NBA Lockout: Why a Deal Must Be Made by Next Week

The NBA lockout has reached 90 days, and as the season approaches, it's clear that a new deal must be made by next week.  

The likelihood of that happening is rather slim, but with several prominent players set to meet on Friday, perhaps things will get better. 

We all witnessed a fantastic NBA season a year ago that featured the youngest MVP ever, a powerhouse team collapsing in clutch moments throughout the season and playoffs and a great veteran player winning his first-ever championship. 

The NBA would survive if it missed some games, but nobody actually wants that to happen. If it does, it's going to be an extended amount of time and not just a game or two. 

Because the NBA is coming off a spectacular season filled with great drama and story lines, it wouldn't be very smart of both parties to not strike up a deal before the season starts. 

With several star players joining forces, the NBA is becoming increasingly popular, and David Stern and the league needs to take advantage of it. 

Just look at how the NFL is thriving thanks to the lockout ending before the season. Granted, there are fewer games in the NFL, but the short period of time to fix rosters got a ton of people excited for the upcoming season. 

Since there are 82 games in a season, the beginning to middle of the year isn't as strong as the end of the season and playoffs, but if a deal gets done, the sales to those first few games will increase. 

The fear of not having a season and losing top players to foreign teams is making fans want basketball even more, which means that once it's back, they will jump all over it.

Negotiations continue to take place, and both parties are committed to getting a deal done as soon as possible. 

However, somebody has to budge here in order for things to start happening. It's one thing to propose new ideas and all, but it's time something starts getting done.

The players want a fair share of revenue, and rightfully so since they're the ones risking their bodies night in and night out. They bring the fans to the arenas, and they should get a fair share. This especially helps those lesser known players who typically only last in the league for a short time.

The NBA is a little different from the NFL in the sense that there are the top-tier players in terms of contract, but the bottom tier is far smaller than that of the NFL because the shelf life of these players is small. Plus, the NFL is far more popular than the NBA.

In the end, a deal needs to take place in order to prevent any games from being lost. Will it happen? That remains to be seen as these next few days are very crucial in the process of getting a new agreement accomplished.