Photo from fasteater via Flickr

“Player X will consider going overseas and everybody wants to sign him because everything is going to work out just fine for everybody”

The Internets (paraphrased).

As the slippery slope of the NBA lockout has become greasy with the oily remains of what was once a promising 2011-2012, players and agents have been scrambling for leverage against the machine that is David Stern and his constituents.

Most leverage-gaining mechanisms were effective almost exclusively in creating rage. From the decertification that was 4 months late (and not entirely necessary) to the downright obnoxious “Let Us Play” twitter campaign to Nick Young and JaVale McGee eating a whole lot of cinnamon (I have to assume that this is not something they tend to do without trying to trick their negotiating partners into submission), we have watched solemnly as players harm themselves in the name of the greater good, decrying the better days when the entertaining likes of Morris Peterson and Jamaal Tinsley were still among us. David Stern has watched with us, and has responded in his typical snobby, bemused manner, usually cocking his head ever so slightly to the side and trying very hard not to look like something that isn’t a self-aggrandizing amphibian.

One of these methods has been the threat of playing overseas. “We are the product!”, say the players, “if the NBA refuses to reap the benefits from our other-worldly talents, other leagues will!”. And so, nearly every single one of the NBA’s 450 players has been linked to this team or that team in a country that is very far away.

The general response to this has been some kind of stifled chuckle. NBA players are, indeed, the best in the world at their craft, but acquiring them does not come without risk for a team of foreign lands. The adjustment to a different style of basketball – heck, a different style of continental mainland – is a hard one, and in order to make it, an NBA player would usually ask for a substantial amount of cash. With European teams usually intent on finalizing their rosters as early as possible, hesitant of taking the risk of building an entire squad around a guy who will leave once Billy and Davy say “ding”, and generally hurting from an economy that is hardly being kind, spots on European teams are few and between.

Or are they?

I agree, in general, with the sentiment stated in the above paragraph. It falls in line with just about every convention in European basketball. There is nothing that scares a European squad more than signing a 20-something player who has never played professionally outside of the US – the fluctuations are too random, the risk too high. You can never know when such a thing works out – just look at Lithuania’s Zalgiris Kaunas, some sort of Bizarro Basketball Land where Ty Lawson and Sonny Weems are teammates but somehow Weems is playing fantastically and Lawson struggles to make a positive impact.

But this situation is nothing like anything else Europe has ever encountered. For starters, the marketing potential of any NBA guy is enormous, whether he’s good or not – the two weeks J.J. Hickson spent in Israel involved way more hype than any NBA player who has ever come over to the Israeli League save for Jordan Farmar, and J.J. is aggressively subpar as far as NBA standards go – with Farmar standing proudly above him in the magnificent realms of mediocrity. Teams will be hesitant to bring over NBA players.

But how about former Euroleague guys? Finances aside, what’s the risk there? Guys like the Gasols, Luis Scola, Manu Ginobili, Jose Calderon, etc. have dominated European play in the past. The adjustment has already been made years ago. The only risk is cash – and hey, if your team can improve dramatically, is it really a risk? Apparently, teams say no. A flood of European players are returning to where they came from: Andrei Kirilenko and Nicolas Batum have been the best players in Europe so far this season, Tony Parker is paying himself but a few pennies to play for the team he owns, and guys like Nikola Pekovic, Rudy Fernandez, Danilo Gallinari, and Ersan Ilyasova are having a good time running the show on their old stomping grounds.

And once this happens? Then you get the peer-pressure. Consider, if you will, the NBA trade deadline of 2008. After Boston swung for the fences with the Ray Allen-Kevin Garnett combo, and after Los Angeles borrowed Pau Gasol from Memphis and “forgot” to give him back, the entire league was sent into a tailspin. The ensuing arms race saw the Phoenix Suns – then the West’s best team – trade a key piece in Shawn Marion for a 360 pound gamble in Shaquille O’Neal, and the Dallas Mavericks – 1 year removed from 67 wins, 2 years removed from the finals – parting with young stalwart Devin Harris for an aging Jason Kidd, who, may I remind you, was still very much jumperless Ason.

