NBA cancels first 2 weeks

[tommyh]

The nba owners an players could not reach a deal by the deadline set by the commissioner david stern.So what this means is stern has canceled the first two weeks of the nba season.it looks like the players an owners are very far apart from reachin any deal.So the longer the lockout last it looks like more games will be canceled.I hope they get this resolved soon cause i dont want them to cancel any more games than they have too.I think they owners and players should just stop being so gready and agree to what has been offered by both sides.Noone is gonna be making any money why the lockout is going on i dont think they see this as much as they want the most they can get from the other side.I want be shocked if this keeps on an the whole season is cancelled.So what are your thoughts on the first two weeks being cancelled and how long do you think this will go on for

 

[Mick Overlast]

I think this drags out into Jan. 2012...it'll be a lot like 1999 and its 50-game season. I can't see the NBA being foolish enough and canceling the entire season like the NHL did a few years ago. The NHL is still recovering from that; before the lockout, it had its TV deal with ESPN and got plenty of airtime on SportsCenter, as well as its own show, much like NFL Live/College Football Live. Now, it gets what, one national game a week until the playoffs/Cup finals and hardly a mention on ESPN. I don't think enough people have Versus or even know they can watch the NHL there.

The NBA has a ton of momentum coming off a great season with tons of storylines, but now, no one really cares about the lockout with football season in full swing. The players will cave eventually. I really feel for the people working in arenas/with teams that will get laid off because of this. This is a really irrational move by the players AND owners; no reason for this during a rough economy.

Selfishly, I wouldn't mind seeing the season canceled so the Cavs can get a top-5 pick in a loaded draft class, but that's just me, haha.

 

[Big Sexy]

I'm probably the biggest NBA fan on this forum so it really sucks for me but I figured it was going to happen. I doubt they will lose the whole season because both sides have actually been meeting on a regular basis but I could easily see something like 1999 happening. In the end a 50 game season is better then nothing and that's what I'm now holding out hope for.

 

[Megatron]

Before I give my thoughts, I'd like to address this.

I think this drags out into Jan. 2012...it'll be a lot like 1999 and its 50-game season. I can't see the NBA being foolish enough and canceling the entire season like the NHL did a few years ago. The NHL is still recovering from that; before the lockout, it had its TV deal with ESPN and got plenty of airtime on SportsCenter, as well as its own show, much like NFL Live/College Football Live. Now, it gets what, one national game a week until the playoffs/Cup finals and hardly a mention on ESPN. I don't think enough people have Versus or even know they can watch the NHL there.

This is so, so wrong. While at first, yes, the NHL was in the hole after the lockout, now they're in a much better spot then they were with ESPN. ESPN played 40-some odd games a year the NHLs final season there and it was treated as the red-headed stepchild of the group. Now they're going to be the flagship sport in NBC's plan to become a bigger player in sports. Sortof like a big fish in a small pond. Versus is gonna air over 100 games this regular season with constant coverage, and full coverage of every playoff hockey game. Is Versus as big as ESPN? No. However, ESPN didn't treat them well anyways and now they are treated like kings by NBC and are doing quite well (last years Game 7 was the highest rated game since the 1970s). Just because they aren't on ESPN doesn't mean they're irrelevant.

As for the Lockout, I really couldn't care less. The NBA season drags on enough as it is (I know it might be hypocritical for me to say that since baseball plays 162 games but that spans most of the summer and I do think they'd be better off scaling back 8-10 games) and a 50 game season would be just as entertaining to watch, if not more because of the less amount of games you have to make the playoffs. You know who's all gonna get in anyways, aside from the bottom seeds of both leagues. Wake me up when the playoffs start.

 

[Trill Co$by]

If you ask me, I say the NBA team owners should have every right to void all player contracts and go to the minor leagues (yes there are minor basketball leagues) or even college players who wouldn't care how much they made, just as long as they could play some basketball.

I mean seriously, NBA "athletes" are the most whiny little bitches I've ever heard of. "Oh I'm not getting paid 2.5 million a year to dribble a ball and put it in a hole so I'm going to not play at all." I mean really? It's just basketball, not that complicated of a sport and it damn sure doesn't require you to get paid a ridiculous amount of money.

