NBA cancels first two weeks of season
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NBA cancels first two weeks of season
Monday afternoon's meeting in New York dashed whatever hope remained that the NBA and the NBA Players Association could come to an agreement and save the start of the regular season.
Immediately after the end of today's meeting, which ended around 9:30 p.m, the NBA officially cancelled the first two weeks of the regular season. NBA commissioner David Stern said that those games were officially cancelled, not postponed, meaning the NBA would not try to cram all 82 games into a shortened season. Regular season games through Nov. 14 have been cancelled.
The two sides parted ways in New York without scheduling the next bargaining session and Stern said that the owners' proposals will get worse from this moment forward as the owners will have to account for money lost because of game cancellation.
We knew this lockout had the potential to be bad, but tonight we saw how bad it could be: the two sides seem far apart on virtually every issue on the table. The split of basketball related income, the system issues regarding the luxury tax/salary cap, guaranteed contracts, mid-level exception, etc, etc.
Bad day for the NBA. And the worst part is, every single fan is being alienated in the process. Most people's reaction to this news? "Oh well, no big deal, move on." Whatever popularity the league gained in the last year -- because of the Miami Heat, because of the stellar playoffs, because of Doug Collins here in Philly -- has been given back ... and then some. And for the fans whose reactions are more passionate, because they truly care about their team, they feel a sense of frustration that they will be expected to just cough up their money and jump back on board as soon as the two sides come to terms. If you don't care, you don't care. If you do care, you're expected to plop right back down into your seat.
Something we haven't talked about in a while is how much this lockout will specifically affect the 76ers. It's impossible to quantify which teams will be affected most, but I think it's safe to say that the Sixers are in the top half of teams that really couldn't afford this hurdle in their maturity process as a franchise. Take Marreese Speights going over to play in Greece, as an example. Do you think that in Greece he'll be learning the defensive system Doug Collins requires? Do you think he'll be focused on staying in shape like he does here (with the assistant coaches looking over his shoulder)? Sure, it was likely that Speights would be traded anyway, but the example still remains. Collins needed time with these guys, needed to communicate with them all summer, have them in the gym all of October. Instead, the Sixers have been scattered throughout the country, working out as best as possible. But none of it is on par with the work that needed to be done, that would have been done without a lockout.
And when the NBA does get back on the court -- if they do get back on the court this season -- it'll be to play an abbreviated season. Can you think of one team in whose favor that doesn't work? Yes. That's right. The Sixers. Not the San Antonio Spurs. Not the Dallas Mavericks. Teams like the Sixers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Milwaukee Bucks. Those kinds of teams.
We'll have more on this tomorrow; we'll try to hash out the possible regular season scenarios and how this news affects the Sixers.
--Kate
Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.
A condensed season is actually better for the sixers. Mainly because a smaller sample size (smaller games) creates a greater chance for an extreme (fluke) outcome i.e sixers could start out hot. The more games played the more likely every team is to regress to the mean. Recall NY made it to the finals as an 8th seed the during the '99 lockout shortened season.
Another important aspect of a condensed season is more games in a shorter period of time. Thats not good for older teams whose veterans need the rest. Young teams like the sixers should be able to take advantage of those teams running on old legs.
Yes, missing valuable coaching oppurtunities this offseason will probably slow some of the young sixers growth, but there are several positives from a shortened season to be taken advantage of as well.— Xdaxblessedx- It still amazes me that in every sport the owners give insane amount of money to players, than about every decade or so, cry that the players are making too much money? Who in world paid Delembert that guaranteed contract - with a no-trade cause? I also think a 50 game schedule this season would re-energize the sport, because they would actually mean something.— pzales
Comment removed.- Well said Q — dave13
- i'm personally offended— Eman84
- naa,,,,wrong eman, democrat, voted for obama, but it sais a lot about you, to bring politics in to it....btw, i loved the nba when i was a kid, dr. j era, right up to the barkley era, i even bought into AI for a while, till he couldn't keep up the act anymore, i'll pass on the neck tattoo era, thanks.— deatheater
- Would hope that Kate looks at the impact on the potential new owners of the Sixers; will billionaire Joshua Harris still go through with the purchase? As for the racist trolls, no loss if they decide never to post again on this site. The NBA has serious issues to settle, as many of us know, but how long will David Stern let the small market clubs drive this lockout and how long before TNT, ESPN, and local cable outlets put pressure on the league to settle? How long before billionaire owners like Jerry Buss, Mark Cuban, Mikhail Prokhorov, Micky Arison, Tom Gores, and James Dolan tell Stern to settle. I felt that at best there would be a short season beginning in January and that the owners would cave before the players, many of whom will end up playing abroad during the lockout. My guess is that Stern and the owners, feeling good about the anti-union political environment at present, are surprised by the determined resistance of the players and Billy Hunter, who have not caved despite the threats from Stern, the consumate bully, used to getting his own way. Kate might need to hone her writing skills and use what will be a long hiatus to write a book.— chuckw
- deatheater, i bet you're a teaparty type. ask your bud sarah palin how much she likes bball— Eman84
- outside of "da hood", will anyone miss it? Oh, yeah, the execs at ESPN that shove the NBA down everyone's throat, giving it equal or more attention to that of baseball. That is like giving a Ford equal time to a Merecedes— s1360m
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"we get it, you don't like the sport or the type of players that only really make up a fraction of the game". lol,,,a fraction? really? 75 percent at least are overpaid thugs, who had to clean up there act, or act, to stay in the game, so they could set up their families so they don't have to work or leech off the government or sell drugs for the the next five or so generations. they do a great job of acting when in public. complete with the babies on the laps at press conferences cause there family men. nice touch. i could care less if they play another game. gone are the days of the class players who acted like adults, played the game the right way and actually had some respect for their coach, fans, and opposing players.