A similar situation could take place here. If the Gasol brothers come home to Barcelona – already one of Europe’s top basketball teams – what do you think their bitter rival, Real Madrid, says? “No thank you, Rudy Fernandez and Serge Ibaka are enough”? Hell no! They swing for the Dwights and the LaMarcuses and the Dirks – anybody who can top that Catalan splash, both on the court and off it. And once a strong Real is even stronger, what say CSKA Moscow, or Maccabi Tel Aviv, or Panathinaikos? These are teams that dominate their domestic competitions, and their entire existence is built around the prospect of capturing the Euroleague crown. You think they’ll give it away just because bringing a really really really good player costs a lot of money? What about the Turkish squads Anadolu Efes, Fenerbahce Ulker, and Galatasaray, all three based in Istanbul, who are gunning for the Euroleague title this year more than ever because their hometown is this year’s host of the tournament’s Final Four?

Eventually, a trickle-down effect could happen. The elite clubs will bring in the all-stars, because they can afford to put up the cash for all-world, no-risk guys. The middle-rungs, desperate to keep some sort of reasonable striking distance from the ever rising cream of the crop, will take their best shot at the next tier of NBA talent. And the bad teams will be faced with very disappointed fan bases, and very shiny NBA scrap heaps. What do you think they do?

Make no mistake, despite the simplistic breakdown, this is hardly a sure thing. The entire continent may be a giant stack of dominoes, but it is a stable one, and will require more than one ignition point to go tumbling over. Furthermore, the entire deal is moot unless NBA players really do agree to substantial pay cuts. Then again, $100,000 a year is better than getting paid nothing out of your 5 million NBA contract. And we keep hearing how much players truly just want to play. This could be the place they show it. Stick it to those owners by fulfilling the prophecies from the Nike commercials – and make a few extra of those on the way, because you now have another language your fans want to hear you speak in.

Europe could be that outlet. It needs to agree to be that outlet first, and there is a very big chance that it passes entirely. But my bet is that it at least perks up an ear. If the season truly is canceled – thus removing the risk of handing NBA outs, which is one of the biggest, if not THE biggest detriment to these much rumored deals – teams would be foolish not to, at the very least, explore their options. And at this stage in the negotiations, a few more options are really the only thing players are asking for.

First off, an apology. I was mostly detached from the world of basketball this week, and the only game I actually caught live was Hapoel Jerusalem vs. Maccabi Ashdod. However, we won’t tip off with that one, because it’s impossible to go anywhere Israeli basketball without mentioning that Sylven Landesberg is hotter than anti-NBA litigation.

After scoring a combined 61 points in the past two weeks, Landesberg one-upped himself in Maccabi Haifa’s 104-94 win over Barak Netanya. The game was supposed to be notable for being the Haifa debut of former NBAer Qyntel Woods, but the forward who struggled to find any sort of rhythm, finishing with 2 points on 1-5 shooting (though his one made shot was a banked mid-ranger while being fouled after a beautifully executed spin move) and 5 boards in 18 rather passive minutes.

Instead, it was all Sylven, as the swingman went off for 35 and threw in 8 boards for good measure. Landesberg  scored everywhere and in every way – behind the arc (3 for 5), getting to the line (perfect on 10 attempts), and just generally wreaking havoc. Landesberg continues to display major scoring abilities with every passing week, and if this continues, the Israeli national team won’t be the only one who will be very hot after his services.

Landesberg was hardly the only player to score big, though, as the entire game featured very little defense, with the two teams shooting a combined 53% from the field, to go with 70 (!) combined free throw attempts. It was the sort of high-octane business that leads to turbulent scores, and indeed, after an even first half, Netanya ran to a quick double digit lead early in the 3^rd behind the hot scoring of Christian Burns (28 on 15 shots, 11 for 11 from the line), Adrian Banks (22 on 12 shots), and Miami product Brian Asbury (21 on 10 shots).

However, behind the trio of Landesberg, Carlos Powell (23 on 7-15 shooting, as well as 5 boards and 5 assists, albeit 6 turnovers) and Sean Williams (who was as Sean Williamsy as always with 16 points on 6-6 shooting, 10 boards, 4 blocks, and – of course – 5 fouls) raced to a dominant 34-19 fourth. Netanya, 4 games into league play, are still winless.

