NBA Owners and Players Still Far From a Deal, Lockout Looms

Amidst all the recent success and the hype that has come with it, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) are still nowhere near a deal. The July 1st deadline is looming and it’s almost inevitable at this point, there will be a lockout in the NBA. The owners and players are talking, they are still world’s apart on very important issues such as a hard or soft salary cap and guaranteed contracts. The owners are adamant in their stance in favor of a hard salary cap and non-guaranteed contracts. Derek Fisher, Los Angeles Lakers point guard and president of the NBPA, said “the owners have informed him that if the players do not accept what has been offered to them thus far then there will be a lockout.” So, although the NBA is on the rise and gaining momentum, due in large part to compelling storylines like the star-studded Miami Heat, the veteran laden Dallas Mavericks, and the up and coming Oklahoma City Thunder, it seems like the NBA will fail to capitalize on their recent success and ultimately follow the same crooked path of the NFL.