No NBA makes for a scary Halloween

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With Halloween fast approaching, there’s only one thing more frightening than ghouls, ghosts and witches at your doorstep.  That’s the ever-growing reality of no NBA season.

But let’s take it a step further.  What if there was no NBA at all?  I’m not talking no NBA season.  I’m talking no more NBA for good.  What if the league went under entirely?   Sure, the idea might seem far-fetched but games have already been cancelled, waistlines have likely expanded and jobs, and jump shots, have been lost.

It’s sad for many of us who eat, drink and sleep hoops to comprehend that the only roundball joy we’ll experience this season is watching John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats fall short of another national championship.  That’s hardly a substitute for the Blake Griffin windmill dunks we’ve grown accustomed to.

Let’s speak hypothetically for a second.  NBA fans, you may want to sit down.  This could get ugly.

Let’s say there is no season.  Let’s say players jump overseas.  Let’s say veterans like Kobe, Nash, Pierce and KG all get another year older without us being able to watch them drop thirty a night.  Let’s say the already disenfranchised fans continue to lose interest.  Let’s say all this silly talk of players forming another league becomes a reality.

Let’s say the NBA folds.

It’s not like professional sports leagues (ABA, AFL, XFL, USFL) haven’t shut their doors in the past due to the inability to survive financially.  Isn’t that what’s going on here?  According to the owners, half the teams are losing money.  Businesses fail every day.  Why isn’t it possible that, with an alienated fan base, the NBA and its franchises go under entirely?

Then what?  What would Dwight Howard or Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Durant do for a living?  Nobody I know is hiring giants and there’s only so many Kardashian sugar mommas to go around.

We basketball fans would have to resort to watching Dancing with the Stars or the Pan Am Games or God forbid the NHL.

I know a lot of people could care less about the spoiled multi-million dollar athlete, but for us basketball jones, the concept of no NBA leaves us shivering at night.  We’ve already run though all the Hardwood Classics.  We need some real time.

The NBA has a rich and glorious history.  The inability to just get along is about to rob us of an entire year of memories lost.

Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that.  Here’s hoping players and owners can game-plan for long-term league sustainability.  Right now, it’s not looking good and for many of us that means the scariest Halloween ever.

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39 Replies to “No NBA makes for a scary Halloween”

  1. Chris

    So while Kobe is off making his $3 million for a ten game stint in Italy , we can now presumably look forward to the cities of Memphis and Oklahoma suing the league hierarchy of the NBA ? How quaint !

    Both cities intend to file suit in US Federal Courts within their jurisdiction concerning the league enforced stoppage and the very fact they (Memphis & Oklahoma City) are now each losing money . Both of the franchises’ venues within their respective cities are municipally owned .

    I wonder how Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson must now be feeling ? His idiot ass is trying to work in conjunction with the local business community to retain the Kings , in part using public and private financing . You see , this is what you get when public funds are used to finance multi million venues for billionaire professional sports franchise owners ! The fans will always get pi___ed and shat upon , no matter what ! . And rarely do the fans actually question this ,. because they are all so damn naive !

    tophatal …………..

  2. Al…

    That’s good news actually. Let the cities sue. Hopefully that’ll jump start the league getting back into business.

    I just mentioned your last point on Twitter. Has anyone heard anyone from either the players and owners mention any concern for the fans?

    Of course not. Why would they?

  3. While I’m not exactly crying for the millionaire players who are losing paychecks, I’m feeling even less for the billionaire owners who bought their franchises to boost their egos. Want it to be better financially in the NBA? Two words: REVENUE SHARING. Let the big market teams help out the small market teams. Then, and only then, can all the teams compete. Lack of revenue sharing is the main reason that MLB sucks. You’ve got a handful of teams who are dominating the league (you know who they are)each and every season, and the rest of them are circling the drain. NFL has revenue sharing and there seems to be a different Super Bowl winner every year. Sometimes I think about all of those billionaire owners and I ask myself, How can someone amass so much wealth and still be so dumb? If only 7 teams made a profit last season, maybe its time to cut back on some of that dead wood. Thin the herd. I’m old enough to remember the NBA when there were only 8 teams. The owners should either shut up and play or think about going back to the future. A league made up of the Celtics, Lakers, Knicks, 76ers, Bulls, Magic, Mavs and Heat wouldn’t be a bad thing. At least now we would be able to watch all of those teams through the magic of cable/satelite TV. There isn’t another industry where there are companies who demand to make a profit. If the NBA teams can’t cut it, well then they should fold their tents and go home. NEVER penalize a player for accepting a contract offered by an owner. I just hope that most of the players saved/invested well. As for the players who spend like Antoine Walker or who don’t think that their families can survive on $8 mil/yr like Latrell Sprewell, screw them. Hope they’ve got a backup plan.

  4. Snake…

    Major League Baseball has revenue sharing. It’s just not equitable enough for the smaller market teams to spend any money.

    Although if this baseball season showed us anything, it’s that money doesn’t necessarily buy championships.

