NBA Trade Rumors: What Can the NFL Teach Us About Lockout-Time Rumors?

Thursday was a sad day for hoops fans.

Just weeks after a truly riveting NBA season came to an end, the players and owners gave up on trying to reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement before the midnight deadline. A lockout will go into effect as soon as the clock strikes 12:01 am, and it's likely going to last for a very, very long time.

Like everyone else, I never thought I'd see the day when work stoppages are going on in America's two most popular professional sports leagues. That's what greed will do, I guess.

Oh well. The show must go on, as they say. Had the lockout not gone into effect, we'd be sitting here discussing all the latest and greatest in NBA trade rumors. Going forward, we're going to keep doing so.

I know this because I've witnessed the same thing happen with the NFL lockout, which has been in effect for over three months now. No trades can be made, but that hasn't put a stop to the rumors. It's hard to behold them without wondering aloud what the point is exactly, but there they are all the same.

The same thing is going to happen with the NBA. Despite the fact we know Dwight Howard, Monta Ellis, and Andre Iguodala are going to stay put at least until a new CBA is reached, there will still be rumblings about that source saying this and this source saying that.

Having dealt with the football lockout for a while now, here's the advice I have to give: take it in, but be careful about taking any of it too seriously.

For the most part, this is because the rumors you're going to hear will be largely useless. If Dwight Howard takes a vacation to Los Angeles, you're going to hear something about him going to the Lakers. If Iguodala says something to a friend about his future, it will invariably find its way to an NBA writer who is starving for a scoop.

The two football players that come to mind as good examples are Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb and Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young. Both are going to be headed elsewhere as soon as the lockout is lifted, but exactly where they might be going is oftentimes a matter of baseless speculation.

For a good idea what kind of rumor trade rumor you're going to get, here's something about Kolb and Young that appeared on NFL.com earlier this week:

"

I’ve felt, all along, that Young needs a year to disappear and not be stuck in a lineup on a bad team where he would struggle. To me, the best place for him to go is Philadelphia once Kevin Kolb is traded. Let’s see if Michael Vick’s newfound preparation skills will rub off on Young.

"

There's your rumor, and it comes straight from the mind of Pat Kirwin, a senior analyst. Not a scout, not an executive, but a writer. It's not a bad analysis, but there's not much to it either.

This is not to fault the people who are coming up with this stuff. Heck, as soon as they write it, I'm going to do my part to make sure you know about it.

It sounds like a scam, I know. But as I see it, we could do worse things with our time than talk about the sports we love. So what the heck?

With that in mind, please do check in periodically so we can talk some hoops. I promise you we'll have some fun.