Hapoel Jerusalem hosted Craig Brackins and Maccabi Ashdod on Saturday night, and overcame yet another anemic first half to bang out an 84-73 win. Brackins struggled with his shot, going 5 for 13 from the field for a needed-if-inefficient 15 points, but was flanked by even more inefficiency from Ramel Bradley (21 points, but 5-15 from the field) the insane athleticism of Alex Tyus. I’ve already mentioned that I don’t believe Tyus has much basketball skill beyond jumping, but he jumped like crazy Saturday night, dominating the boards and the air around them all night long. Tyus finished with 16 points and a matching 16 rebounds, with his only forays after the paint manifesting in 2 clanged jumpers. Seriously – 8 made shots, none of them more than 2 feet away.

Hapoel, on the other hand, witnessed the unexpected revival of Luke Jackson. The Oregon product has struggled with a combination of a bad fitting team (it’s hard to be an off-ball shooting threat for a team that is allergic to running plays) and general apathy, but he got open shots and converted, scoring 18 points on 9 shots (5-7 from three). The awkwardly effective small forwards didn’t end there, though, as Dan Grunfeld regained his touch with a solid all-around performance of 14 points, 6 rebounds, and the sort of floor-spacing, defensive positioning, and general smartitude that doesn’t come up in the box score.
D.J. Strawberry had 15 of his own, making 3 of 6 threes, which really makes me wonder how his jumper was so bad that it literally kicked him out of the NBA (though he struggled elsewhere, going 2-6 for 2 point shots and only 2-4 from the line to bring him to a disappointing 67% for the season), and Yuval Naimi did his “bad-first-half-inefficiently-effective-second-half-offense” routine with 11.

Hapoel then started off their Eurocup campaign on the wrong foot, losing 80-71 to Ukranian squad B.C. Donetsk. This game wasn’t broadcasted anywhere, so I couldn’t watch it and this made me very sad. Strawberry was once again the main offensive option, going for 22 on 15 shots, and Naimi added 17 on 13 shots, but apparently, nobody else was much help at all. Randomness alert: Donetsk got 9 points and 7 boards from Darnell Jackson. Hilarious.

Please note that Jarvis Varnado was disturbingly absent from both of these game summaries – though I feel like he’s a very good fit with Brian Randle in the frontcourt, both of them displaying great passing skills down low and elite shot-blocking ability, he totaled only 25 minutes in both games combined. Box scores don’t really tell the story with players of Varnado’s ilk, and I feel like the team’s defense is clearly much better with him, but as long as he continues to get the ball in the post and be expected to create, coach Oded Katash will continue to have an artificial reason to be displeased with him. This, too, makes me sad.

Maccabi Tel Aviv and Jordan Farmar had their bye week in the Israeli league, but they hardly looked rested in a 69-59 win against Belgacom Spirou which was quite disgusting. Farmar struggled after 2 straight elite weeks, making only 2 of 7 shots and registering 5 turnovers. The affair was so horrible that Lior Eliyahu (15) and David Blu (12) were the only two Maccabi players to score in double figures. But the bigger Maccabi news comes from Omri Casspi, who, after months of rumors, finally agreed to re-join his home club if the entire NBA season is canceled. Casspi won’t join the team now, but if (when? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO US OWNERS) David Stern bangs his gavel one final time, Omri will return home around January. From the Belgian side, it seems Jiri Welsch is terrible no matter where he goes, scoring a whopping 5 points in 30 minutes and still being near-invisible levels pale.

Elsewhere, Bnei HaSharon continues to sink, losing 76-74 to Maccabi HaBik’a. LaceDarius Dunn was typically brilliant, scoring 29 on 15 shots, and Tweety Carter was once again helpful with 21, but with nothing else going on, small forward/everybody’s best friend Danilo Pinnock (19, 8 and 7) sealed the game with a last second floater in the lane. Rashaun Freeman added 19 of his own, on a dominant 9 of 11 shooting. Finally, red-hot Ironi Ashkelon beat Hapoel Holon 91-87, in yet another game that I wish I had actually watched. Stupid lack of league pass for things that aren’t the NBA. Come back, NBA. Come back.

