The NBA lockout looks like a lock
By Nicholai R. Roska
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 06 Aug 2011
LOS ANGELES -- A friend of mine recently walked into a dealership hoping to buy a new car to replace a 1995 Toyota Camry that had served him exceptionally well for about 182,760 odometer miles.
After an elaborate tour around the vehicle emporium, a luxury car caught his fancy. It was a marvel of German engineering, a 2011 Mercedes Benz SL63 AMG. To my friend's awe-struck eyes, it was inarguably the most beautiful four-wheeled contraption he had ever laid eyes on.
The very thought of owning his own Benz made my friend feel sexy, like he was a magnet for girls. He was so eager to buy the convertible he already pictured himself gliding into sunset, riding happily ever after.
Unfortunately, finance was an issue. You see, the 2011 Mercedes Benz SL63 AMG carried a price tag of $120,000. And my poor buddy only had money for a 2011 Honda Civic, which costs about $18,000 brand new.
Obviously, no purchase was made. And so everybody lost. The car salesman missed out on a potentially hefty commission. My friend didn't drive away with his dream car. And the neighboring gas station had one car less to fuel up.
This above story reminds me of the ongoing NBA lockout. Both parties -- owners and players -- seem genuinely willing to make a deal, but the numbers simply do not add up.
"We're $800 million apart," said Billy Hunter, NBA players association executive director who boldly declared yesterday that the 2011-12 NBA season may be wiped out.
And he may be right. Because, thus far, neither owners nor players are willing to budge.
The owners want to cut down on expensive and long-term guaranteed contracts. They'd rather pay performance than potential. Think LeBron James, who's raking in over $100 million while collecting zero NBA titles. Think Greg Oden, who's collecting a little over $6 million a year despite playing just 82 games in the last four years.
But the players insist they deserve every dime they get. Their sports careers, they argue, are on a limited timetable and therefore they deserve the most money they can get before they enter the real world.
My friends in the East Coast like their long summers, when flowers bloom and the sun seems to smile all day. But they also look forward to the fall and early winter, because that time of year usually means the NBA is upon us.
This year, though. looks bleak. The lockout is here to stay. Which means that the winter only brings cold nights and thick snow. No NBA. (NRR