    They’re totally different sports though. When’s the last time an NBA team with little talent won a championship, or even made the playoffs?

    Star power’s huge in the Association and that’s why the players have such a leg to stand on.

    And I don’t think it’s fair to compare either the NBA or MLB to the NFL. That’s too well-run of a sport.

    I do agree that the NBA should consider contraction, but then what happens to the owners who just invested in their teams? Who buys them out? There’s not even any money to go around.

    You know who’s laughing right now? Seattle.

  6. Put it all on the heads of Reichsführer Stern and the NBA board of governors. They let a scumbag like Donald Sterling remain an owner and allow another scumbag to buy the Sonics and move them from a very profitable and fan friendly market. They need to clean up their own act before they try to keep their players in line. If the players were really smart, they would stay locked out for a few years and play in Europe and China for less money (but still a very good income) while they break the back of the NBA. Wouldn’t that be a great legacy for David Stern. That alone would give me something to laugh about in my old age.

  8. Snake…

    There’s another huge difference between NBA and NFL owners.

    We know who the NFL owners are. Kraft and Jones and the late Al Davis. These guys know their shit.

    Aside from Cuban, name one NBA owner that’s either vocal or even shrewd.

    By the way, did you happen to catch Bryant Gumbel’s comments on your boy Stern?

    There ya’ go…

    http://blacklikemoi.com/2011/10/19/bryant-gumbel-calls-nba-commissioner-david-stern-a-plantation-overseer/

  9. To tell the truth Rev the only thing that scares me about Holloween weekend is the possibility that the Gators lose to that schmuck in Athens.

  10. I’ve never been a big fan of Bryant Gumbel, but on this point, we’re in total agreement. Gumbel was spot on with his comment on the Reichsführer.

  11. Aer…

    The way they’re playing lately, anything is possible.

    So Muschamp has come out and apologized for using profanity?

    He needs to apologize for how his team is playing!

  12. Erland Van Lidth De Jeude played Grossberger in Stir Crazy and Terror in The Wanderers. The poor guy died of heart failure in his early 30s.

  13. Snake…

    They need to be showing what’s going on behind closed door on NBA TV or even Pay-Per-View.

    We could have viewing parties. Someone get Bill Walton on the phone.

    From everything I’ve heard, D Wade and KG are really shaking things up at these meetings.

    Good for them.

    UNITY!

  15. Its the chicken shit stuff that the NBA is doing that really pisses me off. They’ve taken down the player’s photos on their profile pages at nba.com. Its like they don’t exist any longer. We should all boycott nba.com so that they’ll lose revenue with less hits. Oh, and you’re right. Except for Mark Cuban, all of the owners are holed up in a closet. Cuban has my vote to be NBA commish. The man knows how to get stuff done.

  16. Chris

    There’s no reason to believe that those suits will be successful as the plaintiffs have to prove that a contractual agreement has been broken . The league as defendants could say that there are no guarantees by way of the franchises leasing the venues in question and where a labor stoppage enforces a lockout .

    Didn’t LBJ (LeBron) “tweet” idiotically recently that he felt the pain and suffering of the fans ? He’s earning in excess of $40 million year in salary and commercial endorsements and he feels the pain of the fans and public at large ? LBJ is proving like the idiot owners , union and league hierarchy that they’re all a bunch of damn fools !

    It would be tough to prove their case from the get go !

    But then again stranger things have happened within the US justice system !

    tophatal …………….

  19. TopHat…

    I don’t care whether they’re successful or not. The mere fact that it’s being done is a sign that Stern and the entire league have lost total control of these proceedings.

    What a friggin’ mess!

  20. See, ladies and gentlemen?

    Harry Balzac is an example of a sports fan who could care less if there was an NBA season, or even an NBA at all.

    I imagine this whole lockout crap makes him think even less of the league than he already did… if that’s even possible.

  21. According to Bryant Gumbel, the NBA is “slavery,” and slavery was abolished in 1863.

    So, no more NBA…

  22. Chris

    The NBA and union is now in the mediation process with the FMCS , next step no a judicial case in front of a federal court judge in US Federal Court . George Cohen initially oversaw the hearings with regard to the NFL lockout and the mediation process there is now hearing both sides on the issues prevailing and we all know how that went don’t we ?

    Here the two sides are so far apart that the chasm is as wide as Death Valley .

    tophatal …..

  24. Al…

    I’m not sure how this will all end.

    I understand that the players don’t want to back down but it’s about time all the parties involved start looking at, like I said in the piece, long-term league sustainability.

    As much as I hate to say it, it’s looking like we’re not gonna have a season, brother.

  25. Damn, it is getting depressing. Did you read Bill Simmons last two articles on the lockout and how everyone is screwing everyone over? Like the Agents have screwed the players, the players screwed the players for being dumb, the owners and Stern didn’t give it enough urgency early on etc. All of it has added up to me watching five periods of NHL action this month. Never thought it would happen during the regular season. Before you know it, I might actually write a sharks post!!

