Associated Press
NEW YORK ó No free agency now, maybe no games later.
The NBA lockout claimed a quick casualty in Day 1, when the free agency period did not open as usual on July 1.
Games eventually could be lost, too, if owners and players canít make progress whenever they start talking again.
ěItís going to get ugly. Iíve already been on the record saying I donít think theyíre going to play at all next season,î TNT analyst Charles Barkley said Friday.
The last lockout reduced the 1998-99 season to 50 games, and players say theyíre prepared to hang in as long as necessary this time, rather than agree to the financial changes owners are seeking.
The silence of this July 1 was a sad contrast to the dizzying events of exactly one year earlier, when LeBron James welcomed the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets to Cleveland to hear their pitches, and teams crisscrossed the country in pursuit of other stars that were available.
Interest in the league surged from there, right on through the NBA finals that drew some of the best TV ratings the event had seen in years.
ěBasketball as a sport is in such a great place right now. Itís a shame it came to this,î agent Marc Cornstein said. ěHopefully, we can resolve this in a fair and equitable way.î
And, owners would add, a profitable one. Tired of losing millions in a system that has guaranteed players 57 percent of revenues, they want an overhaul that would allow small-market teams to compete with the big spenders, and all of them to make money.
Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver has said some teams would be better off if there were no games this season, though stressed no owner wanted that to happen. The NHL shut down for a year to get the salary cap system it sought. With NBA owners seeking the same result, the question is: Would they be willing to take the same route?
ěIím not scared. Iím resigned to the potential damage that it can cause to our league, all of the people that earn a living from our league,î Commissioner David Stern said. ěAs we get deeper into it, these things have the capacity to take on a life of their own. You never can predict what will happen.î