As the sound fades,
the scent of the flowers comes up—
the evening bell.

Matsuo Bashō

For months now, my daily routine has been similar to many others who occupy a space in the basketball community. I read the latest lockout reports. I read the latest columns. I read the numbers and what they mean and pretend I have a clue. I cling, along with all of my hope and optimism, to “progress” and “both sides remain close” and “both sides will reconvene tomorrow at noon.” I’ve hoped, and (foolishly) continue to hope, because it’s all that I have left. It’s the only thing in this twisted situation that I can control.

Then the union dissolves and files their disclaimer of interest. Then David Stern appears on SportsCenter full of snark and statements predicting the future, as though he had lied about not having a crystal ball. And the prognosis is not good.  There was nothing for my naivety to latch onto. There is no hope in “tragedy.” There is no hope in “self-destruction.” There is no hope in “nuclear winter.”

Rhetoric. Noise. There’s too much of it, and not enough of a season to make up for all of the talking. Digging up facts can debunk some of the jabs being thrown on both sides, but ultimately, it still leaves an unfinished puzzle with pieces hidden or missing.

I’ve started reading haiku again, hoping that it would help still the mind. It has. Haiku is an interesting art form. Traditionally, it makes no use of metaphor or symbolism, and should be read literally. Some convey sadness while others are playfully bizarre. With concision, haiku seeks to resurrect a specific moment as purely as possible. The words are not important, the image it invokes is. Japan’s most famous haiku is about the sound that emanates when a frog jumps into a pond. Clear and succinct – things noticeably absent from lockout proceedings.

As the NBA owners and players move toward the most inauspicious point of this debacle, the rhetoric on both sides has adopted war imagery. The sides have reduced the situation into a victim-perpetrator binary, as they’ve pleaded their case with loaded words like, “fairness” and “good faith.”  Negotiations have broken down into a moral struggle in which both sides cede their fate to legal forces beyond their control.

From Royce Young of CBSSports:

“I think getting what you deserve and fighting for something you believe is right is something all the players really care about,” [Kevin Durant] continued.  “Of course we enjoy the fans, we like the fans that come and support us.  They’re the reason why we’re playing this game, the reason why continue to play this game but at some point you have to fight for what’s right and we can’t get bullied.”

Billy Hunter said on a podcast that this has become a “moral” issue for the players. At the time, it just seemed like talk to try and scare the league. But clearly it’s not. This is an emotional thing. And players are extremely emotional. They live off it. It’s what drives them. They’re competitive, emotional and passionate. Prideful.

via For players, it’s become too emotional | CBSSports Eye On Basketball

Pissing in the snow
outside my door –
it makes a very straight hole.

Kobayashi Issa

So unless this is a last-ditch negotiation tactic as everyone assumes it is, the players and owners will lose control of the situation as the lawsuit will be sifted through the legal system. We – the fans, writers, bystanders; those with zero control over any of the events – will continue to wait. For months, years.

Zen Buddhism stresses the idea of quieting the mind of thought and desire, and haiku naturally became a tool for that kind of extraction. It is torture to obsess and fret over the details of something we can’t control. So I’ll try not to. But if my misguided sense of optimism has warped anything out of context in my reading of haiku, it’s that words can be sharpened and simplified; images can appear brighter. That in the next few weeks, basketball — the allure, the security, the escape from legal monotony – can win out over greed, pride, and whatever else pushes the 2011-12 season into the abyss. It’s a pipe dream at this point, but it’s the only thing I have left as a fan and observer. Whether hope fails is irrelevant. Much like a photograph, haikus commemorate the death of a moment by attempting to reincarnate it visually, textually.

Hope is something I choose to reincarnate amid its many deaths.

A caterpillar,
this deep in fall –
still not a butterfly.

Matsuo Bashō

If you’re one of those that’s not interested in hating the player or the game, you have options while the NBA is under “lockdown,” as this morning’s FIBA Europe announcer kept calling it as Deron Williams, Semih Erden and Besiktas took down Sundiata Gaines and Armia. The game was streamed live on FIBA Europe’s website. It was entertaining basketball for hardcore hardwood enthusiasts.

