A Nuclear Winter: The NBA Lockout of 2011

      "We are about to go into the nuclear winter of the NBA."   David Stern

After the news surfaced yesterday afternoon that the players had rejected the latest proposal from the NBA and was headed towards a dissolution of the Players Union, NBA Commissioner David Stern took to the airwaves with an 11 minute interview on ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports.  Quite frankly, Stern can take to the air whenever he desires based on the fact that ESPN, Turner Sports, and ABC Sports are all partners of the NBA, not the players, but the NBA entity.  During the "winter" months, a significant chunk of their programming is dedicated to the coverage of the NBA, use NBATV as an example which is owned by Turner Sports, the majority of their NBA coverage now is based on the greatest playoff games which can't feature any current player in the NBA due to the lockout, can you say plan b.  Knowing that the media outlets mentioned above are partners, wouldn't one come to the conclusion that since Stern
is the head of the snake, then they are all promoting his message and not the message of the soon to be defunct Players Union?  

David Stern

The NBA ran a massive media public relations fest in the days leading up to yesterday, spreading the owners side of the story and forcing the will of David Stern onto mindless viewers.  Headlines showered the Internet in bold lettering stating that the players had rejected the latest proposal but I implore you to take a moment and think of this.  During negotiations there's the two entities and they are supported by their lawyers, a proposal is created and brought to the table by both sides, both sides can accept or reject said proposal, both sides can modify said proposal until an agreement between both sides is reached.  I question why it is that the media always broadcasts when the players have rejected a deal but never when the owners have rejected a deal.....take a second and let that soak in.  Have you ever once heard about the owners rejecting a NBPA proposal?  A fair and balanced message is not being sent out and it's swaying the public opinion in a negative manner thus the truth is out there, you just have to actually do a little work to find it.  Foxsports columnist Jason Whitlock has spoken the truth about this current lockout since its inception and not just the players point of view, he has covered all angles.  Myself and The Closer have shed light on some of the injustices of the lockout and The Real NBA has seen record growth over the off-season due to our complete coverage of the lockout......the truth is out there.

What does a "Disclaimer of Interest" mean for the future of league?

Fisher and Hunter

By filing a disclaimer of interest, the Players Union is dissolved and it allows the players of the NBA to file an antitrust lawsuit against the league with the federal court and the players have stated that they will file the suit within the next 48 hours.  Billy Hunter and Derek Fisher addressed the players last night with a letter explaining the legalities of the current process.  The court proceedings could be lengthy and that has brought many to the conclusion that the entire season will be lost but even with that said there's still a small window of opportunity for the two sides to come together, make a deal and allow us, the fans to at least enjoy a 50 game season.  There is a faction of players who are willing to take the route of decertification which would give Billy Hunter and David Stern 45 days to continue to negotiating a deal until the future of the union comes to a vote.  Instead of one antitrust lawsuit, decertifying the union would allow for all 450 players to bring lawsuits against the league individually which would put an incredible amount of pressure on the owners and David Stern.  

At this point in time no one knows what the future holds for the NBA so I am not going to pretend as I do.  I will only say that I believe in what's right and if the players had gone on strike for more money I would have been on the side of the owners without hesitating but what we have here is highway robbery plain and simple.  I stand by the players 100% and if the season has to be canceled in order for this injustice to be fixed then so be it.  All the players have asked is to just play under a system that's fair, not a system that only has the interest of the owners in mind.  The league was built off of the productivity of the players past and present, Wilt-Russell, Magic-Larry, MJ against the greats of the 90's and today the game is driven by future Hall of Famers like Kobe, Wade, James, Howard, and Paul.  They are fighting the good fight and not just for themselves but for players past and present.  They won't cripple the future for the current rookies and players to come nor will they spit on the players of the past who'd sacrificed and battled the NBA in past labor negotiations.  The current NBA players are the caretakers of the game and are shouldered with the responsibility of protecting their contemporaries past, present, and future.  This too shall pass for the NBA and its players shall have life once again.