NBA Lockout: 5 Franchises Most Affected If There Is No 2011-2012 Season

The NBA lockout could not have come at a worse time.

The NBA product may be at its best with the emergence of super teams, and young stars such as Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose. The league may be licking their self-inflicted wounds for years to come, but there are five franchises that may be affected more than most if the lockout causes all of next season to be missed.

This also appears in Beyond The Whistle.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers

With the selection of Kyrie Iving and Tristan Thompson with the first and fourth overall picks in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dan Gilbert would love nothing more than to take the court and show the rest of the world they are on the rise.

The departure of LeBron James still resonates throughout his home state of Ohio. As if last season wasn't an indication, the Cavs are face-down, stuck in a ditch and in need of a major boost. The last time they had the first pick in the draft it paid major dividends, so this time around they are hoping for the same results.

The Cleveland front office has to be itching with excitement now that they have a new-look team and a new face of their franchise. But a missed season would push the development back, and no basketball will take all the wind from the Cleveland Cavaliers' sails.

4. L.A. Lakers

With the addition of new head coach Mike Brown, the Los Angeles Lakers will be another team in transition. There will be new tweaks in their system, which is customary when a new coach is hired, so adjustments will have to be made.

But the Lakers' issue is relevance. They still have one good chance at winning another title ,and that window will wane every season thereafter.

With an average team age of 28.4 (not counting the unsigned rookies), the Lakers are no young team. Kobe Bryant will be 33 next season and would love nothing more than to capture his sixth NBA title to match Michael Jordan.

A season of no basketball means seasoned veterans with plenty of mileage on their bodies will sit on the shelf on their way to expiration. They will be a year older when basketball would hopefully resume in 2012-2013, but the Lakers' chances at a title will be greatly diminished by then; their time is now. 

3. Philadelphia 76ers

If you have not heard already, the 76ers have been sold.

Yes, sold for $280 million to a man by the name of Joshua Harris, who has plenty of play money, and his expertise is in money management, as the co-founder of Apollo Management. Current team chairman Ed Snider keeps 10 percent of the team as Harris assumes ownership of the larger portion.

According to a report from probasketballtalk.com, the deal will take two months to be completely finalized. The team will still play at the Wells Fargo Center, and the broadcast deal with Comcast SportsNet will remain intact.

With the sell of anything, many things will be changed, although many of these changes are still unknown.

The 76ers have to worry about current GM Ed Stefanski bolting, as he has been interviewing for other GM jobs (Toronto Raptors), and they still need to do something with their abundance of small forwards.

The one thing in their favor is that Harris is a native of Pennsylvania and has a connection to the Philadelphia franchise, so he will likely make decisions in the best interest of improving the franchise.

2. Miami Heat

The Miami Heat can always be pulled into the topic of discussion whenever its pro basketball. That's what happens when you imply that you will win seven or more NBA titles.

If there is no basketball next season, the only positive that can come out of this is the fact that Dwyane Wade can say he endured a injury-free season, but that's about it. The Miami Heat should be picketing at the NBA headquarters in New York to get this show back on the road.

They need to get back on the court and fast so they can get the chance to redeem themselves from their defeat in the NBA Finals. A year lost just means another year the Heat did not win the title, another year that we speculate as to when they will win a title, not to mention the Big Three will be a year older.

LeBron James could end up finishing his career thinking what could have been if the 2011-2012 season was played. It could be the difference between winning three or four titles and can dramatically alter a legacy.

Who knows, Pat Riley may feel the pressure mounting and trade his press box seats for a clipboard.

1. Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are trying their best to keep the franchise in Sacramento—they were almost the Anaheim Kings until Joe and Gavin Maloof decided to give the city of Sacramento one more chance.

It was the best decision; the fans in Sac-town have gained the reputation as some of the most hardcore fans in the NBA, infamously known for ringing cowbells during games that even distract coaches from delivering effective game plans.

Former NBA All-Star and Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson has attempted to get an up-to-date arena built to house the Kings' home games, although all tries thus far have fallen through. He has said, "If we want to be a major league city, you have to have major league facilities."

A missed basketball season will severely damage the Kings' chances at keeping the team in Sacramento. No games mean no fans to come out and show their rabid support of the Kings. The fans need every chance they can get to prove why the Kings need to stay put.

The fans are not the ones at the bargaining table, but they are who matters. The Maloof's guaranteed just one more season, but that was before next season was threatened.