NBA Lockout: Why There is Still Time to Save 2011-12 Season

The NBA lockout has been painted as a potential doomsday scenario long before it became official.

Players, agents and even owners had been bracing for a possible lockout to occur well prior to the Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring.

This wasn't a surprise to anyone, and some players even spread out their salaries in anticipation of paychecks ceasing to be awarded.

Raymond Brothers, the agent for Al-Farouq Aminu, Caron Butler, Zach Randolph and Ben Gordon, spread out his clients' salaries over an 18- to 24-month window in the event that games were forced to be canceled, an idea that looks awfully smart right now.

In a summer where there have been continuous reports of how the work stoppage isn't going to be subsiding anytime soon, Chris Sheridan paints a refreshingly accurate picture. While his timeline of events may be viewed with some optimism, it's certainly not illogical and can definitely be achieved with the pace of negotiations picking up.

In his inaugural piece for his new website SheridanHoops.com, here is the picture that Sheridan paints for the season to begin on time:

"

Oct. 1: An agreement is reached on aggregate dollars.

Oct. 4: All remaining issues are settled.

Oct. 5-19: The agreement is put into writing.

Oct. 20: Free agency opens and players already under contract are allowed to report to their teams.

Oct. 21-31: Training camps are held, and each team plays two exhibition games.

Nov. 1: The season opens on time, with three games: Bulls-Mavericks and Thunder-Lakers in a TNT doubleheader, along with Rockets-Jazz.

"

While that timeline is obviously contingent on almost everything going right at the negotiating table between owners and players after months of stalled discussions, it's not entirely unrealistic as some have made it out to be.

It's an awfully rosy approach to take given that it's already approaching mid-September, but the negotiations between the two sides will pick back up once again on Wednesday, and there's a possibility that the talks could stretch into Thursday and Friday as well if some common ground can be found.

Here's how NBPA Vice President Roger Mason characterized the upcoming discussions on his Twitter account: "Got a big meeting tomorrow with the NBA. I'm hoping we can make some serious progress."

While it's not exactly an update, it's the most optimism that we've seen from Mason throughout negotiations. He has been frightfully honest throughout the bargaining process, and it sounds as if there is finally reason to believe that there is finally some process being made.

Even if it's minimal, it's a starting point. And that's more than we've had in a long time.

As Sheridan writes, the amount of money separating the two sides is not as high as it has been drummed up to be through the media.

"

"Moreover, if you look at years 1, 2 and 3 of the proposals, the sides are a total of $870 million apart. (The players are asking for $2.17 billion in salaries and benefits in 2011-12, $2.33 billion in ’12-13, and $2.42 billion in ’13-14. The owners are offering a flat $2 billion per year.)

Or to put it another way, in a business that brought in $4.2 billion in revenues last season, the sides are only $170 million apart for next season."

"

The major point of discussion moving forward will be centered around the owners insisting on the institution of a hard salary cap, an idea that the players have been quick to reject at every step in the continuing conversations.

The NBA rode a major wave of momentum throughout the season, and despite a draft class that was categorized as one of the weakest in recent seasons, it was the most watched in the last 15 years.

A major reason that the league was followed so closely last season was due to the new blueprint that has come into play in the NBA. Known for their "Big Three," the Heat made a splash in the offseason by pairing LeBron James and Chris Bosh alongside Dwyane Wade.

Whether we loved it, hated it or didn't have an opinion, everyone wanted to see Miami play.

Arguably more so than in any other sport, the National Basketball Association is fueled by its most premier players, and we've seen that argument become validated by fans paying more attention to those in summer leagues and pro-ams than the current pace of labor negotiations.

To that point I ask this question: Why would a league coming off of a tremendous season in terms of its following in the public sphere be seeking an institution of a rule that would force these Big Threes to be broken up?

That simply makes no sense in the short- or long-term picture.

There are those who counter with the argument that it will be good for the competitive balance of the league in an effort to achieve parity between small and large market teams. But I believe that issue can be solved by using other measures outside of tampering with something that has had an obvious impact on increasing the popularity of the game.

Sheridan provides an interesting nugget from the second entry on his site, stating that the owners have already floated the idea of adding a third round to the draft.

"

"SheridanHoops.com has learned that NBA owners have proposed adding a third round to the annual draft, a proposal that the players’ union has countered by offering an array of changes to the draft that would help address the owners’ desire for more competitive balance."

"

He proceeds to detail the counter by the union, which can best be characterized as a weighted draft process that would strive to provide small market and/or unsuccessful teams a chance at turning around the course of action before long.

While the two sides are definitely still a ways away from agreeing to anything other than to keep meeting, that is not something that could have been said one month ago.

There is still more than a full month before the regular season is scheduled to tip off, and if nothing else, that should give the league and its players plenty of time to discuss how we can save basketball for the 2011-12 season.