I could understand if they were in football, baseball, hockey, MMA, or even in NASCAR... but they're not. All they are, are little girlies who throw balls into hoops.

 

[Big Sexy]

I mean seriously, NBA "athletes" are the most whiny little bitches I've ever heard of. "Oh I'm not getting paid 2.5 million a year to dribble a ball and put it in a hole so I'm going to not play at all." I mean really? It's just basketball, not that complicated of a sport and it damn sure doesn't require you to get paid a ridiculous amount of money.

I could understand if they were in football, baseball, hockey, MMA, or even in NASCAR... but they're not. All they are, are little girlies who throw balls into hoops.

Give me a fucking break with your ignorant bull shit. They are professional athletes and are no different from baseball, hockey, or football players. Just like those leagues have had lockouts the NBA is having one as well. It is obvious that you don't like the sport of basketball but to say these ridiculous statements is bordering on mental ******ation.

 

[Mustang Sally]

What bothers me is how long it took the sides to start meeting. Despite their protestations to the contrary, if they cared about the fans and the integrity of the game as much as they say they do, they would have been meeting a couple of years ago. Or, if they simply must spend time posturing instead of hammering out a deal, the beginning of last year's season would have been a good starting place. Instead, they didn't do anything until August 1, a month after the lockout officially began.

Now, David Stern and Billy Hunter are claiming a great urgency? Don't believe it; they couldn't care less about us, it's only about billionaires fighting millionaires over money. Ugh.

One good thing about the lockout: If NBA players are kept off the road for awhile, there will be far less illegitimate children born all over the country.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

If you ask me, I say the NBA team owners should have every right to void all player contracts and go to the minor leagues (yes there are minor basketball leagues) or even college players who wouldn't care how much they made, just as long as they could play some basketball.

I mean seriously, NBA "athletes" are the most whiny little bitches I've ever heard of. "Oh I'm not getting paid 2.5 million a year to dribble a ball and put it in a hole so I'm going to not play at all." I mean really? It's just basketball, not that complicated of a sport and it damn sure doesn't require you to get paid a ridiculous amount of money.

I could understand if they were in football, baseball, hockey, MMA, or even in NASCAR... but they're not. All they are, are little girlies who throw balls into hoops.

Dude, you seriously need to be slapped for that ignorant BS you just said. How can you defend baseball over basketball, all they do is stand in a field and catch a few balls, swing a few bats and call it a day by your inane logic.

The fact of the matter is the NBA brings in a shit ton of money and revenue to almost all cities that have a team, even shitty teams like Toronto get a lot of revenue from these athletes "putting a ball in a hoop" and considering how much money these basketball players can rake in for the team and city I think they deserve what they get paid.

If your a team like Chicago and LA you are selling out EVERY game so that's 41 games with 20,000 people a game plus the playoffs. Lets take the Bulls for example. The capacity is 20,916 * 41 = 857,556 people a year just for the regular season.

Lets say the average ticket price is 70 bucks, so 857,556 * 70 = $60,028,920 in ticket sales ALONE, not including the merchandise, concession stands, TV deals, and every other way they make money and note this is just REGULAR SEASON, the playoffs will generate even more money for the city. I would say since these guys are generating around 150-175 million a year in revenue (not sure what expenses are) I think they are allowed to get paid top dollar for what they do, same with every other sport. You bring in the crowds, you get paid, SIMPLE AS THAT. Checking Forbes they made 169 million last year and their overall costs (including player and staff salaries) was 125.3 million, so the team made 43.7 million dollars last year, how do you NOT earn your salary if you bring in that kind of money.

I'm not gonna rant about how hard they work and what they do for a living, all that matters is what they contribute in revenue and their ability to make money, that's how it works. You can make an argument Hockey players work harder for less but they don't make the money basketball does.

