The NBA owners have an incredible product and talent in their hands to offer the basketball-loving public, but they just can't figure out how to deliver it. After negotiations with the players broke down yesterday and commissioner David Stern cancelled the first two weeks of the season, it seems like all of the hopeful progress reported over the past couple of weeks has vanished and left us back where we started, with the owners jonesing for a hard salary cap and an NFL-style, level playing field.
In the end (this will end eventually, right), the Indiana Pacers will likely benefit as much as any team from the system changes, but they along with the league will be hitting the reset button on the young, exciting league that created quite a stir last season.
The talent level across the league is insane right now, stockpiled with fabulous young talent drafting behind unreal talent with players that are just hitting their prime years. The Indiana Pacers have some of that talent, as well with an opportunity to add talent to join Danny Granger in his prime years and help bring along Paul George, Darren Collison and the other young players on the roster.
The Pacers weren't looking to this summer to make all of their moves for the future, the free-agent market just isn't that strong, but they were going to be able to make strides in that direction. But now the team can only hope some form of a season is salvaged this year and if so, the new system rules may indeed speed up the process of building a better team.
But until then, out of sight, out of mind.
After the jump, some tons of great links with super reports expressing a ton of frustration.
- With no labor deal near, NBA cancels first 2 weeks of regular season | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
- First two weeks of NBA's regular season canceled - fox59.com
- Canceling regular-season games foolish or all part of the plan? - NBA - CBSSports.com Basketball
- NBA Labor -- David Stern cancels first two weeks of NBA season - ESPN Marc Stein
- NBA cancels two weeks, earns self-inflicted wound - ESPN J.A. Adande
- David Stern Wields NBA Lockout Like A Weapon, Treats Fans Like Fools - SBNation.com
- Steve Nash Explains The NBA Lockout, And The 'Let Us Play' Campaign - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
- GameTime: Stern and Silver | NBA.com
- GameTime: Aldridge | NBA.com
- The Point Forward " Posts System issues back at forefront of labor talks "
- The NBA announces two weeks of missed paychecks for workers in 29 NBA cities - Ball Don't Lie - NBA Blog - Yahoo! Sports
- NBA Cancels the First Two Weeks of the Regular Season, the Pacers Lose Seven Games - 8.9
- David Stern hints more cancellations ahead as NBA wonders what's next - Chris Mannix - SI.com
- NBA owners take big risk playing fans for fools | ProBasketballTalk
- Some very good games lost to lockout. Thanks a lot, guys. | ProBasketballTalk
- Stern cancels two weeks over labor impasse - CBSSports.com Berger
- NBA owners, players have plenty of work ahead after David Stern cancels first two weeks - Ian Thomsen - SI.com
- Now we'll see who really cares about the NBA - NYPOST.com