Billy Hunter and the NBPA are reportedly seeking to push aside president Derek Fisher. (Getty Images)

We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way.

The National Basketball Players Association's Executive Committee is reportedly pushing for Derek Fisher to step down as union president, according to multiple reports.

Yahoo reports that the push is a united effort that includes the union's public face, Billy Hunter, as well as members of its board.
At the urging of executive director Billy Hunter, the National Basketball Players Association’s executive committee has voted to seek the resignation of union president Derek Fisher, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Fisher has flatly refused to step down and has been working to gather a coalition of players to challenge Hunter’s business and financial practices, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Fisher has told peers he will not resign, but rather fight Hunter for further transparency regarding the NBPA.
SI.com confirmed those details after reporting earlier Thursday that tension between Hunter and Fisher was coming to a head.

Fisher, 37, signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder after being traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Houston Rockets in advance of this year's trade deadline. 

The news comes just months after Hunter and Fisher led the players' side in negotiations that resulted in a new collective bargaining agreement and ended a five month long lockout. Throughout the negotiations, particularly towards the end, rumors arose of a rift between Fisher and Hunter on key issues, such as the split of basketball-related income. 

From the outside, this looks like a classic tug of war for direction and control. Given that Hunter is the experienced professional negotiator, the fact that he is under contract through 2016 (according to SI), and the fact that Fisher is nearing the end of his playing days, it's unclear why Fisher feels he has leverage in pursuing greater transparency if he is receiving push back.  

That the rest of the NBPA wouldn't immediately rush to the defense of a 37-year-old president isn't particularly surprising. He is, given the extended cycle of CBA negotiations, the definition of a lame duck. The earliest either side can opt out of the current CBA deal is 2017. Fisher, already one of the league's least efficient players, will be well past 40 by that point and his current term runs up in two years, according to Yahoo.

Perhaps this boils down to Fisher trying to leave a legacy or settle a score. Either way, it looks at first glance as if he's getting more than he bargained for.