Least prepared to be playing it and you say 'on the job training, finances, public speaking...'? That has nothing to do with playing the actual game. I could care less about their extracurriculars.

 

By paying them millions.....should they make less than other pro athletes in other sports making millions? You must really really hate baseball.

 

The players have given up plenty this lockout(which is owner initiated, no player initiated). How much money would you give up at your job for the sake of ensuring long term success of your company AFTER they gave you this money AFTER they imposed their last lockout?

 

People who say they don't try in the regular season are already jaded and don't watch the NBA regular enough to be able to notice. Show me one sport where the playoffs are equally as intense as the regular season. It's win or go home. The playoffs are always more intense than the regular season.

The players were given too much before. People take paycuts all the time. If they don't like it, don't play. Remember that they are the employee. The owners are just that, owners. Believe, the nation's pulse on this, is in favor of the owners. In regards to baseball, that's the biggest sham of them all. I love when the Yankees lose, because they try to buy all of their victories, and potential titles. I love when small to medium market teams rise up and win. College sports are much more intense in the regular season than the NBA ever thought about being. In regards to extra curriculars, you asked, I told. It drives me insane, how ignorant so many of the players in the NBA are. Again, I can't stand the current NBA, and I hope the entire season is cancelled. The only people I have sympathy for, are the hourly employees caught in the crosshairs.

Here is a good read about what a new deal might look like...

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/sports/basketball/what-nba-could-be-like-under-a-new-labor-deal.html?_r=1

The players were given too much before. People take paycuts all the time. If they don't like it, don't play. Remember that they are the employee. The owners are just that, owners. Believe, the nation's pulse on this, is in favor of the owners. In regards to baseball, that's the biggest sham of them all. I love when the Yankees lose, because they try to buy all of their victories, and potential titles. I love when small to medium market teams rise up and win. College sports are much more intense in the regular season than the NBA ever thought about being. In regards to extra curriculars, you asked, I told. It drives me insane, how ignorant so many of the players in the NBA are. Again, I can't stand the current NBA, and I hope the entire season is cancelled. The only people I have sympathy for, are the hourly employees caught in the crosshairs.

 

To each his own. I'll be glad when the season starts again. I love all basketball and I could care less how ignorant the players are in the NBA.

 

College sports are intense. Except for bowl games that aren't the BCS title game. March Madness is still 10X more intense than the regular season. The NBA regular season is intense. It just picks up in intensity come March and is even more intense in the playoffs. I prefer high quality basketball. You prefer high intensity basketball. Again....to each his own.

 

 

I find it funny people side with the owners when the owners are the reason it is locked out to begin with. Oops,we made a mistake. Now you can't play unless you agree to fix our mistake. But the players are ignorant. You must not like any pro sport. Seems like ignorant athletes run rampant at all levels....especially in the pros. Their ignorance has been enabled their whole lives.

I find it funny people side with the owners when the owners are the reason it is locked out to begin with. Oops,we made a mistake. Now you can't play unless you agree to fix our mistake. But the players are ignorant. You must not like any pro sport. Seems like ignorant athletes run rampant at all levels....especially in the pros. Their ignorance has been enabled their whole lives.

The owners AND players are why it happened initially. They are now trying to reel it back in. I salute them for that. Again, if the players don't like it, move on, find other leagues. Who do you think will go broke first. The thirty something owners, or a bunch of uneducated basketball players? The NFL has an amazing model for business. All other leagues are insane for not trying to incorporate as much of their business plan into their own.

 

You say high quality basketball, but it's nowhere close to what I saw as a child in the 80's and most of the 90's. Sure the athletes are superior, but the basketball, by definition, isn't close.

No argument there. I never said that the NBA now is the highest quality ever. It isn't. It's just a higher quality than college basketball and that is why I enjoy the NBA so much more. The game of basketball has evolved at each level from basketball players to athletes that play basketball.

The hidden battle between all of this is the lower end of the pay scale players vs. the high end players, and the small market owners vs. the big market owners.

^ Agreed. It's also the most fascinating part of this thing. The league has expanded to what, seven cities since 1990? And at least a few of those probably represent the 3-4 smallest markets currently in the league. So the NBA collected MASSIVE franchise fees from these teams and under the current system, it's VERY difficult for them to compete.

 

I remember reading somewhere a few months ago that it takes the Trailblazers almost five full seasons of games under their TV contracts to make what Dallas gets in a year.

The hidden battle between all of this is the lower end of the pay scale players vs. the high end players, and the small market owners vs. the big market owners.

 

 

True. Very true.

^ Agreed. It's also the most fascinating part of this thing. The league has expanded to what, seven cities since 1990? And at least a few of those probably represent the 3-4 smallest markets currently in the league. So the NBA collected MASSIVE franchise fees from these teams and under the current system, it's VERY difficult for them to compete.

 

I remember reading somewhere a few months ago that it takes the Trailblazers almost five full seasons of games under their TV contracts to make what Dallas gets in a year.

1995 - Toronto Raptors

1995 - Vancouver Grizzlies (now Memphis)

2004 - Charlotte Bobcats

 

 

These are the only expansion teams I can think of since the '90's. In the late '80's they added Orlando, Miami, Minnesota, and Charlotte. Also, the NBA has moved into OK City, Memphis and New Orleans since then, but I don't think they would have had to pay franchise fees as they were already existing.

1995 - Toronto Raptors

1995 - Vancouver Grizzlies (now Memphis)

2004 - Charlotte Bobcats

 

 

These are the only expansion teams I can think of since the '90's. In the late '80's they added Orlando, Miami, Minnesota, and Charlotte. Also, the NBA has moved into OK City, Memphis and New Orleans since then, but I don't think they would have had to pay franchise fees as they were already existing.

The Hornets and Heat started in '88.

The Hornets and Heat started in '88.

Thanks, didn't Orlando and Minnesota come the following year?

Thanks, didn't Orlando and Minnesota come the following year?

Yes, they did. Totally forgot about them. Can't believe I forgot about Pooh Richardson.

@NBA had a live twitter answer session on CBA/Lockout info. Stern and Silver answered a ton of questions.

 

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/11/13/twitter-transcript/

Question from .@kc1nyk : Is it true that u guys are thinking about making the age minimum for the draft 20 years old rather than 19. And can u explain amnesty?

Response from @NBA: Minimum age is subject to further discussion with union; amnesty excludes a waived players' salary from his team's cap

 

This was the one I was most interested in.

 

 

Question from .@bagsack: If decertification of the Union occurs, will players' current

contracts become void?

Response from @NBA: If decertification occurs, players' contracts would become void

 

Does this mean everyone would be a free agent?

^ Most of the legal experts following this thing seem to think that there's no way decertification voids existing contracts, no matter how bad the league wants it to be the case.