 

[Mick Overlast]

This is so, so wrong. While at first, yes, the NHL was in the hole after the lockout, now they're in a much better spot then they were with ESPN. ESPN played 40-some odd games a year the NHLs final season there and it was treated as the red-headed stepchild of the group. Now they're going to be the flagship sport in NBC's plan to become a bigger player in sports. Sortof like a big fish in a small pond. Versus is gonna air over 100 games this regular season with constant coverage, and full coverage of every playoff hockey game. Is Versus as big as ESPN? No. However, ESPN didn't treat them well anyways and now they are treated like kings by NBC and are doing quite well (last years Game 7 was the highest rated game since the 1970s). Just because they aren't on ESPN doesn't mean they're irrelevant.
.

I never said the NHL is irrelevant, but in the eyes of your average Joe casual sports fan, it may as well be. For starters, the NHL is the worst league in terms of marketing its superstars...I highly doubt you will find some casual sports fan who can name 10 current NHL players, but they won't have any problem naming 10 from the NFL, MLB and NBA. Why? Probably because hockey is covered so terribly these days and buried on the highlight shows that no one cares. When ESPN covers your league, you're usually guaranteed one of the top slots to open SportsCenter. When it doesn't, good luck getting enough airtime to promote the product.

In my opinion, the NHL has its niche audience. ESPN gave the NHL a broader audience when it was showing 3-5 games a week because people WATCHED ESPN. You walk into a bar, ESPN is on. There was more exposure to the product.

I'm not an ESPN homer by any means, but my point is the outreach isn't where it needs to be to make the NHL "relevant" (for lack of a better term) to the casual sports fan.

However, I read up on what NBC is doing and I really think the re-branding to the NBC Sports Network will be the best thing to happen to the station. I think there's still a stigma attached to Versus that it only shows bull-riding and outdoors (dating back to its OLN days) and no one cares to watch it, ignoring the fact that it's shown college football, college basketball and the NHL. Once NBC puts its name on it and promotes it heavily this winter, I think there will be reason for optimism in terms of drawing in your average fan. People will watch; they just need to know about it.

That's my two cents, anyway.

 

[GI Cake]

The NFL lockout and the NBA lockout are about completely different issues. The NFL lockout accord because NFL players felt they were not being treated properly for various injuries. The main case being head injuries and concussions were causing mass brain damage and further down the line, causing a ton of pain when they're older. And because of this, NFL fans were behind the NFL players because they were actually fighting for a real medical and public issue.

The NBA Lockout on the other hand feels more whiny and non-sensical because of what the NBA's players are complaining about. The players believe because of their 82 game season, they should either be paid more, or have the season reduced to fewer games. Another issue was the fact that lesser teams like the Toranto Rapters and the Sacramento Kings who were not able to generate the same revenue as other NBA teams like the Bulls and the Celtics should be limited on using their cap space on signing star talent to create "Super-teams" like the Miami Heat did this past season.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Give me a fucking break with your ignorant bull shit. They are professional athletes and are no different from baseball, hockey, or football players. Just like those leagues have had lockouts the NBA is having one as well. It is obvious that you don't like the sport of basketball but to say these ridiculous statements is bordering on mental ******ation.

It's not ignorant, and no they're not athletes like NFL, MLB, or NHL players... they're more along the lines of Golf athletes... Cheerleaders are more athletic than a basketball player.

The only thing in basketball that you have to do is dribble, pass, shoot, and get the ball back. And if there is any physical contact, it's a foul... name any other sport where physical contact isn't allowed. That alone brings down their credibility as a sport.

Dude, you seriously need to be slapped for that ignorant BS you just said. How can you defend baseball over basketball, all they do is stand in a field and catch a few balls, swing a few bats and call it a day by your inane logic.

Baseball allows for physical contact, not to mention the fact that a ball no bigger than 6 inches in diameter is usually traveling at you at a rate of 75mph, depending on who's pitching it... and all you have to protect yourself is a hard hat, a bat, and knee pads... And when you do manage to hit that ball, you've got to run to a base. You tell me which one sounds more complicated, thus making it more of a reason to learn.

