NBA Lockout: How Fans Could Get Their Basketball Fix

The NBA lockout is grating on every basketball aficionado. Unfortunately, the average fan won't be able to help solve the complex and murky waters of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. We're stuck with arcane money-talk and bellyaching from people who are going to make much more money then most of us will ever see in our lifetime.

So how can a fan's insatiable appetite for basketball be satisfied? And how can we drop the cynicism that has grown in so many disaffected fans in the past few months?

Two words: club teams. With pro basketball players looking for work in Europe or in Rucker Park, why not create a new league? Why not include talented high school and college stars as well?

Think of this league along the lines of European Soccer. There could be different tiers of competition (city, state, regional). There could be more tournaments and more games, in more places.

Fans have seen wild performances by the Drew and Goodman Leagues. NBA-like crowds may not flock to the games, but the highlights are major hits on YouTube. (Seriously, Kevin Durant's Rucker Park performances run like a short film). 

The Drew League vs. Goodman League battle in DC was a huge success, and fans are pining for more.

If promoters tried to work in hometown angles to the teams, they could attract more fans. Fans would surely pay $10 to see hot-shot high school and college players teamed up with NBA stars. LeBron James could win back some love from his home state if he played for an Akron team.

It has the potential for international play as well.

This is very much a pie-in-the-sky concept. However, someone could make a lot of money from this. And the good thing is that fans wouldn't feel like they're the ones being screwed.