Coming to Grips That the NBA Season May Never Happen

Braedan Ritter walks you through his acceptance of a basketball-less winter. 

(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

As someone who spent most of last winter watching NBA League Pass, this lockout has been especially hard. And with every passing week, comes the inevitability of more cancelled games, and more free time for me that I don’t know how to fill.

The talks started up again Saturday but by all accounts there is no deal close to being made. Michael Jordan is leading a group of owners that won’t give the players more than 47 percent of BRI. The players received 57 percent of BRI in the last CBA, quite a change from when Jordan was on the other side of this argument in 1998.

The players are drawing a line in the sand too. New York Knicks guard Chauncey Billups said he is willing to miss an entire season “for the betterment of the league going forward.” That is a lot coming from Billups. He was owed $14.3 million during what would have been this season. And at 35 years old, Mr. Big Shot won’t be getting another big contract again. I would like to put it on record that I will give up my salary here at Extra Point Magazine for the lockout to end. That’s a huge sacrifice, as Chauncey and I make similar money. Everyone needs to make sacrifices.

On Thursday, 50 players held a conference call to discuss decertification. This followed a similar call on Tuesday. Among those on the phone were Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Al Horford. Paul Pierce (you’ll remember him for being one of the people to help ruin progress earlier in the negotiations, and also getting taken off in a wheelchair to later return the same game) was the most vocal player on the calls. If the decertification process gets to the point in which it is taken to court, it’s unlikely there will be a 2011-2012 season.

These may be negotiating tactics. If a side shows solidarity and willingness to miss an entire season, maybe the other side will give in somewhat. That would be great, except that both sides are playing hardball at this point.

In the end, the sad part is the players are going to lose and they probably know that. They are trying to create leverage with the decertification talk, but the owners still hold all the cards. Unless you are a star player, most of your money comes from you playing basketball, and you need to get back on the court to get your paychecks. The players have given all the concessions in these talks, and they’ll probably have to continue to if they want to play basketball in the NBA this season.

But as of right now, the players aren’t caving. Remember when everyone was singing optimism just a few weeks ago, and it seemed as though there may be basketball in November? Yeah, me neither.

I’m going to have to start writing about hockey. Do they have a League Pass?