NBA Labor Pains

[21]

Do we even have a thread on this? Can't find one.

First two weeks of the 2011-12 NBA season officially cancelled. Not postponed, cancelled, following another day of 'last ditch' meetings.

Back to the ditch, I guess.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/10/stern-first-two-weeks-of-nba-season-canceled.html

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Has there ever been a pro sport labor problem met with such total indifference? I don't care if they cancel the whole damn season, and I think I'm far from alone on this.

I don't know if it's fatigue from the NFL lockout, or an ebb in enthusiasm for the NBA, or what... but I don't get any sense that people give a damn about this. That's a dangerous position for the NBA to find itself in.

 

[BYH]

Has there ever been a pro sport labor problem met with such total indifference? I don't care if they cancel the whole damn season, and I think I'm far from alone on this.

I don't know if it's fatigue from the NFL lockout, or an ebb in enthusiasm for the NBA, or what... but I don't get any sense that people give a damn about this. That's a dangerous position for the NBA to find itself in.

I thought despot Stern might recognize this when talks reconvened. Apparently not. Between the NFL being back for 10 years, the great MLB playoffs and college hoops, nobody at all cares if the NBA ever tips off again. I hope the season gets cancelled and nobody notices.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Supposedly, if this gets settled in the next few days the two weeks they just "cancelled" will be tacked on to the end of the regular season and the playoffs will be pushed back two weeks.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Starman saying Stern will force all players into starvation in 5...4...3...

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Has there ever been a pro sport labor problem met with such total indifference?

Sure. The last time the NBA had a lockout in 1998.

 

[LongTimeListener]

They are running a huge risk here of letting people know just how good life can be without them. Baseball did that with the strike in '94 and didn't recover until Roidball '98. Given how far the NBA has slipped of late, they may never recover from skipping a season.

 

[LanceyHoward]

Does anyone really care about basketball before Christmas? I have long thought that college and pro basketball should start after New Year's. College basketball could end the first week of May and the NBA could end in August. There would be no football to compete with at the beginning of the season and hence more season long interest.

 

[MileHigh]

No one cares about the NBA until about five days after the Super Bowl.

This is one of the biggest whopee-de-damn-do's in the past 20 years. A big yawn.

 

[TigerVols]

Sure, no one cares about the NBA until after Christmas, but...

...I'd argue that given the current pessimism now prevailing in all aspects of American society, the idea of a bunch of millionaires arguing with a bunch of multimillionaires and billionaires and as a result shelving a bunch of games that only the very wealthy ever attend to begin with is, well, a recipe for disinterest.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

No one cares except for all the people who made last year the most watched NBA season in history.

 

[DanOregon]

October is a bad month to try and get people to give a crud about a sports league strike. World Series, NFL, college football, Presidents/Ryder Cup, NASCAR, maybe this will be the year of the NHL's great breakthrough...

 

[heyabbott]

No one cares except for all the people who made last year the most watched NBA season in history.

superficial interest last year. LeHype and Dream team made for an interest that was broad but shallow. College basketball will satisfy the majority of bball fans. It won't be until March-April that most regular people will notice the NBA is missing. I hope they stay out for another year. Keep more college players in college. The next 2 college seasons may be the best in 10-15 years with all the good players staying in school

 

[dreunc1542]

No one cares except for all the people who made last year the most watched NBA season in history.

superficial interest last year. LeHype and Dream team made for an interest that was broad but shallow. College basketball will satisfy the majority of bball fans. It won't be until March-April that most regular people will notice the NBA is missing. I hope they stay out for another year. Keep more college players in college. The next 2 college seasons may be the best in 10-15 years with all the good players staying in school

College basketball has been my favorite sport for years. The NBA just about usurped that last year and that had almost nothing to do with the Heat. There haven't been this many young, talented players in the league at one time in my lifetime. While I don't mind if they miss some of the year, I'll be really disappointed if there is no season.

 

[LanceyHoward]

No one cares except for all the people who made last year the most watched NBA season in history.

When I watch NBA games I see a lot of empty seats by courtside. How many season tickets are being sold to corporations who can use them as a writeoff so the CEO can use them when LeBron or Kobe come to town?

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

Strong enough to lead a briefs rail with.

ESPN is heartbroken and that might be it.

 

[hondo]

What am I going to do without my nightly fix of missed layups, crappy defense and 3-point attempts clanging off the front of the rim? Or crooked refs, assholes with tattos on their necks and muggings in the foul lane?

 

[trifectarich]

Supposedly, if this gets settled in the next few days the two weeks they just "cancelled" will be tacked on to the end of the regular season and the playoffs will be pushed back two weeks.

Awesome . . . the NBA playoffs in July. That'll tear America away from their picnics and vacations.

 

[cranberry]

The NBA is a messed up league. They need to develop an economic model that includes more revenue sharing and strong incentives for clubs to drive local revenues. Owners have to realize the idea is to grow the industry together rather than fight players over flat revenues. David Stern is a failure.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

We should hope for a canceled NBA season so the Heat can cut more salaries of their average Joe worker, or maybe lay them off:

http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2011/10/miami-heat-cut-salaries-of-team-staff-by-10-then-25/

Hopefully there is a canceled NBA season so Cleveland can lose millions more in tax evenue:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/10/cleveland_out_millions_if_nba.html

And it would be great if the NBA canceled its season so these Indianapolis businesses suffer:

http://www.wthr.com/story/15661982/lockout-has-negative-effects-on-downtown-businesses