s ability to unify the players’ positions on a contract or keep the lid on any player association conflicts remains stong while he is a Chicago Bull. It also means once a new NBA agreement is reached, Jordan is golfing full time.

As for Barkley, the TV persona of the cocky star you might disdain evaporates up close. He moves and speaks gently, effusive, in good manners, signing autographs and having his picture taken with passers-by who can’t believe their good fortune.

Barkley, like Jordan, has given the NBA defining points of light – players whose presence creates international interest in the league. The NBA is concerned that these players retire, those who fill the breach will not shine, or sell, with an equal glow.

The longterm well-being of the NBA is what this lockout is about. If all parties can be as even keel as Barkley on the issues, there may yet be an NBA season.

As baseball heads toward the defining month of September, the NFL is already a major presence on TV with its exhibition games and college football begins this month. The NBA lockout could get lost in all of this in a hurry and that has to be the biggest scare for owners and players.

The owners lockout of the players was effective July 1. The owners exercised their option to reopen the contract seeking some way to limit salary excalation.

The salary cap now in place hasn’t worked. The owners blame the problem on the so-called “Larry Bird exception.” That allows a club to pay a franchise star millions of dollars, but that money is not counted under the salary cap formula. Couple that fact with $20 million deals for players out of college or high school and the NBA has a problem.

NEWS columnist Gary Thorne, an Old Town native, is an ESPN and CBS broadcaster.