— deatheater - Comment removed.
- Articles about the NBA bring out the best (worst) anonymous comment trolls on the internet. We get it, you don't like the sport or the type of players that only really make up a fraction of the game. But there are plenty of us that do enjoy it. I prefer college basketball, but I'd rather watch a random NBA game than a random NFL game.— DrexelDragonFan
- The NBA was never as popular as basketball people wanted to think. It's not at all close to the NFL or MLB, and despite the absurd amount of media coverage it gets, it has only a slight lead on the NHL. But ESPN did their best to build the hype, and now it's biting them. It gets good TV ratings because it's good for vapid tv audiences with short attention spans, it's great for commercial breaks, and tons of opportunities to recap and catch the viewers up.— Pelti
- The shortened NHL season in 1994-95 was one of the best I can remember. Every game was intense and had meaning. Perhaps a truncated NBA season can do the same for basketball. No one really pays attention for 80+ regular season games.I'm much more of a college hoops fan, so this news has little impact on my life. I was a huge NBA fan when I was a kid, but they lost me somewhere along the line.And Kate, I respect the job you do, but Marreese Speights? Seriously? If he never comes back from Greece, would we even notice? (HTML deleted)— Mike19703
- The shortened NHL season in 1994-95 was one of the best I can remember. Every game was intense and had meaning. Perhaps a truncated NBA season can do the same for basketball. No one really pays attention for 80+ regular season games.I'm much more of a college hoops fan, so this news has little impact on my life. I was a huge NBA fan when I was a kid, but they lost me somewhere along the line.And Kate, I respect the job you do, but Marreese Speights? Seriously? If he never comes back from Greece, would we even notice? (HTML deleted)— Mike19703
- The shortened NHL season in 1994-95 was one of the best I can remember. Every game was intense and had meaning. Perhaps a truncated NBA season can do the same for basketball. No one really pays attention for 80+ regular season games.
I'm much more of a college hoops fan, so this news has little impact on my life. I was a huge NBA fan when I was a kid, but they lost me somewhere along the line.
And Kate, I respect the job you do, but Marreese Speights? Seriously? If he never comes back from Greece, would we even notice?— Mike19703 - Cancel the rest of the Eagles season while they're at it!— RockStar
- With the low attendance at 76ers games and the way the team plays, who would even notice they weren't on the court playing? The NBA is a joke anymore: The games are boring, the players interchangeable misfits and the number of teams just too much. It stinks. Like the Eagles.— Nostrathomas
- cancel the sport.— tockeyhockey
- Great article and perspective...no matter what the outcome is, NBA basketball is the ultimate loser here. The gains they made last year are lost, and then some. It's a shame and while I know I'll still watch and continue to follow the Sixers, I'll completely understand the ones who don't and the apathy of the rest.
Kate, do you have any confidence that the two sides can come to an agreement in the near future? And is there any way the owners would agree to anything less than a 50/50 BRI split?
I just don't see it, myself.— Elliott425 - Hey Fishtown.. better crush the union before their thugs crush you. Rabble— stoky
- The NBA game is boring and the tickets and beers are overpriced...My God, I'd rather take my kids to a Big Five game at the Palestra, where the players aren't trying to make the SportsCenter highlight reel on every play.— J H
- Hey everyone!!! I just got a job with a new company! I think the right thing for me to do now is have a television special announcing my move - and then fail at my job. On second thought, that might be considered egotistical and brash. Better not. Although, it would feed my enormous ego! But still, better not. However...— clete1329
- please. the owners have been planning this for a few years. they want to crush the union, so they will cancel the season to try to starve the players out.
as a fan, let me just say: "Thanks, Billionaires!"— fishtown charlie - Least pure of all major sports. Thugs, inked-up, "gangster" wannabe tough-guys who dabble badly in music careers and Kardashians. The NBA desprately NEEDS a cleansing. Suspend the league for a decade til this mentality dies. Then start from scratch with real young men. These guys are vomitous.— clete1329
- Good. Cancel the entire season.— scootch
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