Coming up tomorrow morning on Watch ESPN you can catch Euro superpower CSKA Moscow, featuring EuroBasket standouts Viktor Khryapa and Milos Teodosic as well as former NBA’ers Nenad Krstic and Andrei Kirilenko, who as HP’s own Noam Schiller pointed out recently is having an MVP-caliber season for CSKA in his second stint there.

As more players consider going “across the water” to play basketball overseas leagues will be in higher demand, and as a result we should start seeing more games available for live streaming on sites like FIBA Europe and EuroLeague Basketball TV, which currently features Nicolas Batum.

Many of those players that aren’t heading overseas to play are instead going back to school, where of course basketball hasn’t stopped. It should be a great year in the college ranks, and while it’s not the NBA there are still great games and stories to be found in abundance among the amateur hopefuls who will one day still have a quality league to play in in the United States if we’re lucky.

“The new Jimmer” lit up the night skies during ESPN’s marathon tipoff.

ESPN’s Eammon Brennan can get you up to speed on some of the upcoming action on the courts instead of in the courts with this excellent preview.

I know it feels like it right now, but basketball truly never stops if you have options and know where to look.

Some say the end is near.
Some say we’ll see armageddon soon.
I certainly hope we will.
I sure could use a vacation from this…

-Tool - Ænima

If you’re like me, you’ve had it. Just plain had enough of the avarice benevolence in the name of the game. How dare they ask for more acquiesce indulgences to the elegant gentility patricians aristocrats harder-working owners?

I plead for –nay, demand!– justice of the highest order for these most grievous of mortal temptations. In the absence of such prudence and rationality I have been left with little recourse but to offer you compensation in the most realistic of terms. So, without further ado, I present for your enjoyment utter dissatisfaction verisimilitude the present reality replete with irresistible and exhilarating treatise as exciting of commentary as I could muster under the circumstances.

 

“So many moves. So much power.”

 

“An almost unthinkable storyline has unfolded in these amortization audits.”

 

“Tonight, the real seasoning begins…”

 

“Don’t ever underestimate the power of an air wrench.”

 

“With no regard for arboreal life!”

 

“Bang! Right between the swells!”

 

“From downtown…”

 

“With a gentle push and a mild arc, the ferrous rod hits home.”

As tickets to future events are announced and made available we will keep you apprised of venues and prices so you don’t miss a single second of the scintillating action of a real person doing real work. Because, y’know, that’s what we all really want to see, right?

HP TicketMaster shall not be deemed in default or otherwise liable under these rules and policies due to its inability to perform its obligations by reason of any fire, earthquake, flood, substantial snowstorm, epidemic, accident, explosion, casualty, strike, lockout, labor controversy, riot, civil disturbance, act of public enemy, cyber-terrorism, embargo, war, act of God, or any municipal, county, state or national ordinance or law, or any executive, administrative or judicial order (which order is not the result of any act or omission which would constitute a default hereunder), or any failure or delay of any transportation, power, or communications system or any other or similar cause not under HPTicketMaster’s control (hereinafter all of the foregoing is collectively referred to as “Force Majeure”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, HPTicketMaster shall be permitted to terminate this Agreement with or without notice to the User in the event that HPTicketMaster is prevented from performing hereunder due to “Force Majeure.”

Over the next few days, this Lockout is likely either going to end, or we are all going to die. OK fine, that’s over-dramatic. But if the players do indeed decertify, the NBA (at least as we know it) could cease to exist. On top of that, it could be years (yes, years plural) before we see professional basketball again. As such, this feels as an appropriate a time as any to determine the winners and the losers of the 2011 NBA Lockout.

Winners:

Just kidding. There are only losers. We’ll go through those now.

