Last Summer Feels Like So Long Ago

Last summer was great for fans of the NBA. This summer is the exact opposite. I have to wonder, will there even be a season next year? And if yes, will it be too late? Will fans already give up on yet another league of millionaire players fighting with billionaire owners over who should get more millions of dollars?

From this fans perspective, the NBA lock-out seems different than the NFL lock-out. For some reason, I have more resentment for the NBA. Maybe because I expect the NFL to find a resolution and fantasy football to go unharmed. Maybe it's because the NBA lock-out has no end in sight and I know in my heart of hearts it's going to cripple the fan-base for a long time. The NFL can afford to act up a little bit because of how many loyal followers it has. Not the NBA. The NBA is a little closer to the NHL in terms of how far they can push their fans before they just say "f--- it".

I'm a die hard NBA fan, it's my favorite league out there. And even I am starting to wonder if I need to pull back on how much respect I give to the NBA. Whenever a professional sports league locks-out, it starts with the greed factor. Obviously fans of the sport think that both the owners and the players are greedy as hell and need to chill out. After all, isn't it the fans that pay for tickets and buy jerseys? Why disrespect your customers so blatantly by skipping an entire season? You can't feed your families with the money everyone is making? Please.

I'm not going to get into if I'm for the players or for the owners because I really have no idea. I don't have inside sources telling me what is going on, I'm not a lawyer. I don't have knowledge beyond just speculating. What I will say is I think if there is no 2011-2012 season, it's going to hurt the Association for years. It might even result in contraction.

My hometown team, the Timberwolves, struggle to GIVE AWAY tickets. Last season, I paid $4.00 per seat to become a season ticket holder and the only games I actually had to sit in my seats for were the Lakers and Heat. The other 38 games (LAL came twice) I moved into a prime view, there are empty seats all over the lower level. For this upcoming season you can buy season ticket packages for as low as $2 a seat. In other words, no one is going out of their way to attend Timberwolves games -- even with Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio.

LeBron James would say that Love and Rubio should be adding depth to other NBA line-ups. It's a scary thought to imagine Minneapolis without the Wolves.

My fear is that if the NBA stays locked-out for an entire season, do teams in "small markets" or unfashionable markets like my Timberwolves ever come back? Fans in those areas might go away forever. And stars obviously don't flock to play at the Target Center. Therefore owners might see it as a good time to get out, and David Stern might think its a good idea.

This past winter, the NBA was the hottest selling ticket for a lot of cities, like Miami, Boston, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. The game is popular. But it's the biggest markets in the NBA that have the biggest draw to get the leagues best players (Carmelo to NY over DEN, Bron to MIA over CLE) and consequently those teams will have more wins, more playoff chances and more NBA titles.

Then again, who really needs the NBA? If there is no season, will it really be missed even in the large markets with the best teams and best players? I think South Beach will survive even without the Heat playing 41 games a year on Biscayne Blvd. If there is no season, it looks like Deron Williams has plans of banking $5 million playing in Turkey and now it looks like Kobe could be considering selling his services to fans overseas.

I don't think the NBA will contract, and it's not going anywhere. If and when there is an NBA, it will always be the biggest stage for world's best basketball players. The bottom line of all of this is the boring CBA bullstuff. The NBA needs to agree upon a mutually beneficial deal where owners and players are both happy and that allows teams in smaller markets more leverage when it comes to keeping or signing star players. Quickly. That's the only way the NBA will survive.

The NBA needs to sign a CBA that supports smaller markets having the ability to compete with bigger markets for star players for the owners sake more than the players sake. Whether it's giving small market franchises more cap space on years following seasons with losing records, or putting all small market teams into the draft lottery every year. Or you could give them more money, allowing small markets to essentially buy wins.

Giving small market teams more cap space might be the only way to help them win over stars, and thus have a chance of being a profitable franchise.

But more cash doesn't mean a team will be able to sign the best players in the league. Take last summer for example. The Heat were able to convince Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh to sign contracts for less than the maximum in order to provide them the chance to sign other legit role players to help them compete. The big question is how do you define what teams are considered small market teams? It's a slippery slope that the players and owners may never agreed on.

So here we are. One summer removed from 'The Decision', we sit in through the summer of 'The Lock-out'. No LeBron James re-tweeting Dwyane Wade. No Top 10 Surprising Summer League Players lists. A naked NBA.com. Crickets. How long will it last?