A NBA Lockout Is Looming….
NBA basketball fans around the world watch one of the weakest drafts the other day. Although the talent level in this year’s draft was beyond subpar…I watch the entire draft. Not so much because I was interested, but I had a feeling that it would be one of the last NBA features for a while.
Just as the NFL is experiencing a lockout…the NBA draft is headed down the same road. The NBA is not a stranger to lockouts. As a matter of fact unlike the wait and see tactic that preceded the NFL lockout most people are expecting a NBA lockout. The last time the NBA shut its doors was during the 1998-99 season. This lockout lasted 204 days, 464 regular season games were cancelled, along with the NBA All Star game. There ended up being a total of 50 games during that season.
It seems as if the NBA is headed the same route for the 2011-12 season. If a new agreement is not reached before the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is reached the owners are prepared to lock the players out. The current CBA expires on June 30th and it is highly unlikely that a new one will be reached before then.
I am convinced that the NFL will unlock their doors well before the NBA owners and players engage in serious contract negotiations. The NBA has so many serious issues that need to be brought to table that I will be surprised if we see a game before 2012. The thought of having no NFL or NBA this fall is downright depressing, but as history prepares to repeat itself in the NBA maybe it’s time for fans to find another source of entertainment this fall.
