[Bluehorseshoe]

..The more I want the lockout to go on. D-Rose......

"Everybody knows it's not our fault. It's definitely not our fault. If it were up to us, we'd be out there playing. But I think that it's wrong. I know (the owners) can easily take care of it and not take advantage of people. But I guess that's how people are."

Are they really this out of touch with what they should be getting?

[numismatist]

NBA basketball has been a snoozefest for a long time. Hopefully the NBA just goes away.

[pavyracer]

They want millions whereas David Stern and his corrupted owners want billions. The players are right.

[Bluehorseshoe]

They want millions whereas David Stern and his corrupted owners want billions. The players are right.

The players have invested NOTHING and get a bigger piece of the pie than the owners. Does that seem right to you??

[pavyracer]

The players have invested NOTHING and get a bigger piece of the pie than the owners. Does that seem right to you??

The fans fill the arenas and watch the games on TV because of the players..they don't give a fcuk about the owners.

[Bluehorseshoe]

The fans fill the arenas and watch the games on TV because of the players..they don't give a fcuk about the owners.

And if LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant all decided to retire and join the Peace Corps, would the league survive or would it fold up shop?

[Tech N9ne]

The players are greedy fukks

The average NBA salary is around 7 or 8 million per year I think

[rsnnh12]

The fans fill the arenas and watch the games on TV because of the players..they don't give a fcuk about the owners.

Then why don't the players start their own league where they are the owners? See how successful that would be

They both need each other, no reason not to have a 50-50 split of revenue

[Glitch]

And if LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant all decided to retire and join the Peace Corps, would the league survive or would it fold up shop?

"the players" includes but is not limited to those 3 all-stars.

if all the good players stopped playing and left the NBA and no good player ever wanted to play for them again- yes the league would 'fold up shop'

[pavyracer]

Go ahead and start a league without Lebron, Kobe and Rose and put your local tire guy to play instead and see how many people watch the games. Without the players all NBA owners will have to sell their teams at bankruptcy courts.

[Bluehorseshoe]

"the players" includes but is not limited to those 3 all-stars.

if all the good players stopped playing and left the NBA and no good player ever wanted to play for them again- yes the league would 'fold up shop'

And where would they go?

You think they all have a hard-on to play overseas? Most would take less money to stay in the US or they would have left already.

[rsnnh12]

Go ahead and start a league without Lebron, Kobe and Rose and put your local tire guy to play instead and see how many people watch the games. Without the players all NBA owners will have to sell their teams at bankruptcy courts.

And without owners, the players would be on an And1 mixtape tour or flipping burgers...

[bettilimbroke999]

They want millions whereas David Stern and his corrupted owners want billions. The players are right.

Players made 2.1 billion last year, owners lost 300 mil

Players will negotiate or lose close to 2 billion, owners could give a **** less

[MCherry281]

The owners deserve more money. They are running a risk but players are guaranteed a ton of money for playing a game. I don't know the details because I really don't care about it but I guess the stars can't settle for 20 mill a year. It's gotta be 22 mill. Disgusting.

[pavyracer]

And without owners, the players would be on an And1 mixtape tour or flipping burgers...

There are leagues in Europe and Asia that can absorb them. And they can have endorsement deals over there. Most basketball shoes and jerseys are sold overseas and not in the US. Trust me they won't be flipping burgers. There is a team in Italy who offered Kobe $600,000 per game he plays this year and they are not bullshitting.

[Bluehorseshoe]

There are leagues in Europe and Asia that can absorb them. And they can have endorsement deals over there. Most basketball shoes and jerseys are sold overseas and not in the US. Trust me they won't be flipping burgers. There is a team in Italy who offered Kobe $600,000 per game he plays this year and they are not bullshitting.

Again, they could go there now whether there was an NBA agreement or not.

Why don't they go?

