NBA Lockout: League Cancels 2 More Weeks, Season Likely to Start Near Christmas

Two more weeks from the NBA calendar are expected to be officially wiped off the slate on Tuesday.

After Commissioner David Stern canceled the first two weeks (Nov. 1-15) earlier this month, the league will follow up with another announcement that covers whatever action would have been played through November 28.

Despite it being referred to as games being cancelled, it's a slightly misleading reference seeing as how the original slate of activity is no longer in existence.

Alan Hahn of Newsday makes an excellent point when discussing the "games" that have been lost, as he notes that it's more a function of time than actual games played at this juncture.

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FWIW: #NBA may cancel more games today, but really entire sked as we know is essentially defunct. So actually canceling "time" not games

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It's important to understand the key difference, but it doesn't make the decision any less unsettling, and the two sides appear to be really dug into their current positions.

The worst part about the second wave of cancellations is that the two sides haven't even made an effort to meet with one another since talks broke down last week, and it's scary to think that this has become more about a personal war than one which is grounded in business.

It's not so much about the lost time at this point as it is about the public image of the league, as nobody expected any basketball to be played in November at this point based on the pace of negotiations.

With each passing day that goes by without the parties meeting in an effort to find a deal, more and more fans turn their cheek to a league that's taking a very clear backseat in the public spectrum.

The casual fans that the NBA worked so hard to capture might not come back, and the arenas might be far emptier than the league could have possibly imagined when there is finally a solution between the two sides.

It's downright frightening when business negotiations turn personal and are filled with harsh undertones and clear ultimatums, and that's exactly what is currently happening.

The owners have already won despite the negotiating process not being over, but it's crystal clear that this isn't just about winning; it's about a monumental blowout of epic proportions.

That's the soul-crushing blow to fans around the globe, as those owners taking a hard-line stance clearly have no interest in catering to the interests of anyone or anything other than what is most important to them.

A hypothetical 82-game schedule could still be played if the season were to start on December 1, but even that projection date seems to be a lofty goal right now.

With the players seeming to be the only side interested in agreeing upon a fair deal for both parties, this isn't a situation that has an easy solution ahead.

This is a process in every sense of the word, and it wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see it continue to move at a snail's pace.

Ira Winderman wrote on how the NBA sees the NHL's business model as one that has the potential to "grow the sport," but I fail to see the logic in that claim considering that hockey officials may be angling for another lockout when the current CBA is set to expire.

NBPA Executive Director Billy Hunter appeared on Bill Simmons' podcast on Monday afternoon, and there was one particular quote that stuck out in regards to how Hunter views some of the owners.

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I think the reason why  David is being so stubborn is because David has a new crop of owners. He’s got all these guys who have come in who are extremely successful, who have made billions of dollars, who have a different perspective. … With the downturn of the economy in 2008, I think some of the owners probably suffered some significant losses in their ancillary businesses and so consequently they think they should make it up on the backs of these franchises.

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For all those stating that Hunter has remained too quiet throughout the process, that's a very open jab at the owners on the heels of the NBPA's press conference from last week that showed him visibly upset with the most recent twists at the negotiating table.

I remain confident that we'll see basketball being played sometime between December and January, but after previously believing that it would be well before the holiday season, I'm now leaning more toward Christmas Day serving as the opening action for the 2011-12 season.

That's the best present that Commissioner Claus could put underneath the tree.