Season in doubt
We have decided to take our talents overseas or elsewhere
“We have regretfully reached the point on the calendar where we are not able to open training camps on time and need to cancel the first week of preseason games,” Deputy Commissioner of the NBA Adam Silver said in an article on nba.com.
Is this the scene for what is to come in late October, early November, when the regular season starts? Current NBA sources, including commissioner David Stern, suspect so.
Both sides are still in talks to decide on an equal collective bargaining agreement. While the NBA season is currently put on hold, an exodus of players has taken their talents overseas or to street tournaments in the U.S.
San Antonio guard Tony Parker and Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah, have gone to France and New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams to Turkey but have signed contracts that enable them to be allowed to play in the NBA immediately after the lockout has expired.
Playing overseas can be risky for current NBA players because of injuries and sluggish markets. However, many players, such as Williams, said they play for the love of the game and not for money. Williams continued by saying that it will also help him stay in shape whenever the season begins.
Other players, such as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant and Memphis rookie guard Josh Selby, have stayed in the U.S. and played in tournament recreation leagues. Both players, along with other NBA stars like New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul and Durant’s fellow teammate James Harden have also played.
Following in the steps of the 1998 season, where 50 regular season games were canceled, the NBA is preparing once again for another shortened season.
The league locked out their players July 1 after the expiration date of the old collective bargaining agreement. In an interview with Stern, nba.com reported that Stern does not know when the lockout will be over.
But as the players’ association and the owners slowly proceed, life without the NBA seems to be just fine. Over the recent years, NBA attendance has dropped at an average gradual rate as other sports have grown. Research done by espn.com shows that NBA attendance from the 2009-2010 season to 2010-2011 season decreased from 17, 150 to 16,957.
Though slim, it is pretty obvious that fans are becoming disinterested in the sport.
At any rate, while the players look toward getting a fair deal from the owners, the lockout will continue. So, the NBA and its fans may need to make plans to miss the opening games of the season.