In a stunning turn of events that shocked no one besides viruses because they are not living organisms and aren’t concerned with such matters, the NBA owners and players union could not come to a new agreement before the deadline today. The players are now locked out and a long summer of uncertainty and rumors and arguments between millionaires and even bigger millionaires await.
Unlike the NFL and their labor crisis, the NBA is not a league in great shape where the biggest problem is how to divvy up the billions of dollars in profits. Coming off a record season in terms of TV ratings and overall fan interest, the thirty owners lost a collective $300 million this year. According to commissioner David Stern the league has lost money in every year of the latest collective bargaining agreement. The league had to purchase the New Orleans Hornets so they wouldn’t be moved. Make no mistake, while LeBron James and his crew of flunkies ignited one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory the league is in trouble. The majority of small market teams seem completely inept at competing in an unbalanced market while the Lakers and Mavericks seemingly run through any speed bump by throwing a barrel of cash at it.
As with any labor dispute, the main sticking point is players’ salaries. The money is too much, the contracts are too long, and the fully guaranteed clauses are killing owners. It may be fun for bloggers with no life to concoct the most ridiculous of trades surrounding expiring contracts but in reality they’re albatrosses. Problem is no one is putting a gun to the owners’ heads to sign barely average players like Drew Gooden, Hakim Warrick, Channing Frye, John Salmons, Ben Gordon or Charlie Vilanueva to long-term deals. And people have pointed out, the owners crying poor sounds a little suspicious. The public often portrays the athletes as greedy villains in these types of disputes, but the reality is the owners are acting like damn fools when it comes to building a winning club. Just because Mark Cuban spends $90 million to field a contender doesn’t mean the Washington Wizards should give Gilbert Arenas the maximum contract extension after a career-threatening knee injury.
So what’s the solution? At this point, there isn’t an easy one. Owners of small market teams are dying but at the same time their call to cap annual salaries at $2 billion is pretty much an insult to the players. As usual, the fans who spend their days obsessing over their favorite team, interacting with players on Twitter and spending thousands of dollars on tickets, merchandise and dick photos are the ones left hanging. The thousands of people who depend on the NBA for their livelihood face the possibility of not getting paid for months, though for the time being teams are being supportive of their staffs.
In the meantime, we will just have to spend our days observing Gilbert Arenas’ growing obsession with planking. Or laugh at Minnesota Timberwolves fans who thought they might actually see Ricky Rubio play in 2011.
