There is a good chance that you will not see Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard and other NBA players on the court in 2011-12. On Thursday, NBA owners decided to follow the NFL by imposing a lock-out on all of its players. But unlike the NFL, which is still profitable for the majority of its franchises, the current financial system in the NBA is in disarray.
According to reports issued by the NBA, 22 of 30 teams are losing money each season. But the owners should take most of the blame for contributing to the flawed business model.
Since the late ’90s, several NBA owners and general managers have thrown millions of dollars at average players and signed them to expensive long-term contracts. Players such as Eddy Curry, Michael Redd, Andrei Kirlenko and Darius Miles were signed to mammoth contracts, but didn’t perform at the level their high salaries warranted.
Another issue with the NBA, is, that it remains a league built around stars. Teams can’t win a championship without having one or two of the top 15 players in the league. There are usually about seven teams out of 30 that really have a legitimate chance at winning an NBA title each year. And those are the teams who are in the black once the season ends.
To put an end to ridiculously high contracts, the owners want a hard salary cap and the players are against that notion. In turn, the lockout could become a long tug-of-war that may last well until the winter.
However, there is one person who could present a legitimate argument for each side. As the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan stands as the only player or owner who understands both sides. His exploits on the court took the NBA to new heights and eventually helped enhance its status as an international game.
But Jordan also has experience with the tribulations of being an NBA owner. The Bobcats continue to have low attendance and they have yet to sign or draft a legitimate star that could help the team win a championship. As a result, Jordan holds the key to negotiations. He has the best knowledge of what it will take for the players and owners to reach a satisfying deal on both ends.–amir shaw
