Commissioner: New labor deal is close

This season hasn’t started and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver already has good news about next season.

It appears there’s no chance it will be affected by a work stoppage.

Silver said Friday the league and players have made “tremendous progress” toward an extension of the collective bargaining agreement, saying he hoped a deal would be completed soon.

Silver said the process was far different than the contentious negotiations of 2011, which led to a lockout and a 2011-12 season that was shortened to 66 games.

Replay rulings: Officials in the NBA’s Replay Center will make the rulings this season on all reviews except player altercations and flagrant fouls.

Referees on the court will still make the determinations after watching replay of those situations. The expanded role for the Replay Center was unanimously approved Friday by NBA owners.

With replays involving plays such as clear-path fouls and shot-clock violations now being handled by referees staffing the Replay Center in Secaucus, N.J., the league hopes to shorten reviews and speed up games. The average review time last season was 31.9 seconds.

Owners also approved the extension of both the coaching box and the substitution box.

Spurs: Guard Danny Green will miss three weeks after straining his left quadriceps.

Green initially suffered the injury during training camp and aggravated it Tuesday during the team’s annual intra-squad scrimmage.

76ers: Forward Nerlens Noel will need minor surgery on his left knee. The Sixers have not announced a timetable for his return.