NBA lockout must end

Drives through the lane, screens, pick-n-pops, ridiculous ball handles . . . nah, as of right now we won’t be seeing any of that from National Basketball Association players.

It was announced last week that NBA training camps and 43 preseason games have been cancelled. The pre-season, which was scheduled to take place Oct. 9-15, will not happen.

This marks the first NBA work stoppage since the 1998-99 season, when a lockout trimmed the regular 82-game season to 50 games. Team owners who reported an estimated $300 million loss last season with 22 of 30 teams in the red are pushing for shorter contracts and firm salary caps, a term which players are unwilling to accept. National carriers like ESPN/ABC and TNT stand to lose as much as $1.25 billion in revenue.

But while all that is well and nice, as a die-hard basketball fan I’m tempted to repeat the words of a once popular game show host: “Let’s make a deal.” Don’t take it the wrong way. I love all sports but I’ve had my fill of soccer, tennis, college football and the NFL. So much so that the pangs of the loss has me watching old YouTube basketball highlight videos and last season’s games on DVR, like a junkie trying to feed a fix.

As of right now. no new talks or negotiations have been scheduled, and while the player’s union has offered to reduce its percentage by as much as 54 percent, it doesn’t seem to be enough for either side to settle.

Meanwhile, the lockout has prompted some players to sign to play abroad, like two-time all-star point guard Deron Williams (of the Brooklyn Jets, recently changed from New Jersey Nets), who signed with Besiktas of the Turkish Basketball League.

Still there is hope. Experts say ultimately that no season will be a greater profit loss to all involved if a resolution is not reached. The regular season is scheduled to begin Nov. 1, which leaves time for both sides to go back to the drawing board and try again. If not, viewers worldwide will miss out on the brilliant display of athleticism and competition that is the NBA.

As for me, I’ve always got YouTube video highlights, last season’s games on my DVR and a whole lot of reminiscing. On second thought, how much does an airplane ticket to Turkey cost these days?