Drew vs. Goodman: All-Star Rematch a Side Story as Lockout Negotiations Roll on
Normally, this would be a huge event.
Anytime you can get guys like Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, James Harden, John Wall, Brandon Jennings, DeMar DeRozan, Trevor Ariza and Michael Beasley, among others to be at the same place at the same time...people are paying attention.
They are competing in the Long Beach California Drew League in a rematch of a game played back in August.
In a game with plenty of highlight reel dunks and not much defense, it's a less glorified version of the All-Star game. Yet nobody had their mind on the game. Everybody is talking about the lockout.
The players didn't have names on the back of their jersey. Every players back had "BBNS," as in "Basketball Never Stops." It's their way of showing David Stern and the rest of the leagues owners that a lockout won't keep them off the court.
The influx of players striking deals with European teams is another way of showing the league they mean business. Some of the players involved Sunday were up to speed on the lockout, like James Harden of the Thunder:
I'd want to know what the deal is. Derek is someone you definitely listen to, but I'd also want to talk with the big guys -- LeBron, KD and the rest.
Harden may not directly be in on the negotiations, but he is currently following it closely. Others, like Raptors forward DeMar DeRozan are putting all of their faith in Fisher:
I trust Derek and everyone who's working for us. They feed us with information about everything that's going on. If he told me [he had a deal he liked], I'm definitely going to trust his judgment.
It's clear the players are getting antsy and coming together to play in a glorified scrimmage is a great way to keep up the dialogue among the union. It's clear the players are all on the same team right now, and showing their unity like this is pretty cool.
As a five-hour meeting in New York City late Sunday results in no new deal, playing in games like this are the only way to stay and shape and shake the rust off.
The only question is...how much longer is this their only outlet?