The fact of the matter is the NBA brings in a shit ton of money and revenue to almost all cities that have a team, even shitty teams like Toronto get a lot of revenue from these athletes "putting a ball in a hoop" and considering how much money these basketball players can rake in for the team and city I think they deserve what they get paid.

This part I agree with, but that still does not determine whether or not I consider them an athlete. They're able to draw money... so is Cena, but would you dare hear anything about him on ESPN?

Of course you DO hear about basketball on ESPN, but I just don't consider it a real sport... and if it is, then I put it there with the likes of Golf or Billiards.

If your a team like Chicago and LA you are selling out EVERY game so that's 41 games with 20,000 people a game plus the playoffs. Lets take the Bulls for example. The capacity is 20,916 * 41 = 857,556 people a year just for the regular season.

Lets say the average ticket price is 70 bucks, so 857,556 * 70 = $60,028,920 in ticket sales ALONE, not including the merchandise, concession stands, TV deals, and every other way they make money and note this is just REGULAR SEASON, the playoffs will generate even more money for the city. I would say since these guys are generating around 150-175 million a year in revenue (not sure what expenses are) I think they are allowed to get paid top dollar for what they do, same with every other sport. You bring in the crowds, you get paid, SIMPLE AS THAT. Checking Forbes they made 169 million last year and their overall costs (including player and staff salaries) was 125.3 million, so the team made 43.7 million dollars last year, how do you NOT earn your salary if you bring in that kind of money.

And in 16 games, an NFL team can double that while having a greater risk of injury to boot. Don't believe me? Okay, let's do the math.

Tickets per person are 60 dollars, each stadium holds on average around 80,000 people. Multiply those together and you get 4,800,000. You multiply that by sixteen games and you get 76,800,000. And as you said before, that's not including play-offs, Super-Bowl, and Pro-Bowl games which are always sold out games. Nor does that account for the number of merchandise sold per team or the stadium revenue itself.

And as I said before, I never doubt their ability to bring in money, I just never consider the NBA to be real athletes, and instead I consider them to be girlies. I mean seriously there's so much whining between NBA players, coaches, and fans that it just gets highly annoying.

I'm not gonna rant about how hard they work and what they do for a living, all that matters is what they contribute in revenue and their ability to make money, that's how it works. You can make an argument Hockey players work harder for less but they don't make the money basketball does.

And that would be true, but I still don't consider money a factor to determine whether or not something's a sport. If that were the case, Hugh Jackman would be a 3 time World Series champion.

The NFL lockout and the NBA lockout are about completely different issues. The NFL lockout accord because NFL players felt they were not being treated properly for various injuries. The main case being head injuries and concussions were causing mass brain damage and further down the line, causing a ton of pain when they're older. And because of this, NFL fans were behind the NFL players because they were actually fighting for a real medical and public issue.

As well they should, the NFL is without a doubt the most dangerous team sport that you can be in and the higher ups know that. The least that they can do is ensure that the teams get the medical attention that they deserve.

The NBA Lockout on the other hand feels more whiny and non-sensical because of what the NBA's players are complaining about. The players believe because of their 82 game season, they should either be paid more, or have the season reduced to fewer games. Another issue was the fact that lesser teams like the Toranto Rapters and the Sacramento Kings who were not able to generate the same revenue as other NBA teams like the Bulls and the Celtics should be limited on using their cap space on signing star talent to create "Super-teams" like the Miami Heat did this past season.

Which is why I don't care for their lockout. NBA players are nothing but money hungry little brats who all probably got beat up in school cause they were lame, and to try and dispute that is bogus.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Baseball allows for physical contact, not to mention the fact that a ball no bigger than 6 inches in diameter is usually traveling at you at a rate of 75mph, depending on who's pitching it... and all you have to protect yourself is a hard hat, a bat, and knee pads... And when you do manage to hit that ball, you've got to run to a base. You tell me which one sounds more complicated, thus making it more of a reason to learn.

