The lockout is behind us... see what I did there

When most of us were sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner there was one thing that was likely not on our minds—basketball. That was not just because there was a full slate of NFL action and some quality college games on, but because with the way that the negotiations had gone there was little hope or reason to think that something good was going to happen anytime soon.

Maybe that’s what Billy Hunter and David Stern were waiting for. They wanted us to be at our lowest moment; thinking that there was going to be no NBA season this year. Right when we were prepared to make due with nothing but college hoops and charity games—BAM!!!—a tentative agreement is reached!

Assuming all continues to go well, the league even announced that it will be giving fans one heck of a Christmas present with three solid match-ups on opening day of the season (which happens to be Christmas Day): Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks; Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks; Chicago Bulls vs. Los Angeles Lakers.

The suddenness of the agreement really should not be that surprising to fans. Throughout the whole 149/150 day ordeal the two sides seemed to take turns making big, dramatic exits, cancelling talks and making it appear as if the sky was falling (yes, a chicken little reference; I went there).

The Charlotte Bobcats made a big, bold move last season when they traded away a lot of the team’s best veteran talent in order to shake things up. It appeared to almost be working, but then injuries killed any chances of the team sneaking into the playoffs.

With a 25-29 finish after starting 9-19, the Bobcats showed that there is hope for the future; maybe they just needed more time to gel as well as a couple more weapons….

They appeared to get those weapons in the 2011 draft in the form of UConn’s phenomenal guard Kemba Walker and international sensation Bismack Biyumbo from the Democratic Republic of Congo (but playing for a team in Spain).

Could these guys be the answer?

Basketball fans around the country have been on edge wondering from one minute to the next if the 2011-12 NBA season is ever going to start. One minute the media is telling us that the owners and players are close to a deal; in the next they are walking away from the negotiation table yet again.

It’s David Stern playing hardball. It’s Kevin Garnett glaring everyone down. Forget the basketball wives; the players and owners would make a much better reality show.

Talks have “progressed” to a point where Stern is throwing out ultimatums; you know those things that bank robbers give right before they start killing hostages.

Apparently the first ultimatum was not a serious one (that works out well for the bank robbers too). The players are now mulling over another. Word so far is that this one too will likely be rejected.

If you have just been casually following the talks, it would appear that the split of basketball related income (BRI) is the main issue. The owners are insisting on a 50-50 while the players don’t want to go that low (they were getting 57 percent). However, on a little closer examination the issues appear to be a little deeper than that for the players.

Sometime ago there was an article printed on one of the many online news outlets that called for His Airness, Michael Jordan, to get involved in the contract negotiations between the players and owners of the NBA. Now that he has done so there are many that wished he had not.

The last time there was a labor impasse (and he was a player) he was quite instrumental in getting a deal done. If he got involved this time around—as an owner of the Charlotte Bobcats—a deal could actually be struck that both sides would be able to accept.

Since he made his views known there has been article after article printed that was not too kind to Jordan. Those people had one image of him in their minds and since he didn’t say what they wanted to hear—that the 50-50 split was a good deal—they are out to turn him into a turncoat and villain.

I think that MJ might just be trying to save his team and the rest of the NBA in the process.