NEW SET OF LOCKS

The NBA is currently in the midst of one of the greatest playoffs it has showcased in the last ten to fifteen years. As they should, the league has done a good job thus far of keeping the focus on the court, but behind closed doors there is a huge elephant in the room. Like the NFL this past year in February, the day the NBA finals end in June, what's the first word you'll hear? Lockout. This is different though -- A bad different. With the NFL, it was clear from the beginning what was transpiring. In a league that generates about 9 billion dollars worth of revenue annually, the owners thought that they should be entitled to more money. How much more do you need? Complaining about money, refusing to share revenue books, locking out players from gyms, appealing court ruled decisions -- These are all things that the owners have done from day one to present to turn everyone against them except commissioner Goodell. The difference with the NBA? The owners actually have solid ground to stand on. Something that can cause enough back and forth where loss of games next season seems much more viable. Like I said, it's a bad different. In comparison to the NFL's 9 billion dollars of revenue in 2010, the 2010 - 2011 NBA regular season generated about 2 billion dollars, OR a net loss of about 300 million. Look at that again. The NBA is actually losing money. They have teams that are bankrupt, teams that are currently being loaned to or run by the league, and a third of the teams operating at a loss. So when they say that they need a major overhaul to salaries, contracts, and a hard salary cap, they have a much stronger foundation. While the NFL owners are pushing for a want, the NBA owners are fighting for a need. Their other big advantage is that there are a lot more people, including fans, in their corner. Fans of small market teams would love to have a chance at better talent. Hell, fans of small market teams would love to have a chance to keep their teams. Fresh off last summers "Decision," a lot of people too, especially the owners, don't want to see the league turn in to a free for all either where players seemingly make the choice of where they play behind closed doors. Depending on the length of the remaining series', the NBA has about a month to a month and a half before all of the focus is on the mediation table. While a couple of owner proposals have already been shot down by the players, I think it would be in the leagues bets interest to work through these initial offers, and try to weed out the bull****. That way when the season ends, and all focus is on the lockout, there may be some signs of hope with any progress that can be shown towards an agreement. The light at the end of the tunnel is still a long ways off though. If these playoffs are the last we see of the NBA for an extended period of time, then it went out swinging. Which, at least, is more than Manny Ramirez can't say about his baseball career.