And in basketball you got to run up and down a court for 48 minutes and if you really think basketball has no physical contact then apparently you have never seen a basketball player play defense or take a charge. I would say constantly taking a knee ribcage for some centers isn't easy to do when a 6' 8", 250 lb guy is running at you at full speed and full force. Basketball has WAY more physical contact than you think apparently. I played both sports and I can tell you basketball has more physical contact, its irrelevant if the rules say you can't (and the rules don't really say that either).

In baseball you're at bat maybe 3-4 times a game and when you're in the outfield you're basically standing around 90 percent of the time. Don't tell me baseball is harder to play and if you played both sports in a league, you would know that.

This part I agree with, but that still does not determine whether or not I consider them an athlete. They're able to draw money... so is Cena, but would you dare hear anything about him on ESPN?

Of course you DO hear about basketball on ESPN, but I just don't consider it a real sport... and if it is, then I put it there with the likes of Golf or Billiards.

John Cena IS an athlete, being on ESPN is irrelevant to whether or not you are an athlete or not. Even if you don't hear Cena on ESPN you do hear Lebron on ESPN, RIGHT? As a matter of fact during basketball season you here almost every player in the league mentioned at least once. You think there is no physical contact and risk in basketball think again, there's a lot more to it then "putting the ball in the hoop", that's the most ignorant thing i've ever heard and you're comparison of basketball to billiards and golf is laughable.

And in 16 games, an NFL team can double that while having a greater risk of injury to boot. Don't believe me? Okay, let's do the math.

Tickets per person are 60 dollars, each stadium holds on average around 80,000 people. Multiply those together and you get 4,800,000. You multiply that by sixteen games and you get 76,800,000. And as you said before, that's not including play-offs, Super-Bowl, and Pro-Bowl games which are always sold out games. Nor does that account for the number of merchandise sold per team or the stadium revenue itself.

Yes they can, but then again Football players get paid shit loads of money as well don't they while playing a lot less games a year. They may have more physical contact but they get a lot more time off a year to heal don't they? I don't see any football leagues doing 82 game seasons.

And as I said before, I never doubt their ability to bring in money, I just never consider the NBA to be real athletes, and instead I consider them to be girlies. I mean seriously there's so much whining between NBA players, coaches, and fans that it just gets highly annoying.

Yes there is whining but that doesn't mean they aren't real athletes. Basketball players are in FACT real athletes.

The definition of an athlete according to dictionary.com is this:

Athlete - a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Basketball players train, exercise, have agility (see anyone who dunks), stamina (see anyone who plays 45 minutes a game) and strength (see pretty much any center or power forward in the league). The definition itself say's you are wrong in every facet.

And that would be true, but I still don't consider money a factor to determine whether or not something's a sport. If that were the case, Hugh Jackman would be a 3 time World Series champion.

I didn't say money means you're in sports but Hugh Jackman stands in front of camera and acts, he doesn't run up and down a court, take charges and dunk a ball while getting slammed into the floor while landing does he.

As well they should, the NFL is without a doubt the most dangerous team sport that you can be in and the higher ups know that. The least that they can do is ensure that the teams get the medical attention that they deserve.

Which is why I don't care for their lockout. NBA players are nothing but money hungry little brats who all probably got beat up in school cause they were lame, and to try and dispute that is bogus.

I don't agree with the lockout either but in the same breath I don't agree with you're simple minded dumbassery about if basketball players are worth the money and saying they aren't "Real Athletes". Like I said the money you draw dictates how much you make, it doesn't matter if its fair, its life so deal with it. You may not agree with the lockout (which is fine) but to negate and sell short what a basketball player is, that's complete BS on your part.

 

[Big Sexy]

It's not ignorant, and no they're not athletes like NFL, MLB, or NHL players... they're more along the lines of Golf athletes... Cheerleaders are more athletic than a basketball player.

Have you ever played a competitive game of basketball? Basketball players are tremendous fucking athletes. Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez were both standout basketball players in college. Shit, the only reason Gates went to the NFL was because he wasn't good enough to play in the NBA. Charlie Ward played in the NBA after winning the Heisman Trophy as qb for Florida State. Basketball players are some of the best athletes in any sport. The statements you are making are clearly based off the fact that you don't like the sport of basketball.

