National Basketball Association Lockout is Here to Stay

Are you looking forward to the NBA’s upcoming 2011-12 season? Then be warned: it might be starting a little later than you thought.

Originally scheduled to begin on November 1st (and with training camps scheduled for October 3rd), new reports suggests the National Basketball Association’s lockout will cause the season to start late. According to National Basketball Players’ Association (NBPA) Executive Director Billy Hunter, at least half of the upcoming season could be lost.

However, the stalemate between the two sides involved, the NBPA and the NBA owners, is no longer so cut and dry.

NBPA President and Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher has now reported a division among the owners, who have different viewpoints on the two core issues, implementation of a hard salary cap and an improved revenue-sharing model.

Last week saw a meeting take place between the NBPA and the owners, in which the NBPA offered a new proposal. While the NBA Commissioner David Stern is refuting there has been a split, Fisher stated there was a “fundamental divide between the owners internally.”

Apparently the Phoenix Suns’ owner Robert Sarver and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert weren’t so keen on the new proposal from the players, while Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss and New York Knicks owner James Dolan supported the proposal.

Essentially, an extra hurdle to getting the season started on time has been created by this new disagreement. The clashing between owners is understandable – the players’ proposals will mean different things for small and large teams – but it’s not inconceivable that the entire 2011-12 NBA season could be lost.

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