First Two Weeks of NBA Season Cancelled

The start of the 2011 NBA season has been put off for at least two weeks due to failed negotiations.

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The Dallas Mavericks won't be able to defend their title, Derrick Rose won't be able to contort through the lane, and Blake Griffin won't be able to sit on people's foreheads. At least not for another two weeks after commissioner David Stern announced that all NBA games from Nov. 1 through Nov. 14 have been cancelled due to the players' and owners' inability to come to a labor agreement. 

In an interview with ESPN, Tyson Chandler stated that the players have flexed up to 4% on the negotiations, while owners refuse to budge. According to Stern, the two parties are "very far apart on virtually all issues. ... We just have a gulf between us." The impending cancellation of an entire season would lose players and organizations absurd amounts of money. Deputy commissioner said numbers would reach the hundreds of millions, and union executive director Billy Hunter gave a more specific estimate of $350 million a month for players

The last NBA lockout occurred in the 1998-1999 season and shortened the season to 50 games. Not only did it damage relationships between the players, coaches, and owners, but most importantly lost the trust of the fans. By Stern cancelling games, it is obvious the fans are not an important consideration in this matter even after the huge support shown in the 2010-2011 season. If he and the owners want to maintain any sort of integrity, they better realize what is truly at stake. 

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