SO, NBA owners have locked their players out. All of that means practically nothing to the average fan right now, but could in the not-too-distant future. NBA should learn
a lesson from baseballIn the short term, does anyone really care whether NBA players get to play in the World Championships? I know I don't. The last time they did, guys like Larry Johnson and Shawn Kemp embarrassed themselves by acting like yahoos on the court.
In the longer term, however, the labor discord could affect the popularity of a league that has enjoyed a nice growth pattern the past 18 years.
Players and owners need only look at the damage done to pro baseball to figure out the worst-case scenario. It has taken four years and an assault on one of the all-time records for baseball to regain much of the fan interest that it killed during 1994's strike.
I've said before that the two sides are both economically savvy enough to avoid such a pitfall, but one never knows.
Bill Duffy, who is the agent for No. 1 draft pick Michael Olowokandi -- and also for former Rainbow Anthony Carter -- said yesterday that he believes the fight over how to divide the billions will be tough, but a deal will be made without interruption to the regular season.
"I see the possibility of us not having a full training camp," he said. "I think it'll go to the last day."
If that's the case, then training camp, and not the regular season, would be cut short. That's not good news for local fans who are looking forward to watching the Los Angeles Lakers play here in October.
Duffy, obviously, is on the players' side and has little sympathy for owners, who have failed to control their spending.
"You have a structure where these guys can't police themselves," he said, "and they want the players to police them."
That statement makes sense. Salaries are rising much faster than revenue, but hey, nobody forced Jerry Buss to pay Shaquille O'Neal $120-something million over seven years.
Players should have never given the owners an out when they signed their last bargaining agreement. But they did, and now they have to live with it.
The owners say they want to do away with the "Larry Bird Exception," which allows teams to spend any amount to re-sign their own free-agent players regardless of the salary cap.
Teams with smaller revenue streams, naturally, would like to see that rule stricken and a hard salary cap similar to the NFL's put in place.
It should be an interesting couple of months.
On one hand, the players know that they are the product and that, without them, the NBA would be just another pick-up game.
On the other hand, the owners have the leverage to chuck the whole season. Their television deal pays them for the entire 1998-99 regular season, regardless of whether games are played. So they have a little walking around money.
Duffy said that when the lockout ends, it is highly possible Carter will sign a free-agent contract with the Lakers.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations Jerry West really likes Carter, Duffy said, adding that he and West have talked in earnest about Carter playing in Los Angeles.
On the surface, it would appear to be a great opportunity for the former Hawaii star. The Lakers are down to Derek Fisher and Jon Barry at the point now that Nick Van Exel has been exiled to the Denver Nuggets.
I can't imagine the Lakers want Barry back, but I'm not sure West would feel comfortable with Fisher and Carter as his two point men.
