In the past week, there has been plenty of good news concerning the greatest sport in the world.
While I have held through on my promise to follow the Premier League, it isn't futbol. And while beer will take the place of water tomorrow afternoon/evening, it isn't football.
Brace yourselves people...the NBA might be coming back to an arena near you. Here are 3 reasons why:
1. On Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Players Association VP Maurice Evans (of the KOBEsh-despised Atlanta Hawks) launched an expletive-filled tirade with player agent Bill Duffy. Before I start explaining the details of this event, as well as its significance, let's take a step back.
(Why is Maurice Evans holding any position of authority within the Players Association? The guy enrolled to play at Wichita State, and then transferred to UT-Austin...because he had "philosophical differences" with his coach. Bro, you're playing at Wichita State. Did it ever cross your mind that collegiate players who go to those types of schools aren't really that good? And maybe you should have just stood in line like a good little boy? OK, I get that Mo is now an NBA player, but he's...Maurice Evans. People (including Mambino) get mad when LeBron James thinks he has enough clout to televise The Decision, but in reality, LeBron has enough clout to televise what he'll eat for breakfast every day. He is the most gifted athlete we have ever seen. Maurice Evans plays good defense and can throw down a dunk or two, but again...he's Maurice Evans.)
Sorry. ANYWAY...The reason that Evans and Duffy were arguing was because the agents are confused as to how the players think the give-nothing-back approach could possibly work. Real issue ALERT: because most NBA teams are losing money, the owners are going to get a better deal this time around. Billionaires beat millionaires 10 times out of 10, and if NFL fans don't give a crap, we should be glad the players are finally realizing this. We just want to see the games.
The only question is how much the owners will win back. Well, China won't give any players an out-clause to return to the NBA when the lockout ends. And the much-hyped tours and series, such as the Impact League, featuring a beloved BC Eagle alum who just barely passed English, can't find enough corporate sponsors to extend play for anything more than a couple of weeks. Throw in the reported infighting between the union and player agents, and that little thing we call "leverage" is giving the one-finger salute on its way out the door.
2. In the past week, both sides engaged in the first back-to-back negotiation sessions. Furthermore, both sides are bringing their "full bargaining committees" to the table next week. Since everybody that is reading this plays at least one fantasy sport, the importance of this is rather obvious. When two league members engage in a trade negotiation, each of the two can tell whether or not a deal will get done. For example, if the e-mail containing your original offer is not returned, then hey, better luck next time. But when you exchange correspondence often, you can smell the progress. David Stern and Billy Hunter aren't meeting each other everyday to discuss lilies and tulips; they're getting closer to a deal. If they weren't, then NBPA President Derek Fisher would of course be spending his time doing bicep curls.
3. On Wednesday, Roger Mason, who is on the players' executive committee (whatever the eff that is), posted a tweet shortly after the day's negotiations: "Looking like a season." He then predictably deleted it, and then even more predictably argued that his account had been hacked. Hey Rog, you averaged less than THREE points per game for YOUR New York Knicks last season. Nobody wants to hack your Twitter.
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Multiple outlets say that the next 7-10 days will determine whether games are canceled or not. My blog brother thinks that hope can always be false, so he's going glass-half-empty on this one. I, on the other hand, couldn't be happier for the prospect of a hardwood season starting on time. Besides, what's false hope to a Knicks fan? Sounds like just another day at the office.
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