NBA Cancels First Two Weeks of Regular Season

Proving that the two sides in the NBA labor dispute are much further apart than the labor-management battle in the recent NFL lockout, the NBA has taken the difficult step of canceling the first two weeks of the season. The league already had cancelled the entire preseason.

The league issued the following press release Monday night:

The NBA announced today that it has canceled the first two weeks of the 2011-12 regular season because a new collective bargaining agreement has not been reached with the National Basketball Players Association. This cancellation includes all games originally
scheduled to be played through November 14.

“Despite extensive efforts, we have not been able to reach a new agreement with the players’ union that allows all 30 teams to be able to compete for a championship while fairly compensating our players,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said.

Refunds plus interest are available for all NBA season-ticket holders for all preseason and regular-season games that are canceled.

The Players' Union and the NBA had been in active negotiations throughout the weekend, with a major sticking point being the revenue split between the owners and players.  Sources have claimed that ownership was seeking a 50/50 split -- amounting to a seven percent drop from the current 57% the players now enjoy.

Another area of contention has been the issue of a hard salary cap, which would move the league away from the current luxury tax model.  Unlike the scenario found in the lucrative NFL, multiple NBA owners are claiming to be losing money under the current CBA.

While few in the media have questioned this notion, there is reason for skepticism.  That is because a faction of the current ownership has its roots in the NHL, where a hard cap system is in place.

This faction now seeks to impose similar constraints on an entirely different sport where the product, global appeal, and overall marketing are light years ahead of the NHL.  It smacks of greed on the part of ownership, rather than an earnest attempt to ensure financial survival.

Unfortunately for both sides, the NBA currently is on the backburner of the minds of many fans, as the MLB postseason, NFL regular season, and college football seasons are in full swing.

By Staff of The Daily Sports Herald