[BranchDavidian]

Nonsense. Take away all the allstars from last year, and this year there would be a whole new bunch of "stars" to take their place. And two year from now, nobody would remember the old "stars". It would be the same stupid game played with so small a decline in talent that you would not be able to tell the difference. Remember when these allstars lost in the olympics? It seems that they are not that much better than the talent playing all over the world.

[HustleGetPaid]

Average salary is 5 milli...marque players fill the seats and of course it's the owners and management job to bring good players in, but without a doubt the fans come see the players...

[bettilimbroke999]

There are leagues in Europe and Asia that can absorb them. And they can have endorsement deals over there. Most basketball shoes and jerseys are sold overseas and not in the US. Trust me they won't be flipping burgers. There is a team in Italy who offered Kobe $600,000 per game he plays this year and they are not bullshitting.

Absorbing the entire 450 player league and absorbing one of the most recognized athletes in the world are two different things. Kobe will be fine if the league shuts down permanently, however the average NBA player that makes a mil a year and spends it all instantly is ******

Its a case of Jews who are losing 300 mil negotiating with blacks who are making 2.1 billion

Jews -1000000

[jjgold]

All these ghetto boys need to shut the fuk up

They would be on fukkin welfare, doing drugs , drinking , prisons if they did not play pro ball

History Does not lie

[BranchDavidian]

If Kobe, Wade, and LeBron all never existed, there would be three other "stars" playing in their stead. These other stars might be ever so slightly less talented, but without any comparison to Kobe, Wade, and LeBron, you would not notice any difference between the games with or without those three. The three "replacements" would have a big fan base just like the current crop of stars and there would be no noticeable difference for the fans. What happened when the football strike occurred? The owners got scab players for a while, and then an agreement was reached, if I remember correctly. Of course, the football scabs were a big drop off in talent, not just a few stars, but if the players never agreed to a contract, I got a feeling that the NFL would not have folded up and gone away. After a year or two of rebuilding, the league would have built back up.

[pavyracer]

Players will get all they want and then the owners will comply because the owners know without the players they have no business.

[TheCentaur]

Players will get all they want and then the owners will comply because the owners know without the players they have no business.

They have no business now, they are losing money. The fastest growing audience for NBA has low disposable income also, not a good formula for the league.

[wtf]

All these ghetto boys need to shut the fuk up They would be on fukkin welfare, doing drugs , drinking , prisons if they did not play pro ball History Does not lie

most of them end up there once they stop sticking a ball through a metal ring for money

[Bluehorseshoe]

Players will get all they want and then the owners will comply because the owners know without the players they have no business.

On what planet? Javale McGee already said some players are a ready to cave in.

The Owners planned this lock out a long time ago. They can ride it out better than the players.

[BranchDavidian]

Players will get all they want and then the owners will comply because the owners know without the players they have no business.

Nonsense. If the players don't make an agreement and the owners have to start all over with new players, give the league two years to get the basketball junkies back as fans. The first couple of years might be bleak, but the owners don't have much to lose. And, once college stars begin to fill up the empty slots next to the NBA players that would cave in and accept the "new deal" offered by the owners, the NBA would be just as popular in a couple of years as it is today. Perhaps the owners could even reduce ticket prices and give some of their fans a chance to actually attend some games.

[DwightShrute]

owners take all the risk. Ever heard a NBA giving back some of his salary and/or signing bonus if he sucks that year? No, but the owners still pay them.

Players are greedy fuks and I hope they lock them out for the entire season or longer if needed. Just another example how some unions ruin shit with their unwillingness to compromise with the changing times with all of their entitlement bs.

Greed Greed Greed!

Go work at Burger King D-Rose. Ya fuk

[d2bets]

The players have invested NOTHING and get a bigger piece of the pie than the owners. Does that seem right to you??

What do you mean the players have invested nothing? They invested their entire lives. Nobody got there without working their ass off. I'm not arguing over how many millions their worth, but to say they've invested nothing is silly.

