NBA owners have said they are willing to forgo the entire 2011-12 season in order to get the type of collective bargaining agreement that works for all 32 teams.

Chauncey Billups feels the same way from the players’ perspective. The New York Knicks guard said he is willing to give up the $14.3 million he is slated to make this season in order for the players to get the right CBA deal.

"For the betterment of the league going forward, that's just something that I'm going to have to sacrifice and that's kind of the position I'm in," Billups said on ESPN New York 1050's The Stephen A. Smith Show.

It certainly doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibilities that the entire season could be lost due to the lockout as the players and owners still seem far apart on how to divvy up the basketball-related income. The two sides also haven’t come to an agreement on salary cap structure.

The NBA has already canceled the first two weeks of the season and more could be coming soon as the two sides haven’t met in almost a week.

For Billups, 35, missing the entire season of the final year of his $60.5 million contract would be big loss for an aging star. But it’s one he will readily make for the greater good.

"I'm willing to fight with the union," Billups said. "Do I want to lose $14 million or whatever it might be? I don't want to lose a dime. My career is almost over. I want all of that. But at the same time, I was in that other lockout (in 1998-99) and I know what those older guys were willing to do for me.... I'm in that position now and that's where I stand."

Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris

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