Photo: AP
The 2012 NBA season has finally felt the lockout’s wrath.The entire preseason has been canceled. And unless a deal is reached by Oct. 10, according to commissioner David Stern, regular season games will be missed.
The Dallas Mavericks championship celebration concluded the greatest post-Jordan NBA season by nearly every measurement imaginable. Everyone loses if the NBA deprives fans of a single game.
But what happens if the NBA loses a month? Half a season? Or (gasp) the entire year?
Fans will be robbed of many fantastic storylines.
Dirk Nowitzki waited a long time for his ring. And without a season opener, how much longer will he have to wait to actually receive it? Or at least defend his title? Plus, life is always more exciting when Mark Cuban is in involved.
The league boasts some young and hungry teams with visions of taking the Mavericks and the old guard down. The Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies are all youth-filled rosters on the rise. The development of these teams' chemistry over an entire season is worth watching.
For some organisations, 2012 could be the last hurrah. Franchises like the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers are comprised of veterans built to win now. These teams may have a couple years at best remaining before their stars' collective knees give out and are forced into a rebuilding mode.
Veteran teams are made up of veteran players. And the NBA is on the verge of losing some of its all-time greats. Kobe Bryant. Kevin Garnett. Tim Duncan. Steve Nash. Ray Allen. These players are all on the wrong side of 30. A lost season could spell the end of many veterans' careers and preserve many of basketball's hallowed records.
The NBA's pool of talent-rich youth is as plentiful as ever. Kevin Durant. Derrick Rose. Blake Griffin. The list of high-flying, athletically-awing youngsters is endless. To miss a year of their electric highlights would be devastating.
The Knicks may not have the same clout as the Heat. But their drama is just as fascinating. Can Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire coexist for an entire season? Will they get in a bidding war for Chris Paul -- and form Miami Heat Lite? And how will owner James Dolan screw up next?
Poor New Jerseyans. First, your team is sold and moved out of state (albeit not far away). And now you may not even get to enjoy the team's last hurrah. There really isn't much upside here. Especially if you like looking at Kim Kardashian.
How much fun was the yearlong Carmelo Anthony drama last season? NBA -- and, especially, New York -- fans may miss out on a chance to experience it all over again with Chris Paul. CP3 is in the final season of his contract and the chance of him remaining in New Orleans is slim. Will the Hornets take their chances? Or will they dangle the point guard as trade bait the entire season?
Basketball's favourite siblings aren't the Lopez Brothers, and certainly not the Collins twins. It's Jeff and Stan. Jeff, the opinionated former coach and ABC analyst, is always a must-listen. Sundays wouldn't be the same without Jeff going off on some tangent about a celebrity relationship or lambasting an unsuspecting fan in the crowd. And what would we do without Stan's constant nagging? Basketball fans need more t-shirt-suit jacket combos in their lives.
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