[BranchDavidian]

What do you mean the players have invested nothing? They invested their entire lives. Nobody got there without working their ass off. I'm not arguing over how many millions their worth, but to say they've invested nothing is silly.

By investing their entire lives, do you mean getting a free college education ( plus a lot of goodies for most of them) and the necessary tutoring - for playing a game that they love to play? ( As tho they wouldn't have been playing all day every day anyway!) And then once out of college, do you mean by investing their entire lives that they had to endure the hardship of earning millions while still a teenager for playing this game that they love even more? The owners actually invested real hard earned cash that was and is at risk. The players began by collecting a free education worth about $100,000 thanks to the investment by the owners. The owners have invested their entire lives into this along with their risked capital. The players have NOTHING invested - they have been collecting since day one. If only I could get involved in a multi-billion dollar industry with no monetary investment.

[Naz18]

Love how during lockouts all the athletes get labeled as greedy....seems like a lot of people here don't have a basic college education.

[BranchDavidian]

Love how during lockouts all the athletes get labeled as greedy....seems like a lot of people here don't have a basic college education.

I don't get your point. I have heard both sides labeled as greedy. However, there is nothing wrong with greed. Greed makes the world go around. But that greed needs to be tempered with common sense. Everyone wants to make as much as he can, obviously. The athletes should get as much as they can. The owners should get as much as they can. But there comes a point at which they are only hurting themselves. If they don't allow their business partners ( the owners ) to get a fair deal, they are simply dealing themselves out of business. AND, who is it that you think doesn't have a college education around here? AND, what is the significance if some of us are not college educated?

[bettilimbroke999]

I don't get your point. I have heard both sides labeled as greedy. However, there is nothing wrong with greed. Greed makes the world go around. But that greed needs to be tempered with common sense. Everyone wants to make as much as he can, obviously. The athletes should get as much as they can. The owners should get as much as they can. But there comes a point at which they are only hurting themselves. If they don't allow their business partners ( the owners ) to get a fair deal, they are simply dealing themselves out of business. AND, who is it that you think doesn't have a college education around here? AND, what is the significance if some of us are not college educated?

Exactly, the league made 1.8 billion before players salaries last year, players got paid 2.1 billion, net result no good

Greed is perfectly fine but the owners are not gonna run a league that cant even break even, the owners arent gonna pay these monkeys millions out of their pockets, the ghetto monkeys would be scrubbing toilets if not for the NBA

[King Mayan]

The players have invested NOTHING and get a bigger piece of the pie than the owners. Does that seem right to you??

invested nothing?? How about their body.

[BranchDavidian]

invested nothing?? How about their body.

I suppose if I were to become a plumbers assistant, hoping to become a well-paid plumber some day, you would say that I had invested my life into plumbing. So, when a real plumber with a real business ( which he has invested his life AND risked his capital to start ) hires me -- I guess I have the right to tell this business man how much he will pay me? Since I have invested my whole life into this business, the owner of the plumbing business should understand that I have the right to demand that he give me all his profits plus a little. Finding an occupation is not INVESTING your life or your body. Perhaps the significance of a college degree is showing its importance here. How can so many people not understand the term investment.

[pavyracer]

Nonsense. If the players don't make an agreement and the owners have to start all over with new players, give the league two years to get the basketball junkies back as fans. The first couple of years might be bleak, but the owners don't have much to lose. And, once college stars begin to fill up the empty slots next to the NBA players that would cave in and accept the "new deal" offered by the owners, the NBA would be just as popular in a couple of years as it is today. Perhaps the owners could even reduce ticket prices and give some of their fans a chance to actually attend some games.

Where are they going to get new players? Go to the YMCA and pick up Joe the plumber and Bobby the part time clerk to play for the Los Angeles Lakers? Can you imagine Jack Nicholson watching that game? He will pull out his own eyes out of disgust. Without the current NBA players the NBA is dead. END OF THE STORY.