If your like me, then waking up Saturday morning with the news that NBA owners and players had reached a deal was exactly what we had been waiting for. Don't get me wrong had there been no deal or even this tentative deal that they have agreed upon, I would of got my fix from the NCAA or even tuned in when I could to the players that made the trip overseas. It wouldn't of been the same though and that is something that only a select few feel about the NBA. The NBA much like the NHL does not have the luxury that the NFL has knowing that the fans, although they don't agree with the fact that billionaires are arguing with millionaires they will still show up on game day.
The NHL has long been struggling to get back the fans and the national attention it lost during its 2004-05 lockout. The NBA owners and more importantly David Stern is fully aware that the fans the NBA gained during last years outstanding playoffs would be hard to get back after a missed season. Although some will argue that the damage has been done by missing games thus far and not coming back until Christmas, I will argue that Christmas day is the perfect day to come back. A day that the general public has grown accustom to seeing NBA on T.V. With the NFL airing just one game on Christmas day it leaves the sports world wide open and all eyes available to be on the NBA.
The tentative agreement is basically what the owners have been wanting the entire time. The owners getting their wish to have players BRI cut from 57% to 50% and the mid level salaries to be cut, and teams that are not making it financially have the a chance to survive. All of this seems to be settled in the tentative agreement but a few issues that still remain could be the deciding factors. Draft age and how D-League player salaries work after being sent down or called up being amongst those still to be discussed, I think that the drug testing issue that is yet to be resolved will be a big hurdle to get through. Players not opposed to in season drug testing for PED's and other illegal substances but the NBA is pushing for year round testing, and that could be a tough pill to swallow for some NBA'ers, no pun intended.
For the time being I am happy to hear that the NBA is back and they have given us a nice gift in the form of Christmas day games. Lets hope that this tentative deal can turn into a real deal that is in writing and all sides can agree upon. As I tweeted when I heard the news if anything else comes from the news Saturday, it gives us a break from all the Tebow talk here in Denver. At least for now.
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