BACKlikeWEneverLEFT

Yes, the NBA has returned. As of Friday December 9th, NBA teams opened and began their training camps. The first official game will be a Christmas gift, for all to enjoy on Christmas Day.  After taking part in a lock out that stretched for a period of more than 5 months and missing the entire first month of the season (about 240 games), they have ended the lockout ready to get back on the hardwood.  Fans everywhere are excited, but have the players set themselves up for disaster?? The NBA was on freeze due to disagreements with two sides that matter the most, the players and the owners. Money being the major conflict of it all… proving that yet again money makes the world go round.  After several collective bargaining agreement (CBA) meetings the players and owners alike have come to a ‘compromise’.  During the lockout, I as a fan felt the players were being selfish, and unwilling to bend for the season to take off.  After the deal has been signed, and things are back in action, I retract my thoughts about the players.  This new CBA appears as if the players may have sold their souls to the devil, to go dribble up and down the court. I have not been able to find the silver lining is this agreement, for the players as of yet.  The major concern for the owners was to be able to obtain more basketball related income then previously held.  Before the final results, the owners were only capable of receiving 43% of all basketball related income, with the players getting 57%.  After the new terms there is now a 50-50 split. What does that mean? It means approximately $280 million annually back into the owners pockets.  This year will start the beginning of a 10 year agreement. 25 out of 30 team owners were in agreement with this decision, with the intent of making things right. As I have stated you can’t rush greatness, and now things will pan out accordingly. 

First thing that happens is instead of an 82 game season, we will have 66 games. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for fans, because the season can be rather long.  For the players this means more back to back to back games, hopefully those old knees for the veterans will make it!! Next the maximum length of contracts has decreased to pretty much  5  years for superstars and 4 for others, which benefits the teams more than the players. For teams who want to resign their superstar, they increase pay 7.5% annually; however for teams signing somebody else’s superstar only can increase salary 4.5% So basically if I own the Lakers I can offer Kobe a 7.5 raise if he stays, but if another person slides in he can ONLY offer a 4.5% raise to play on a different team. So essentially the goal was to keep superstars on their team.  Finally another major clause in this agreement is this AMNESTY rule.  This rule gives teams the ability to drop over paid and under performing players at the stroke of a pen. You know the same feeling you have when you pull something hot of the oven bare hand, like playing hot potato or some ish.  Anyway each team can release one player and have 100% of the salary removed  for the total team salary. Guys who have stunk it up in recent years, but still getting bread from their glory days back in 06 or 07 can be cut. So somebody like a Rashard Lewis who has been cold garbage since the Magic lost in the championship a few years back.  All fans know that one player they want to cut, who gets no time, but paid to be a man cheerleader. The guy who can’t stay healthy to save his life, sad but true.  I hope those players can find a team though, it’s real out here.

As soon as the NBA open’s its door, we have already witness some trickery. Commissioner David Stern DENIED  a trade, which would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers, for a slew of other players. David Stern stated he didn’t feel this was a good trade, for the teams involved who weren’t the Lakers.  With that being said, there is no telling what will transpire within the upcoming months. I can’t speak for everyone, but me I’m looking to see how this season will do.  On another note #shoutout to all the players who signed with Chinese Teams and can not return to their  NBA teams until sometime after March. Great job guys…. Always make sure your reading things through, that fine print will get you every time….