NBA Lockout: Pathetic War of Words Continues to Insult Fans' Intelligence

By the time Derek Fisher and the rest of the NBPA had stepped away from the podium this evening, the only thing that was left was rage and disbelief.

Fans watched as NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver and San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt accused the players of refusing to move on a 50/50 split of the BRI, blaming them for the latest crippling setback in the ongoing labor strife.

Less than a half-hour later, Fisher fought back, calling Silver and the owners liars, only adding to the schoolyard drama that this dispute has devolved into.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Billy Hunter finished the job, condemning the owners, particularly Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who allegedly tried to bully the players into a 50/50 split before any system issues could be worked on. It was at that point the players walked away.

The players have been painted as villains by these hard-line owners, who want nothing more than more money in their pockets to overcome their dreadful decision making. During the dog and pony show that was the NBA's press conference, Holt lamented that his Spurs had lost money the past two years, but he overlooked the fact that he signed Richard Jefferson to a four-year, $38 million dollar deal in 2010.

That deal is one of the most indefensible contracts in all of basketball, yet Holt is complaining that he's losing money. Fans know which teams are run poorly, and no one is feeling sorry for these franchises. No matter what these whining billionaires tell you, it isn't the system's fault that these teams aren't winning, and most fans know that.

If these owners want anyone to blame, they should look into the mirror.

For example, the Detroit Pistons aren't losing because the system has prevented them from winning. Joe Dumars went from finding diamonds in the rough and making crafty personnel decisions to overpaying guys like Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, not to mention trading for Allen Iverson. 

Dumars helped drive the franchise into the ground, and the only reason the owners want to take back millions of dollars is because they know they can't help themselves from overpaying guys like Darko Milicic and Villanueva.

A 50/50 split sounds good in theory, but when you realize the players came down to 53 percent of the BRI and were willing to take less, the compromise can only last so long without concessions from the owners. 

Making matters worse is the fact that the owners won't budge on systemic issues within the league until the two sides agree on the BRI, yet they want the players to give over millions of dollars without anything in return, using lost game checks as leverage.

Meanwhile, as the league implodes on itself, Silver is pleading for a system where every team is competitive each and every year. I'm not the best at math, but teams have to lose, and I don't want to shock him, but even under his Utopian CBA, some teams would still lose 50 games.

The silliness didn't stop there, as Silver lauded the NHL, saying that's the type of league the NBA wanted to be. That may be the scariest statement we've heard since this lockout started.

But don't worry, Gilbert wants the players to trust his gut on the fact the NBPA will get concessions on systemic issues if they agree to the 50/50 split of the BRI.

Yes, the same man who thought a pathetic, childish creed written in Comic Sans was a good idea is a prominent voice in these talks.

We should all be very, very afraid, because this verbal slap-fight isn't going to end any time soon, and we are going to be the ones that suffer.