The Days of Our Lockout: Random Thoughts from the NBA Lockout

Everyone understands that the game lives on. Nike’s latest heave of advertisements stems off of the idea that the game will strut forward even though the professional league has stopped formal and officiated play. The National Basketball Association may have created the landscape for the player that got paid for doing what he loved, but street ball and exhibition games function as ways to escape the obvious.

We all miss the league. While no one is apt or able to admit the fact that there will probably be a cancellation of the entire 2011 NBA season, we relish the thought of seeing the players in these whimsical exhibition games or them getting up the gall to form their own league.

As far-fetched as the players becoming grade-A business men long enough to achieve such a huge feat is, the thought of it only allows us to trail away from the fact that the NBA is struggling and the NBPA is stubborn. Yet, the fans are steadily suffering as the opportunity of a full season is being referred to as, “not practical, possible or prudent.”

Those types of words typically spell out “boring, agitating madness.”  But, while basketball never stops, neither does the labor negotiation that should most definitely be introduced as The Days of our Lockout.

The latest drama within the players’ association has also put the stamp on my daytime soap opera title and review while revealing that while it all seems so complicated it is all really so simple. Here are 10 random thoughts as a result of the ongoing NBA lockout.

• Miami Heat will not be introduced in their arena to the tone of (rhythmic drum beat) The Champ is Here! Even though they did not take home all the chips and dip after running into an aging, yet seemingly hungry Dallas Mavericks team, Miami still carries the notion that they are the best team in the league. Only Wade or James could change the mindset and neither of those men are known to make a subtle entrance.
• Rookie of the year really does not matter anymore. Even if there actually is a season, which I surmise is “not practical, possible or prudent”, the quality of play from the rookies will not be what we expected. Our standards will remain the same although they will be forced to play a shortened season with less time between games and not much ability to get each foot off the ground at a “left foot, right foot” pace.
•  New York Knicks fans get another opportunity to rest the lack of franchise success on the Carmelo and Amare did not have a full season to develop excuse. In all honesty, the Knicks are not a slam dunk in the NBA playoffs. Anthony was injected into an already offensively efficient roster and the Knicks front office refused the notion that defense is what was truly missing to make the Knicks playoff contenders.
•  Derek Fisher-David Stern hidden relationship notion is comedic. Every great sitcom should give you a few laughs and that is what the news of a suspected relationship between the NBA commissioner and the president of the Players’ Association gives off. Is it impossible that Fisher could have some type of side deal under the table with Stern? No. The greater question is how Fisher would actually benefit from playing both sides of the fence. Don’t worry. I’ll wait.
•  Nike vs. Under Armour has become oh so relevant. Since when did we care so much more about the brands on the players than the players representing the brand? When the professional hooping experience of those players dwindled into meaningless conversations about revenue sharing and a whole bunch of other number no one wishes to talk about. No one wants to delve into the realm of the lockout therefore the men involved have become taboo. Nike and Under Armour, UA mostly, has taken ample advantage of lack of exposure and used it to promote the lifestyles that they are promoting themselves. A little bit of their supply to feed into your popular demand.
•  People were actually churning the idea of LeBron James in the NFL. Have you seen the heightened sense of aggression in the league? Although it would seem LeBron would fit in well with his ability to scream for the foul when there may not be one, the physicality of the league would demand too much of what he is willing to give. Let us not forget he is a basketball player first and the season has not yet been cancelled entirely. With a chance still on the table to play in the NBA, do you really think he would sacrifice his body for a second-option sport?
•  The NBA rankings mean more now than ever. While all of the players are out of work and fans cannot judge them based on their present-day contributions, we are left with meaningless lists by huge sports networks that are proven a bit biased. So fans leapt on the chance to take part in that good ol’ Top 10 debate that is currently replacing praise for yesterday’s winning teams, the “good googamugga” plays on Sportscenter, and that once in a lifetime infallible team falling to the underdog.
•  Will the Sacramento Kings be relevant in Western Conference standings with the addition of the Almighty Jimmer? I truly hope his NBA career will not mirror that of Tim Tebow’s. You know the college standout that equals absolute chaos in the professional league. The difference between the NBA and the NFL is that the NBA (players and fans) praises those who can shoot and cannot defend worth squat. The NFL has no place for a young man with a single set of tricks up his sleeve.
•  No more headline-making postgame comments. There were a lot of postgame comments that led to must-have conversations as the NBA proved that no one in the league, players or coaches, via camera or Twitter, has much of an issue with being candid.
•  How long will we have to dig for stories in the NBA? As writers we have a job to produce material for the NBA fan’s intake. If there is no league-play we are forced to scourge the depths of the gutter to figure out what the readers will actually read. You have to appreciate the demand however. Makes for much more entertaining and risqué storylines.