NBA Lockout becoming frustrating
The NBA Lockout is becoming extremely frustrating for the players, owners, and especially the fans. (Alyssa Hunter)
The NBA Lockout is becoming extremely frustrating for the players, owners, and especially the fans. My friends and I have gotten tired of only seeing football and hockey on television for the last couple of months.
The Lockout started in August, but it officially hit the fans hard in October when preseason games were canceled. I remember when I first heard that the preseason games were canceled. I was absolutely devastated.
A week prior to the cancelation of the preseason, I saw NBA analyst and former player, Charles Barkley say on ESPN that he believed that the whole season would be canceled. He also mentioned that the negotiations between the owners and players were very far from being resolved.
After I heard Barkley say this, I couldn’t have been more upset. Barkley is very knowledgeable and a lot of what he says is accurate. Like every other NBA fan, I couldn’t stand to think that the NBA season might be over before it has even begun.
I kept telling myself that there is no way that this season could be in jeopardy, but I was wrong.
A few weeks after the preseason was canceled, the first two weeks of the NBA season was canceled. I had already begun to slowly lose hope and this surely didn’t help.
I couldn’t believe that they couldn’t come to a resolution. The money they are fighting over is a small amount, and franchise players don’t want to play in Cleveland. Players want to play in large market towns and on championship contenders.
Every team can’t be a contender.
I am fortunate to be from Florida and be a Heat fan. We have the most talented trio in the NBA, and we will be a contender for years to come. It would be rough to grow up a Minnesota Timberwolves or Toronto Raptors fan because they are never contenders and don’t have great players.
The owners need to give up on the idea that all teams need to be contenders. It’s not possible. The only situations that needs to be solved is the NBA income and the hard/soft cap situation.
A hard cap would ruin the league and would make the sport less exciting.
The solution is easy to me. They should continue to give teams a soft cap so they can build championship teams, and they should agree on a 50%-51% revenue deal for the players. The players should receive a little more money than the owners in my opinion. The owners aren’t out there sacrificing their bodies everyday.
I hope that this lockout ends soon because me and basketball fans all around the world are ready to watch the best sport in the world.