Neal: War of words between Napheesa Collier and Cathy Engelbert reaches new heights

It’s hard to believe that the WNBA and its players will find common ground on a collective bargaining agreement by Oct. 31, the day the current CBA is set to expire.

And it’s becoming increasingly difficult to believe that WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert should remain in that role much longer.

The sides have made little progress on a deal. The rhetoric on both sides has been troubling.

And now there’s going to be no rhetoric, for now, between Engelbert and Lynx star forward Napheesa Collier.

The two were expected to talk this week concerning Collier’s blistering attack on WNBA leadership — she said it was “the worst leadership in the world” — during her exit interview last Tuesday.

Collier also shared a previous private conversation with Engelbert during which the commissioner stated that young star Caitlin Clark and others like her should “be on their knees” in gratitude.

That is laughable because the attendance and revenue numbers show that the league has taken off like a rocket since she was drafted out of Iowa. Players are getting exposure like never before. They no longer are flying commercial on road trips.

Engelbert should be on her knees thanking Clark and other players, as WNBA franchise values increase and new television deals kick in.

A meeting between Collier and Engelbert made sense, especially when Collier’s remarks were immediately backed by players across the league. Her sentiments are shared by her peers, and Engelbert needs to repair the relationship with them at such a critical time during negotiations.

Then Engelbert opened her mouth Friday during her annual news conference before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

“I did not make those comments,” Engelbert said. “There is a lot of inaccuracy out there through social media and all of this reporting.” She added: “I highly respect the players. There is a lot of emotion and passion going on right now between collective bargaining. ... I am obviously disheartened.”

According to a report Saturday, Collier planned to cancel the meeting with Engelbert. A reason has not been given why Collier canceled the meeting, but that just furthers the speculation of the rift between Engelbert and the players.

Top salaries are about $250,000, and they receive roughly 10% in revenue sharing.

That needs to be increased, for sure.

How much? I’m not sure.

The NBA has absorbed losses while building the WNBA for years, and there have been reports that those owners want a return for their years of investment. I’m not sure how much of a return they are entitled to or whether some of it should be sunk costs.

I don’t know where the sweet spot is here. But the players have stated their frustration over the lack of progress in negotiations. They have made proposals that have gotten nowhere.

This is ugly. Not getting ugly. Ugly has arrived.

Engelbert’s approach and leadership are questionable. This is the same league that blocked a bid in August by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca to purchase the Connecticut Sun and move them to Boston because the group hadn’t applied for an expansion franchise.

Really? He was offering a record $325 million. Uncasville, Conn., is about 100 miles from Boston.

Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia are entering the league in the coming years.

Take the money.

Engelbert was laughing and dancing during the stream looking relaxed with the players — a false representation of the relationship she currently has with them.