5 People Who Will Benefit from the 2011 NBA Lockout

On June 30th, Adam Silver reiterated that the NBA had tried to create an environment where teams could be competitive and profitable "if managed properly."

Those words now loom ominous in the face of public outcry by NBA players and journalists. While the lockout became official July 1st at 12:01 AM, there are those in the sporting industry who will benefit tremendously from an extended absence of basketball come winter.

Critiques of David Stern have come out of the woodwork in the last month and there aren't many people happier than those on this list that a labor dispute in professional basketball has taken over the NBA landscape.  

Bud Selig

Selig is the commissioner of a sport that, from my understanding, is really only relevant for one month out of the year. Despite fathers taking their sons to an arena to drink in public, baseball is really only interesting when we aren't paying attention to summer leagues, OTAs, training camp and the NBA preseason.

With the NBA locked out for an unforeseen time, there won't be much else for sports fans to do except tune in on a Saturday afternoon and watch four mind-numbing hours of a "pitching duel."

This could be a great boost for Selig as he will stand as the only commissioner of the four major sports to avoid a lockout in the last six years. Knock on wood, Bud. 

Paul Allen

Paul Allen has had a rough four years. The disastrous draft choice of Oden over Durant has haunted him and, alongside the recent development of Brandon Roy's knee problems, things aren't exactly looking up for the Blazers.

With enough rest, however, the Blazers could return to form as a top power in the Western Conference. Getting healthy takes time and if the lockout were to end today, Oden still wouldn't be available for action until at least November. For the Blazers, lockout time is healing time.

If the Blazers plan on establishing themselves in the playoff picture for 2012, they will need health on their side. With a lockout on the books, Oden will have plenty of time to fix his aching knees, but only if he signs that $8.8 million qualifying offer the Blazers gave him so he can continue to pay his rehab bills. If he does that, Allen may finally be cheering for a team that makes it past the first round. 

Roger Goodell

The NFL lockout was all anyone could talk about leading up to the 2010-2011 NBA Playoffs. However, once the Mavericks hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy and the NBA lockout began, the situation in the NFL began looking less and less dire in comparison to pending NBA doom.

Since taking over as Commissioner of the NFL in 2006, Goodell has been praised as the moral compass and savior of the character of the game of football. Despite a stark contrast in player branding in comparison to the NBA, the NFL under Goodell has become the undisputed champion of American sports.

However, the pressure has been on Goodell in recent months as his league's lockout has affected rookie signings and the free agent signing period. With the NBA lockout taking center stage, the NFL has quietly been working towards an agreement to end their labor dispute. When all is said and done, Goodell and the NFL stand to leave the NBA behind in their rear view mirror if they can settle up quickly in the face of a shortened NBA season.

James Dolan

James Dolan owns one of the most popular, well-financed and distraught teams in the NBA: the New York Knicks. The Knicks have several glaring holes in their roster, most notably at point guard and center, and can use this time to create a plan of attack for free agency or trades.

Although detractors of the Knicks may say they need the most time together as a basketball team with the addition of Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks have far deeper roster issues. 'Melo and STAT are scoring machines and won't need much time together in a shortened season to pick up each others games.

Dolan also recently parted ways with GM Donnie Walsh and needs extra time to formulate a hiring criteria for the next architect of his team that isn't simply, "Is he Isaiah Thomas?"

The communications mogul is the leading voice propping up many of the chasms of the NBA lockout and there is no doubt that his millions will extend far further than those of his players. Dolan may have to make a few concessions regarding profit sharing, but he will most likely succeed at lowering player salaries and ending over-zealous guaranteed contracts—an oddity, considering he's signed off on so many of them.

Brian Scalabrine

There have been rumors circulating that if the lockout persists an extended amount of time, many NBA players will look to head overseas to play ball. Brian Scalabrine recently told the Chicago Tribune, "For me personally, if in the next 15 days it's still kind of like it is now, I'm just going to Europe and play."

I'm perplexed by this for a few reasons. First, Scalabrine has been fairly outspoken about the NBA owners, their treatment of players and the NBA lockout. I struggle to see how any situation in Europe would be any better.

Second, that a team in Europe wants Scalabrine on their team is wondrous. I'm guessing his agent sold the team with a little artful wordplay: "What if I told you that you could have a former NBA champion who was selected in the second round of the draft and you'd only have to pay him $2 million a year? Would that be something that you'd be interested in?"

Really though, if Brian Scalabrine can escape to Europe for a summer to schmooze and get paid to play basketball, then it's pretty obvious he's much, much smarter than the rest of us.