NBA Lockout: Preseason Cancellations a Bad Omen For NBA Season

It's official: The start of NBA training camps and 43 exhibition games have been axed at the hands of the lockout. With the work stoppage coming dangerously close to the regular season, it's becoming more and more clear that missing part, if not all, of the regular season is inevitable.

Mark Stein's Tweet may only state that the preseason has officially been cancelled, but the writing is on the wall for the regular season. Neither side is budging, and unlike the NFL lockout, the NBA doesn't have a lengthy offseason to have a standoff without serious financial repercussions.

This is when things get interesting. Both sides are losing money at this point, and the longer they take to come to an agreement, the more money they are throwing out the window.

Obviously, getting something worked out is in the best interest of all parties involved. But with all of the money at stake, neither side is going to rush into an agreement they don't want to be a part of.

Things are going to get worse before they get better. For the players with an established income, this lockout isn't devastating to their current financial situations. What about the rookie or second-year pro who barely made the team, though?

More players are going to seek income elsewhere. We've already heard huge figures thrown out trying to lure NBA superstars abroad. While European teams aren't going to fork over boatloads of cash for NBA players who are coming off the bench, they would still welcome them with open arms and shell out enough money to entice the unemployed players.

Very little progress has been made. We're going to see the start of the NBA season come and go, and before we know it, the All-Star break could be upon us. That's scary to think, but it's a harsh reality that both sides of the negotiation know all too well.

If we reach that point and no games have been played, just how short of a season can the NBA play and still put forth the playoffs? Where is that line drawn?

Every day a deal doesn't get done from here on out means more and more games are going to be missed. While the NBA has plenty of games on its schedule to eat into before this season is thrown out, the fact that the two sides still seem to be at a stalemate is alarming.