The reality of a shortened or even cancelled NBA season this year is setting in with NBA fans and the players. While the NFL stopped their lockout by agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) prior to the start of pre-season games, the outlook for the NBA to follow suit is very unlikely.
The lockout is all about money, which is painfully apparent. So it is frustrating and confusing to basketball fans that the NBA can’t settle their lockout issues, but the NFL did so despite facing the possibility of losing more than double the amount of revenue that the NBA stands to lose from a cancelled or shortened season.
With the lockout lingering on and an end date nowhere in sight, what can the NBA and the Lakers expect once a new CBA is reached? Will the new CBA hurt or help the Lakers? Will the new CBA change the game as we know it?
The NBA has been slowly changing for the past two seasons as far as teams’ performances. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzles and the Portland Trail Blazers are improving their regular season records and going further into the post-season each year in the Western Conference.
The troubling notion for Western heavyweights like the Lakers or the San Antonio Spurs is that these teams are young and talented. Perhaps even more unsettling for the Lakers is that these teams haven’t reached their prime yet. Therefore, these youthful teams are going to be a constant threat and may stand in the way of the Lakers in their pursuit of capturing another title.
There are two main issues that separate the owners and the players. First, is the hard salary cap issue. The owners feel that they are spending too much on talent that doesn’t work out in the long run. Guaranteed contracts and the new high standard of salary, especially for rookies who haven’t proven their talent on the NBA hardwood, has made this issue a big problem.
Next: Fixing the Problem