The 2011-2012 NBA season marks the fourth lockout for the National Basketball Association. It’s the second lockout in almost thirteen years. So why would the NBA be locked out again already?
One of the biggest contributors to the NBA lockout has been Commissioner David Stern. Stern has been the center of controversies outside of lockouts. Many of these controversies however are explainable. I remember watching the brawl between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat in 1997 in which several members of both teams were suspended due to a mandatory rule that Stern had put in place at the beginning of the season. In 2007 it happened once again with the Spurs and Suns rivalry. Fans, players, coaches, and owners alike were livid at the suspensions which literally helped decide the outcome of both series.
For the 05-06 season Stern implemented a dress code which many players were in great opposition of. Some players went as far as to accuse the league of singling them out based on their choice of clothing or personal style which sets them apart from the rest of the players.
I think everyone that follows the NBA knows what a disaster the new microfiber ball was…
I think it’s important to understand what a lockout is. A lockout is the subsequent result of a labor strike, which in this case would be a refusal to work by certain NBA players. The actual lockout is enacted by the employer (NBA, David Stern) who prevents all workers from working not just those on strike. In this instance the lockout occurred as the result of certain players refusal on final negotiations for the 2011-2012 season thus forcing David Stern and other league officials to enact a lockout. The initial hopes of the NBA’s lockout ruling is to put pressure on the player’s union to return to work under the last offer made by the NBA , however that has never happened in past lockouts.
As a fan I see the biggest reason for the lockout being the players. I recognize the players as individuals have rights and entitlements granted to them by the league but I see where Stern has generated a lot of negativity with the dress code and controversial rulings. In perspective however, how many of us go to a job as professionals and wear what we want to wear either as a fashion statement or out of comfort? Very few of us correct? Its shirts and ties for the guys. That’s what a professional job is and certain players in the NBA (if you can imagine this) have egos that are larger than life thus they are above a dress code.
It’s not just the dress code though. This generation of NBA stars are lucky yet they abuse their status. David Stern is not a guy I like and every year he is jeered belligerently by fans at the All-Star game and the NBA Finals. However he has brought the NBA to a worldwide level with more foreign players being in the league than ever before as well as having offices in countries outside the US. He has ushered in the age of endorsements with Michael Jordon being the gold standard for such. Yet now we have players in the NBA who will convince the largest exporter of sports news and highlights (ESPN) to sit down and hold a “press conference” so a youngster can embarrass the city of Cleveland on national television.
In parting, please think about this. The NBA christened LeBron James as the next big thing and ESPN featured him on the cover of their magazine…all while he was still in high school. James even petitioned the league to allow him in after only his junior year of high school. He played for the Cleveland Cavs from 2003 to 2010 and couldn’t win a championship so he left for a stacked Miami team in hopes it would be easier. In fact his exact words before joining the Heat were “it will be easy”. Michael Jordon didn’t leave the Bulls when they weren’t winning. Magic didn’t leave the Lakers. Bird didn’t leave the Celtics. Thomas didn’t leave the Pistons. Those legends of the game respected and loved basketball too much and made their teams better. They didn’t run from the fear of never being winners, they made themselves and their teams winners. James is simply a sad reflection of the status of the NBA and its players. In this fan’s eyes, it’s certain players lack of respect and a love for the game that goes only as deep as their pockets that grants us a season free of a sport we all love.