The only thing in basketball that you have to do is dribble, pass, shoot, and get the ball back. And if there is any physical contact, it's a foul... name any other sport where physical contact isn't allowed. That alone brings down their credibility as a sport.

That's like me saying hockey players only have to pass, shoot, hit, and skate or baseball players only have to run, hit, throw, and catch. Your ignorance is astounding. There is also plenty of physical contact in basketball. There's no big hits or checks like the NFL and NHL but basketball is easily a more physical sport then baseball.

Looks like physical contact to me
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This looks extremely athletic
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["Cool Guy" Jensen]

It saddens me more and more each and every day, to go on NBA.com on a daily basis and see that the lockout is still going on. This lockout has been looming for the past couple of years, so it's really no surprise that we now have the first 2 weeks of the season cancelled. Even worse, at this rate, it seems inevitable that even more games will be lost.

When I heard that this mediator (who helped end the NFL lockout) would intervene, I had hope. I really thought that these several hours would help the owners and players reach a deal, however, sadly I was very wrong. Now, one issue I have is why did the sides wait so long to begin their bargaining session. The lockout started July 1st, but they never met with each other until August 1st. Had they met up a couple times in July, they likely would have had more time to settle the smaller issues, the mediator could have entered the fray a lot sooner, and who knows... maybe the sides would have been a whole lot closer to a deal. Heck, maybe we would have already been near the end of the preseason.

Unfortunately, I don't see this lockout ending anytime soon. It saddens me to see millionaires and billionaires being greedy over money.

 

[LOS ANGELES LAKERS]

For me this NBA lockout is really frustrating because it's tough not being able to watch my Los Angeles Lakers play and also because this lockout is horrible for the league because the NBA had a lot of interest last season and this lockout really messes up that momentum unfortunately in my opinion the way things are looking it seems to me like we're headed for only half a season.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Nobody gives a shit about the NBA regular season anyways. Nobody plays defense and half the league makes the playoffs. the playoffs take 2 months. As long as there's about 2 months worth of regular season, the league will be fine.

Besides, the NBA is based around superstars, very few people are team oriented. Nobody bought blank Cavaliers jerseys, they bought LeBron James jerseys. It's the league of "ME", not "WE". I enjoy the NBA, but only hardcore fans are really upset that the regular season isn't happening. Just give me a few months of regular season to seed for the playoffs and then the playoffs and I'll be happy.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

[QUOTE="Cool Guy" Jensen;3487466]It saddens me more and more each and every day, to go on NBA.com on a daily basis and see that the lockout is still going on. This lockout has been looming for the past couple of years, so it's really no surprise that we now have the first 2 weeks of the season cancelled. Even worse, at this rate, it seems inevitable that even more games will be lost.

When I heard that this mediator (who helped end the NFL lockout) would intervene, I had hope. I really thought that these several hours would help the owners and players reach a deal, however, sadly I was very wrong. Now, one issue I have is why did the sides wait so long to begin their bargaining session. The lockout started July 1st, but they never met with each other until August 1st. Had they met up a couple times in July, they likely would have had more time to settle the smaller issues, the mediator could have entered the fray a lot sooner, and who knows... maybe the sides would have been a whole lot closer to a deal. Heck, maybe we would have already been near the end of the preseason.

Unfortunately, I don't see this lockout ending anytime soon. It saddens me to see millionaires and billionaires being greedy over money.[/QUOTE]
Why? These millionaires GENERATE millions of dollars. If you were a salesman generating that much, wouldn't you want your fair shake?

Most people act like pro athletes are overpaid. This is wrong, if you were to use MRP (marginal revenue product), which is what most people's salaries are generally based on, then most pro athletes are UNDERPAID. You can say "well they get paid millions to play a game" but that's dumb, they get paid millions of dollars to generate millions of dollars.

I don't care if Kobe is knitting in a field, if 20,000 people show up 80 times a year and pay lots of money to watch him knit, he deserves the millions he gets.