By JOSHUA NATOLI
Contributing Writer
Published September 24, 2011
I hope everyone has their pre-orders in for NBA 2K12 because that looks to be the closest any basketball fan will get to a full NBA season this year. The NBA lockout, which started July 1st of this year, has caused quite a buzz in the sports world.
The biggest of which being when New Jersey Nets guard, Deron Williams, agreed to a deal with Turkish basketball club Besiktas in case the lockout terminated the NBA season. This triggered a thought-provoking stir around the sports world with fans worrying if the NBA season is doomed and players wondering if they should jump on the Williams’ bandwagon and strike a deal with an overseas team.
Perhaps the worst part of this is the lack of interest sports networks have shown in the topic. The NBA is one of the four core professional sports in the U.S. along with the NFL, MLB and NHL. One would think lockout news and updates would pull up premium in the sports world, think again.
Take a trip to ESPN.com and check out the NBA section. Sure you will find some news on the lockout, but not much. The die-hard fan is left with one or two articles a week updating the situation between owners and the player’s union.
Go back a couple of months, the only thing you saw on sports television was the NFL lockout. It was almost like the world was going to end, the sports world at least. Turn the channel; NFL lockout. Turn to another channel; NFL lockout. Go online; NFL lockout. It would be nice to see the NBA getting this kind of attention, though we have been left with some action to help us cope with the dilemma.
Kevin Durant, who would be my pick for MVP if the season were to come out of this unscathed, lit up the streetball circuit over the summer. That can only hold fans over for so long. The latest news fans received was that Los Angeles Lakers forward, Ron Artest, changed his name to Metta World Peace. After the name change, World Peace decided to take his talents to Dancing With the Stars where he met an early exit.
Another bad part of this whole situation would be the demise of the 2011 Draft class. So much talent would go to waste. Players such a Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, and Jimmer Fredette would have to put their game on hold and not get that crucial NBA rookie year that often makes or breaks players.
Also second year stars such as John Wall will not be able to shine after gathering some experience from their first year. Wall has a great chance to lead his Wizards to the playoffs after a dismal season and also a good shot at becoming an All-Star and fulfilling his superstar prophecy that was given to him ever since he stood-out at the University of Kentucky.
Hopefully the players and owners will reach an agreement before players report to training camp in October, but unfortunately, the future looks dim. It’s likely that ESPN will broadcast some overseas games on television here in the States, but I’m not waking up at 4 a.m. to see Blake Griffin posterize some guy whose last name I have no shot at pronouncing. It looks like it’s going to be a very lonely winter in the sports world of 2012.
