Fruits of their labor

And so, it begins.

After 45 days, the NBA lockout has officially started to affect my day-to-day happiness (as pathetic as that sounds). I crave free agent signings, and yet, there are none. I long for any non-lockout news, but alas, my yearnings go unquenched.

The NBAPA President Billy Hunter is saying that the upcoming NBA season could be lost. Commissioner David Stern feels otherwise. All in all, both of these guys are just blowing smoke, and no one really knows what's going to happen.

Both sides are so far apart that it will surely take some time to come to an agreement. The owners want to completely change the system. They claim that they are losing $300 million dollars a year and they want to reduce player salaries and implement a hard salary cap. The players, of course, are opposed to those changes, but have expressed their willingness to compromise. After the players received the owners first proposal, they submitted a counter proposal (which the owners promptly scoffed at). Since the lockout began, there has only been one meeting between the two sides, and naturally, nothing was accomplished. Now the NBA has filed two counts of unfair labor practice towards the NBAPA, claiming that they are threatening to decertify their union and file an antitrust lawsuit, just like the NFLPA did.

Many players are now seeking employment overseas. Deron Williams has already signed a deal in Turkey, and many lower tier players have agreed to deals as well. This appears to be a move by the players to show their independence from the NBA, but it remains to be seen whether there will be enough of an exodus to put any pressure on the owners. I'm not sure if the risk of injury is worth it. If even a few players were to suffer significant injuries while overseas, the bargaining sessions would get ugly real quick.

And then there's the potential impact that the lockout could have on next summer's Olympics. This is the summer in which the countries hold their qualifying tournaments. Normally, the NBA would insure it's player's contracts during international competition. However, due to the lockout, the NBA can no longer provide that insurance. I mean, if they won't even display images of players on their team's websites, then I doubt they'd be willing to cover their insurance.

So that's pretty much where things stand at the moment. I guess I'll just have to get by on fantasy football and labor updates for the foreseeable future.

Can't wait...

The end of an era - Yao Ming announces his retirement

In one short month the NBA has now lost two of the most iconic figures in league history.

Shortly after Shaquille O'Neal announced his retirement from the NBA, Yao Ming followed suit on what can only be described as a sorrowful day for the NBA. Yao was a one of a kind player who seemed destined for greatness, but his struggle with injuries finally took it's toll on his 7'6 frame.

Yao's career averages of 19 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 52% field goal shooting and 83% free throw shooting are certainly impressive, but he had the potential to be so much more.

I'm pretty sure Yao will make it into the Hall Of Fame. He'd better. The impact that he has had on the game of basketball (in a global sense) can hardly be measured.

Sacramento Kings acquire J.J. Hickson

(www.thesportsbank.net)

Cleveland Cavaliers power forward J.J. Hickson has been traded to the Sacramento Kings for guard/forward Omri Casspi and a lottery protected 1st round pick.

This deal doesn't make much sense to me. I know the Cavs needed to make room for Tristan Thompson, but Hickson is only 22. He's got tons of upside. Casspi is a solid player, and the first round pick is definitely nice, but I feel Hickson is worth more than that. If the Cavs really needed a small forward, they could have just drafted Jan Vesely instead of Thompson and kept Hickson, who's one of the up and coming power forwards in the league.

This deal is interesting for Sacramento too. It was a great move, considering Casspi wanted out anyway, but the Kings now have quite a few big men.

Draft Aftermath

(Getty Images)

Unfortunately, I don't have a team by team breakdown of the draft. I'm good, but I'm not THAT good. I honestly don't know too much about this season's (If we have a season, which is a murky prospect at best) rookies, but I've seen enough of them to know that this draft definitely isn't as weak as many analysts are saying it is. There are some impact players that can help teams now, just not with their scoring. It seems like sometimes people lose sight of the other aspects of the game, such as defense, passing, and most importantly, leadership.

I was really impressed with Derrick Williams. I saw him on ESPN First Take and he had a confidence that was genuine and not arrogant. He looks to be a force in the league, and even though Minnesota isn't a great fit for him, it never seems to be a good fit for anyone (See any player that has ever played in Minnesota besides Kevin Garnett. Ever. Really, it's remarkable). If Michael Beasley is shipped out before the season, Williams will have a nice chunk of minutes to prove himself with.

Enes Kanter should be able to make an impact immediately in Utah, I'm just not sure how they are going to parcel out the minutes on that Jazz frontline. Between Al Jefferson, Memhet Okur, Paul Milsap, and Derrick Favors, Kanter might have trouble finding consistent minutes at first.


Final thought: After watching Jan Vesely's draft night video, I can't wait for next year's dunk contest.