The NBA simply doesn't know a good thing when they have it. After spending this past season recapturing many of the viewers and fans that the League lost with the retirement of Michael Jordan, the NBA and it's players could not come to a last-minute agreement Monday night leading NBA Commissioner David Stern to cancel the first two weeks of the 2011-12 NBA Regular Season.
The League had already canceled training camp and all the preseason games and Stern had imposed a Monday deadline for a full season to be saved. Unlike the NFL, however, the two sides simply could not get anything done and will miss games for the first time since 1999 when the League played a little over half a season.
The best-case scenario for the NBA is a deal gets done quickly this week, allowing the NBA to begin the regular season around November 14. That seems improbable now, with both sides preparing to dig in for what could be a long fight. For most teams, the two-week cancellation means 6-8 games will be lost.
The two sides have proven in the past to be unable to make a last minute deal, coming to an agreement in January 1999 after Stern threatened to cancel the entire season. The basketball landscape was different back then, however, and players seem more and more willing to take their talents over-seas. Of course, a large segment of the NBA player population will struggle through a lockout.
As for the Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving, the #1 Pick in the 2011 NBA Draft has already said he will not seek work elsewhere.