NBA Lockout: Union Rejects Offer and Disbands, Entire Season Now in Jeopardy

The NBPA has rejected the NBA's most recent proposal and the union has been disbanded, putting the 2011-12 season in very serious jeopardy.

After the players meeting on Monday morning, it has been decided that they would not be bullied and drawn to decisions by league-imposed ultimatums, and now we may not have a season as a result.

These were not negotiations, but rather a one-sided beat down from the owners onto the players, and rather than winning by a 35-point margin, the owners have held firm in their desire to blow up the season and create the "nuclear winter" that Kobe Bryant referred to previously.

The union has informed the league that it is no longer representing the players in collective bargaining discussions.

With factions on both sides and each clearly dissenting in their preferences, the NBA will never, ever get the casual fan to come back to the game as a result of what has unfolded.

It will definitely be interesting to see what the next step will be from here, as the players have stated that they're done talking about the lockout to the media.

This has gone from bad to remarkably ugly, and the forthcoming process is one that should have been pursued in July if the players knew that this was coming.

The players put faith into the league's ability to negotiate in good faith, but it was crystal clear throughout this scenario that the owners never sought to bargain with any shred of faith whatsoever.

Had the league bent on a few key system issues, there would've been a deal to be agreed upon last week, and we could be planning for the start of the season.

Instead, we have this.

There are two options at this point.

The first is the current road continues to be driven upon and egos continue to pervade while emotions continue to cloud the thought process from parties on both sides.

Or the two sides could once again get back together in an effort to save the season when it's waning in the wind.

The fans continue to suffer as a result of something they have no control over.

Regardless of the outcome, the league has greatly miscalculated its popularity and power, and this is the result of something that's been brewing for three years.

It's a surreal scenario, and one that's hard to process.