Losers:

Defense: So since there’s no NBA, but still a wealth of NBA players who, you know, like to play basketball, the Summer/Fall has been filled with charity and semi-pro-league games. These exhibitions generally serve as glorified highlight contests, or layup-line extravaganzas (the effort is eerily similar). So while we do get tons of alley oops and 40-footers, there is a complete and total lack of anything resembling defense. This would be fine except it turns out that crazy dunks and 60 point scoring performances become much less captivating when no one’s guarding you. I mean, yesterday I dropped 75 points and did a 360 dunk on my 5-foot Fisher-Price hoop while playing my 5 year old cousin. Who’s interested in the highlights? (Did I mention my cousin has a crazy, Biyombo like wingspan? Kid has got a real future.)

David Stern: I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I actually feel really bad for David Stern. His ridiculous ego and snarky attitude annoy me to no end but, I do believe he’s very disappointed with how the negotiations have gone. Unfortunately, much of the dialogue surrounding the lockout has placed the blame squarely on Stern’s shoulders. As the commissioner and face of this league, he certainly deserves his fair share of criticism, but it also should be recognized he’s had his hands tied by the hardline owners. While it’s impossible to know for sure, it does feel as though Stern has done significant work in order to bring a viable proposal to the players. Does it still fall woefully short in many ways? Absolutely. But I don’t think that’s entirely Stern’s fault. Still, if this lockout does completely blow up and the players do decertify, no one’s legacy will take more of a hit than Stern’s.

Michael Jordan: Michael Jordan is a d***. Yes, he’s the greatest basketball player of all time. That doesn’t mean we have to sit here and pretend he’s a good person. He went through most of his career acting like a complete jerk and he continues to do the same as an owner. You don’t believe me? It’s really simple math: Bitter, egotistical Hall of Fame speech + Hitler mustache + openly criticizing/ rallying against a system you helped create and profited greatly from = not being likable in any way. Boom, science. On a related note…

Jordan Brand: Look, Nick Young isn’t wearing any of their shoes anymore, and if Nick Young is out on something, I’m out on it too. (It’s the same reason I haven’t passed in ANY basketball game since 2009.)

Bloggers: If you haven’t noticed, it’s really hard to write about basketball when there’s no basketball being played. I’m writing a winners and losers column, for God’s sake.

The Fans:  There’s a lot to be upset about. We don’t have basketball, and even if we do get it we’re without J.R. Smith. There’s the fact that while we are without a doubt an important part of professional basketball, we have absolutely no say in the negotiating process. Our interests haven’t been represented, and there’s been little to no concern over some of the issues we’d like to see fixed. Not only are we completely powerless but we’re being reminded we’re insignificant through the marring of this beautiful game that used to bring so much joy to all of our lives. That’s depressing, there’s really no other word for it.

Rajon Rondo: Because it’s clear the man has psychic abilities.

Hope: That’s right, hope is dead. Barack Obama just shed a tear. It’s over, we had a good run, but there’s really no reason to have any kind of optimism anymore. During the summer we could at least talk ourselves into there being lots of time left, and other vaguely positive things. Nope, we shall do that no more. I’ve thrown away all my non-black clothing and deleted all upbeat music of any kind. I suggest you do the same.

 

On Saturday, Etan “The Bard” Thomas laid into NBA owners in an Op-Ed to ESPN. I’m not going to go into detail about the post (Matt did a great job answer all of Etan’s questions here), but I will point out two things.

1) Etan Thomas does not appear to be a fan of Michael Jordan at this point in time. Two of the questions specifically deal with his (and presumably much of the NBPA and the players’) distaste with how Michael Jordan has been handling his lockout-related tenure as owner of the Bobcats. It was also not lost on many of us readers that there were 23 questions asked.

2) Thomas called out reporters for giving fans “false hope.”

During recent negotiations, reporters continuously tweeted and wrote articles citing “anonymous sources” saying that we were closer to a deal then we actually were, or that progress was being made. Why do reporters keep giving false hope to fans? 

