NBA Players Reject Offer, Move to Dissolve Union

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Most people don't care.

This is the main difference between the two lockouts.

When the NFL was facing a non-season - everyone cared.

[BridgeTroll]

Most people don't care.

This is the main difference between the two lockouts.

When the NFL was facing a non-season - everyone cared.

I certainly dont.  The NBA lost me years ago.  I still love basketball... and avidly watch the college version.  I simply cannot watch the monstrous version of basketball the NBA plays.  Football is the same game from pop Warner to the pros... same with baseball and even hockey.  Only the NBA has decided to create a "better version" of basketball and as far as I am concerned... made it worse.  Get replacement players and move on...

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I certainly dont.  The NBA lost me years ago.  I still love basketball... and avidly watch the college version.  I simply cannot watch the monstrous version of basketball the NBA plays.  Football is the same game from pop Warner to the pros... same with baseball and even hockey.  Only the NBA has decided to create a "better version" of basketball and as far as I am concerned... made it worse.  Get replacement players and move on...

I've never been a fan of basketball - at any level - mostly because it was the one sport that I couldn't play.  I never grasped the concepts and didn't have the patience to learn the skills.

Unfortunately, they are taking away the style of football that I love and turning it into basketball on grass.  I like hard-nosed, running the ball type football.  It really bothers me that they're teaching a read-option offense at the Pop Warner level now.  The 'fundamentals' that I grew up with aren't being taught any longer.  Ask one of these kids what a 32 dive is and they'll just give you a blank stare.  Oh!  You mean I-pro, Z-tight, H-back Iso Power Right, yeah, we usually only run that with our big guys near the goal line.

Baseball will always be my favorite, I just wish I had played more, but I couldn't play baseball and golf.  The really cool thing about baseball is the progression from t-ball, to 10u to 12u and eventually pony league/school ball.  I've coached my son since he was 5 (6 years) and it's been really cool to be a part of.

[BridgeTroll]

My rebuttal would be... you can still play whatever style of football you wish.  Go ahead and run a 32 Dive.... over and over.  Look at the Denver Broncos...

[thelakelander]

Yes, you certainly can play whatever style you like.  Look no further than Georgia Tech and their option.  The flip side of that is the other team can play their own style as well and if you want to win, you're going to have to stop it.  Btw, there is nothing wrong with running that 32 Dive repeatedly.  However, if you have no respectable passing threat the Ray Lewis' of the NFL are going to eat your poor running back alive.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

My rebuttal would be... you can still play whatever style of football you wish.  Go ahead and run a 32 Dive.... over and over.  Look at the Denver Broncos...

That lengthy mouthful was the same play.    Give the NFL a week or two to digest the Bronco's new attack.  Remember, the Wildcat used to work, too.

Yes, you certainly can play whatever style you like.  Look no further than Georgia Tech and their option. 

Sure you can.  What are they ranked again?   

[copperfiend]

Most people don't care.

This is the main difference between the two lockouts.

When the NFL was facing a non-season - everyone cared.

I certainly dont.  The NBA lost me years ago.  I still love basketball... and avidly watch the college version.  I simply cannot watch the monstrous version of basketball the NBA plays.  Football is the same game from pop Warner to the pros... same with baseball and even hockey.  Only the NBA has decided to create a "better version" of basketball and as far as I am concerned... made it worse.  Get replacement players and move on...

I'm 31 and stopped caring when I got out of high school. I used to love watching the Bulls, Rockets, Spurs, Sonics and the other great teams of the 90's. The NBA peaked in that decade with Jordan and will never reach those heights again. The main difference between the NFL and the NBA is the stars of the NFL are the teams themselves while the NBA's stars are the players. Guys like Lebron and Kobe are great but they don't have the mass appeal that Bird, Magic and Jordan had.

[thelakelander]

^I've actually grown to like the NBA more since Jordan left the game.  I really didn't enjoy going into the season knowing the Bulls were a virtual lock to win the whole thing.  Felt the same way about MLB in the late 1990s with the Yankees.

[copperfiend]

I am sure there are others that feel that way too. But since Jordan left, there have really only been a handful of teams that have a shot at the title every year. And in the modern NBA structure smaller market teams like Minnesota, Memphis, Toronto, Sacramento are essentially iirelevant. And unless you're OKC and get a Kevin Durant, good luck hanging on to your star.

[thelakelander]

San Antonio is a pretty small market.  Orlando isn't a large market either.  Nevertheless, both have fared pretty well in the past two decades.  On the flip end, the Knicks and Nets play in the largest market and other than a few seasons, both have sucked wind for the last 20 years.  Get a good GM and build a good product and a team can compete.  Don't and a team will struggle even in a market like San Francisco.  I believe the market size issue impacts MLB moreso than the NBA.  As far as the NBA goes, perhaps they simply have too many teams?  The league would be better off with contraction, imo.

[copperfiend]

I have no doubt about that. Contraction is needed badly but you'd have to figure out a way to compensate the owners of the existing teams with fair market value. That would cost into the billions.

[KenFSU]

I am sure there are others that feel that way too. But since Jordan left, there have really only been a handful of teams that have a shot at the title every year. And in the modern NBA structure smaller market teams like Minnesota, Memphis, Toronto, Sacramento are essentially iirelevant. And unless you're OKC and get a Kevin Durant, good luck hanging on to your star.

Others might disagree, but I've been watching the NBA for over 20 years, and I actually think last year's playoffs may have had the most teams I can ever remember for whom you could make a legitimate argument that they had a chance to win it all. Miami. Dallas. Boston. LA. OKC. San Antonio. Chicago. Maybe Orlando or Portland if they got hot. Even Memphis looked pretty much unbeatable for the first two rounds. Plus NY was intriguing with Amare and Melo. The NBA was awesome until 1993 or so, but aside from the Bulls post-MJ comeback, the stretch from 1995 until the early 2000's was quite awful at times. Franchise players like Big Country Reeves, Alan Houston, Glen Davis, Larry Johnson, ugh.

In my opinion, the problem isn't parity, but rather the inability of small market teams to hold on to their superstar players. If a small market team can hold on to a guy like Blake Griffin, or Kevin Garnett, or Kevin Durant, or Chris Webber, or Dwight Howard, or Zack Randolph, or Deron Williams, or Carmelo Anthony, they should be able to sell tickets regardles of won-loss record. The Carmelo Anthony situation in Denver though was the perfect example of what's hurting the small market teams.

[Lucasjj]

Last year's NBA season was one of it's best years ratings and popularity wise since the Jordan era. They really are going to lose a lot of what they have been building the last several years. I have been following this lockout very closely and a couple weeks ago there seemed to be real optimism that this would get done, but this has all been frustrating.

BTW, the mid to late 90's was where I started following the NBA and really appeciate a Big Country Reeves reference. It has been a long time since I have heard his name.

[copperfiend]

The NBA was awesome until 1993 or so, but aside from the Bulls post-MJ comeback, the stretch from 1995 until the early 2000's was quite awful at times. Franchise players like Big Country Reeves, Alan Houston, Glen Davis, Larry Johnson, ugh.

Do you mean Glen Rice? What was wrong with Glen Rice? The man had one of the best three point shots of all time.

[thelakelander]

^Rice from long distance! Sarah Palin would agree with this as well...