  26. Chap…

    I’ll check out the Simmons pieces.

    You’re right. I guess I’ll be watching a lot of Lightning hockey this season.

    They can’t like, dribble the puck, can they?

  27. The labeling(Reichsführer) of Stern as a Nazi is outta line…..considering Stern is a Jew with old family Holocaust scars.

    I dunno about you guys, but the collegiate game will more than suffice the loss of that mechanical game. Easier to beat financially.

    Here is the latest DWTS odds compliments of an offshore outfit that prefers to remain anonymous.

    JR Martz -250(odd-on)

    Solo 25

    RLake 3/2

    DArq 55

    Chaz 30

    Kardsn 25

    NGrace 125

  28. Actually, RB, I’ve wondered recently how the goings on in the NBA will affect the college game.

    For example, now that the promise of riches don’t necessarily await them at the next level, will we see a lot less one-and-dones?

  29. I believe your theory is a bit far fetched. It is not unrealistic though. The reason I consider it far fetched is that I believe that the union will eventually fold underneath its own weight. Superstars like James, Howard, or Bryant will be just fine. What about the guys that are still grinding it out on the hardwood and have lived beyond their means? They will need the money and come back long before the big names do. This will cause the union to weaken its stance and cave to a deal that favors the owners.
    One thing we do know for sure is that this is going to get worse long before it gets better.

  30. GM…

    The union may NEED to weaken its stance.

    Here’s the problem.

    First of all, the majority of us believe the players are right. They’re the ones we can relate to. They’re the ones we associate with. They’re the ones we don’t fault for grabbing as much as they can while they can. We don’t know the owners and there hasn’t been a single one of them that we’ve heard say anything in support of their position.

    That being said, it appears the league, as it currently exists is not sustainable.

    I don’t know that that point has been properly expressed to the players.

    From everything I’ve heard, the big name stars are standing behind the second-tier players, helping them out financially as much as they can so that they don’t cave.

    The owners haven’t been able to get to them yet.

    All that considered, with no agreement in sight, exactly how far-fetched an idea is a bankrupt NBA?

    Trust me… it’s not something I root for.

  31. Chris

    What the hell is now going on inside the Rays’ front office ?

    Friedman may well be hedging his bets but why the hell hasn’t Sternberg re-signed the GM to a new long term contract ? Angels’ owner Arte Moreno has approached the Rays about the availability (he’s met with him [Friedman] during the week both publicly and privately) of the general manager and at the same time the Astros’ ownership is still hovering in the wings ., waiting to make their own play .

    Isn’t it also bad enough that Orlando city Mayor Buddy Dyer is now making a play to lure the Rays to his city ?. But yet the “idiot politicians” ( Hillsborough & Pinellas County [St Pet & Tampa] ) seem to be burying their heads in the sand. St Pete mayor Bill Foster and the city council will be having a meeting at some point this upcoming week to discuss the Rays. That’s all they’ve been doing for the past five damn years while looking to the state to throw their weight behind ball-club hoping for them to stump up the money for a new facility . It’s clear that neither Hillsborough or Pinellas County commissions can afford to fund a new facility with either new taxes or via a bond issue , not with their present financial predicament .

    tophatal …………….

  34. Al…

    I look forward to the Bucs piece.

    I like the fact that the Yahoo article named Friedman.

    Although if Epstein makes the Cubbies perennial contenders, well, that might just take the cake.

  35. So, how scary is this: Is it “Shaq shooting a free throw” scary, or is it “Kathy Bates naked in a hot tub” scary?

  37. he entire lockout is a mess. You’ve got so many owners who allegedly lost money, and they’re trying to screw players outta their money. On the other hand, the players don’t seem to want to budge either. The players want to get a new CBA that favors them as much as the old one did.

    I was totally on the players’ sides, but now, I think that the fault is with both sides. The owners need to cut back on their expenses, the players need to quit whining about how they want their part of the deal and nothing else, and they all need to compromise with each other to get this done.

    Personally, although I love the NBA, there are other sports to watch. Michigan’s doing great, the Lions are surprisingly good (even to me), the NCAA has amazing basketball, and the NHL is still around, as are the Red Wings.

    Say what you want; hockey’s really fun/funny to watch. Nothing like a bunch of Canadians and Europeans going through physical violence to put a puck in the back of the net.

  38. PA…

    Interesting that you mention that.

    Weeks ago, you couldn’t find a sports fan that wasn’t on the side on the players.

    Now it seems we’re seeing a shift to the side of the owners.

    Odd how that’s happened, huh? I wonder how much the media’s had to do with that. I’ve even found myself recently at least somewhat understanding the ownerss perspective.

    I’m a hoopster, man. I’d much rather watch your run-of-the-mill NBA game that a top-tier Big East college basketball game. Wait, there is still a Big East, right?

    Let me know if you ever make it down to Tampa for a Red Wings game. First few rounds are on me.

  39. Pingback: Sports Chump » A tale of two basketballs and a season without: A pictorial

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