“NBA Labor-Negotiation Questions,” by Etan Thomas, Special to ESPN.com

Matt lays into Etan for this one:

Woah, woah, woah, there, Mr. Thomas. This has made me nuts all week. The sports media has never been as friendly to you as they have been throughout this process. You don’t want people questioning why it is that you’re paid as much as you are to play a game? How about you not question the hard work that has proven to be responsible on the part of a group of journalists who wanted to cover you guys actually dribbling and shooting instead of wandering in and out of meetings in sweaters and hoodies? (Not you, Mr. Thomas, your taste in suits has been impeccable. Speaking of which, where’d you get that vest last week?) The NBA media has repeatedly pointed out to the public you’re not the ones who started this, you’re not the ones being unreasonable. So why do you insist on repeatedly coming after them just because it’s convenient? It’s cheap, easy, and reeks of hypocrisy after your comments about not coming after athletes in labor talks just because they’re paid well.

“Dear Mr. Thomas: A response to Etan Thomas’ Op-Ed,” by Matt Moore at ProBasketballTalk

I may be biased here, but I’ve got to side with Matt on this one. Just like that baby in the video, we fans would be crying all the time if we didn’t get our momentary peace of mind. We all have our ways of coping, our tiny things that make us feel better. Some babies listen to Biggie. Some NBA fans need snippets of news that tell them their season will be arriving sooner rather than later. People like hope. And as much as Matt has been on the record for disliking hope, I think we can all agree that the reporters of the lockout have been doing a fantastic job of relaying information, managing expectations, and keeping us all sane. And most of them do it with little to no pizza.

Keep up the good work, reporter-folks. Thanks for doing what you do.

If some ego-destroying miracle were to happen and the lockout ended this week, the league would be pushing for the season to start on December 15th for a 72-game season. The regular season would end a week later than usual, thus pushing the end of the playoffs a week later as well. If more rest time is given for the playoffs, then the Finals could end even later. On the conservative end, we would be looking at the NBA Finals scheduled through the 3rd week of June.

Now on paper, I’d love to see 72 games played + a full set of playoffs that takes me later into the summer and helps me avoid watching the Indians and/or the Nationals strive for mediocrity. Plus after all the waiting, boredom, and stress we basketball fans had to endure during the lockout, it’d be fantastic if the impact on the season’s length was minimal.

However, a 72-game season starting in mid-December is a TERRIBLE idea. Today is November 14th. If the season were to start December 15th, that would mean the league has 31 days to do 1) Free Agency, 2) training camp, and 3) pre-season. Then they’d have to start playing meaningful games. Games that affect playoff and draft positioning. Back to back to back games that would tire starters out to the point where all those people that prefer college basketball to the NBA would be able to point to games being played without defense and say “Hey look! NBA players don’t play defense!” And they’d be right (OH THE HUMANITY)! Because who in their right mind, with being as tired as they would be, wouldn’t save some energy on a jog back downcourt? Kurt Helin said it best:

What we saw in 1999 was guys who got tired and it showed more on the defensive end. Basically, things got sloppy. This is a longer version of that so expect more guys missing games with minor injuries, and expect some stretches of play where coaches will want to burn the tape (if they still used tape).

“What does a 72-game season look like? Packed like sardines, ProBasketballTalk

Starting a season too quickly after a lockout also means that players that normally would have been in the care of arguably the world’s best physical trainers are coming back to play without being fully recovered from the past season. Just ask Chris Cooley, an athlete whose sport also underwent a lockout this past year:

I feel 100 percent that I’m a casualty for the season of the lockout… I think it was a shame that they didn’t let players who had surgery spend time with the doctors and trainers they trust on daily basis, I wish I could’ve.

“Chris Cooley: Lockout cost me season,” Associated Press via ESPN.com

A similar season-condensing mistake was made because of the 1999 lockout, and asterisk-loving critics everywhere don’t give that season and its accolades due credit. Oh, and lets not forget that extending the playoffs later into June reduces the amount of training time that USA Basketball gets before the London Olympics begin on July 27th.

As much as it pains me to say it, this is too much basketball over too few months. I prefer quality over quantity. I like getting bang for my buck. I’m a reasonable man. Get off my case.

(note: this is one of my absolute favorite photographs of all time)

 ”I doubt if  Johnston will ever receive the recognition that Mikan got because Neil didn’t come into the league with the fanfare and blowing of trumpets that accompanied Mikan.” And the fact that Chamberlain came immediately after him, in the same city, also didn’t help.

