I love basketball. I like to play it and I enjoy watching it. The hubby and I try to catch at least one or two NBA games a season. (Those ticket prices are not for the faint of heart or checking account.) And I think the majority of people will agree that the past NBA season was the most compelling in years. You had the hate for the Miami Heat, rising young stars, a likeable MVP in Derrick Rose and the Dallas Mavericks winning the NBA finals. What’s not to like?
Then we get to the summer and the expiration of the CBA, the lock out and talk of players going overseas. When Billy Hunter, President of the Player’s Association said he wouldn’t bet on their being an NBA season I was disappointed.
Anytime you have millionaires and billionaires arguing about how to split up revenues you won’t get any sympathy from your every day working stiff. What are they talking about here? I think there are some things in this situation that we can all agree on:
- Did some NBA owners give out bad contracts? Yes. I’m looking at you Washington (Gilbert Arenas/Antawn Jamison), Orlando (Rashard Lewis), Detroit (Richard Hamilton), Atlanta (Joe Johnson), Los Angeles Clippers (Baron Davis), etc.
- Did some players fail to live up to expectations? Yes. Eddy Curry, Turkoglu, Ben Gordon, Michael Redd, Stojakovic and Vince Carter are just a few names that come to mind.
So, how can they fix this mess? Let’s start with a more equitable split of revenues (the players currently get 57%), a hard cap to keep the owners from being stupid and reduce the number of years on guaranteed contracts. I mean, if players are so eager to go play overseas for little money (by NBA standards) and no guarantees, why won’t they make some concessions?
Bottom line, I just want to see the games. I want the NBA season to start on time. I want to see if Dallas can repeat, if my Lakers have one more title run in them, and if the Heat is still the team to hate. I want the NBA to continue. Is that too much to ask?
What I’m Listening to Now: “Here and Now” – Luther Vandross
What I’m Reading Now: “Cross Fire” – James Patterson