NBA Lockout: Why the NBA Lockout Will Be Uglier Than NFL's

If you thought the current NFL lockout was bad—you haven’t seen anything just yet.

The NBA lockout will be the ugliest lockout we have ever seen. This will be a long, drawn out process that will last many, many months—well into the 2011 NBA season.

Last month, Charles Barkley spoke out that he believed the entire season would be lost.

Leading up to the draft, Ray Allen stated in an interview that he believe games would be lost.

It is impossible not to believe that games and the season will be lost. The players and owners seem to be worlds apart. Unlike the NFL owners, the NBA owners clearly could not give a damn—if they even had a damn to give considering they claim most are operating in the red—if the entire season is lost.

Shane Battier made headlines leading up to the lockout as he asked NBA union president Billy Hunter if he would be willing to take a salary reduction to $1, much like NFL union director DeMaurice Smith did.

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“What this really shows is this—as this lockout drags on, the players will start to question their leadership and the deal being driven. Right now the players are unified, that may not always be the case, especially if paychecks are missed.

The same is true of the owners, where issues of revenue sharing have already showed a divide.

That is why Hunter and Stern are the key figures in this—they are the leaders that have to keep their troops in line. Whichever side splinters first will end up being the losers in these negotiations,” according to NBCSports’ Kurt Helin.

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As the lockout drags on? Clearly the questioning has already begun, and Battier had every right to ask the question. Whether it was inappropriate or not does not matter in the grand scheme of this lockout.

The players need to know if their leader has their support. We never questioned Smith, but we could certainly begin to question Hunter if we suffer an extended lockout.

How long until we see certain players express their disdain of their owners? How long until that zero, I mean, "Agent Zero" Gilbert Arenas lashes out against the Magic on Twitter? And don’t think for a second the planking loser has the wherewithal to refrain.

Unlike the NFL, NBA players can take their talents across the world. We have already seen superstars such as Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Ron Artest and many more linked to rumors of playing overseas.

Will we see some of our beloved superstars head overseas to fulfill their basketball fix?

David Stern has never been the most beloved commissioner by his players. Roger Goodell reacts to his player’s dumb decisions, while Stern tries to put a stop before anything even happens. He inserted a dress code and even banned guns in his locker rooms, which never sat well with certain players (still lookin’ at you Zero).

Unlike the NFL, the NBA players may see a drastic backlash from the public. The NBA players want far more change in the collective bargaining agreement than the NFL players. We are also appalled by most of the contracts undeserving players such as Rashard Lewis and Arenas receive.

Unlike NFL owners, the public can sympathize with the NBA owners who do not want to be held accountable for these lengthy and hefty contracts, though their front office offers the deals.

Unlike the NFL, both sides appear to be fighting for much more in this collective bargaining agreement compared to the NFL. The owners and players want drastic changes this time, which could take many, many months to resolve.

In the process, we will see a ton of verbal stones thrown at both parties and by both parties. It won’t matter which side has the better defense, as they will both lose from this increasingly ugly lockout.