Via Eddie Gottlieb and Alex Sachare from the 100 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time

Years Active: 1952 – 1959

Career Stats: 19.4 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 44.4% FG, 76.8% FT

Accolades: 6x All-Star (1953-58), 4x All-NBA 1st Team (1953-56), All-NBA 2nd Team (1957); 3x PPG Leader (1953-55), 3x FG% Leader (1953, 1956-57), RPG Leader (1955); Championship (1956 Philadelphia Warriors)

Joe Fulks was the pivot man to establish the Philadelphia Warriors as a force in the NBA, winning the inaugural title and being the league’s first superstar in 1947. However, as Fulks aged and wore down, the Warriors struggled to contend.  The addition of F/G Paul Arizin in 1951 began the process of renewal. Then in 1952, a 6’8″, 210-pound center was added to the mix. He played a scant 15 minutes his rookie year, but thereafter, Neil Johnston would prove an indomitable force in leading the Warriors back to prominence alongside Arizin.

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Jamal Crawford could very well be overpaid when the lockout is over. He scores a lot but not very efficiently, does too much of his work in isolation, and is a minus on defense. He’s 31 years old and, unless you’re a championship contender in need of extra scoring, you should be very careful about giving him big money. The true contenders don’t have much cap room and it’s unclear where he fits in this free agent market. This sucks because he’s such a good guy.

There. The blogosphere consensus is out of the way. Now, because he’s such a good guy (and a great interview) and because I really miss his crossover and his four-point plays, I’d like to assess a few of his options anyway.

First, don’t completely dismiss Atlanta. While it is true that the Hawks aren’t title contenders and need to give more playing time to Jeff Teague, there’s no indication that they’re going into rebuilding mode any time soon. If Crawford walks and they don’t make a major trade, they’re a slightly worse version of last year’s team. The Hawks acquired him because it needed creators not named Joe Johnson and if he walks they’d still be thin there. I wouldn’t bet on Crawford even necessarily wanting to return, but remember that the only time in his career he’s had had the same coach for two full seasons in a row was with Isiah Thomas in New York. For a guy who missed the playoffs in his first nine seasons, some stability and a near-certain playoff berth must mean something. Also, one of the reasons Crawford was so happy to be in Atlanta in the first place was that he could spend more time with his son, Eric, who goes to school there.

Portland is similarly easy for us to dismiss, but I’m not sure we should. It’s not Seattle, so it’s not home, but it’s close to home, he counts Brandon Roy as one of his best friends, and he’d fit in basketball-wise if he was content with remaining in the sixth man role and taking fewer shots. I’m not sure he’d make the Blazers much better or different than they currently are, but they’d have so much firepower. The question, of course, is Portland’s plan… or lack of one. In early October Larry Miller pressed the reset button after a four-month GM search and weeks later a report suggested Paul Allen was preparing to sell the team. It’s widely known that Allen at least used to see the Blazers as a contender. If he’s given up on that, then there’s no chance Crawford ends up there. If the old Paul Allen re-emerges, though, it’s possible — that guy never minded dishing out cash on a potentially superfluous piece if he believed it gave his team an edge.

Chicago might be my favorite destination for Crawford, even if he wouldn’t bring the Bulls the efficiency of someone like Arron Afflalo. I love the idea of him returning to where his career started to try to help them sustain the league’s best record. Crawford’s Bulls teams lost 73 percent of their games over his four years there and, after missing out on the chance to grow up with Jay Williams, as a veteran he’d be able to take some pressure off of Derrick Rose. Phil Jackson was right when he said they need complementary pieces and Crawford would help in this regard. He can act as a second or third option and a floor spacer when Rose is out there and get his isolation buckets when he’s resting. The stumbling block here is money, just as it is with Portland and Atlanta, or even the Heat and Lakers. We don’t know exactly what his market value will be when the lockout ends. We don’t know exactly how restricted over-the-cap and luxury tax-paying teams will be. We just know teams will be restricted and Crawford’s going to be in a tough spot. When J.A. Adande mentioned vets having to choose between a payday and a shot at a ring, Crawford was the kind of guy he was talking about. Of course, players usually follow the money in free agency, but in this context ending up an overpaid gunner is not a foregone conclusion.