Well that's a damn shame. I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in half a dozen teams folding.

Wolf Cola: Well that's a damn shame. I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in half a dozen teams folding.

I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in NHL viewership growing significantly

Basketball?

Never heard of it.

The provided link does not work, but this one does>> Link (new window)

Wolf Cola: Well that's a damn shame. I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in half a dozen teams folding.

I read that 28 of the owners would actually make more money if the season was lost.

Are they realizing no one gives a damn and they had better get in order before the few people that actually miss basketball stop missing it?

bhcompy: Wolf Cola: Well that's a damn shame. I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in half a dozen teams folding.

I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in NHL viewership growing significantly

Why are hockey fans so insecure?

bhcompy: I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in NHL viewership growing significantly

Besides sports bars having to show SOMETHING, I'm not sure the audiences overlap all that much.

That's like baseball fans becoming MLS fans if there's another strike.

Bullshiat. The instant Stern thinks the players may agree to a deal, he'll make it that much worse just to see how much blood he can squeeze from that stone.

I eagerly anticipate the subjective application of a byzantine system of rules to a group of people playing a game designed specifically in favor of those born with a predisposition to be tall.

/5'10"
//not Spudd Webb
///thinks basketball is the stupidest game there is, just beating out Calvinball.

Many bobbleheads over at ESPN and around the sports-writer-sphere hit the nail on the head that only after Christmas will the general populous give a flying fark about money-grubbing owners/players. Personally, i think the players shouldn't budge on their stance regarding the splitting of revenues and many of the owners need to stfu. More importantly is that the lockout truly hurts the employees of the stadiums/broadcasts/radio shows etc. that thrive on the existence of something to set-up for or talk about.

Most teams in the NBA suck, they have to do something about that BS where one team gets P Gasol and the other team gets a bag of basketballs.

bhcompy: Wolf Cola: Well that's a damn shame. I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in half a dozen teams folding.

I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in NHL viewership growing significantly

I don't always choose to not watch basketball, but when I do, I sure as fark don't turn to soccer with sticks on ice.

tricycleracer: bhcompy: I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in NHL viewership growing significantly

Besides sports bars having to show SOMETHING, I'm not sure the audiences overlap all that much.

That's like baseball fans becoming MLS fans if there's another strike.

Some people just want something to watch.

Well, if they lowered the price of a ticket, dropped the salaries of the players and quit fleecing the taxpayers to build new stadiums, I might watch an NBA game again. But then again 3 to 4 hours for one game isn't worth it. So fark them.

...And so the false hope of a salvaged/saved season begins for the NBA. It's nothing but a bargaining ploy. See Lost Thought 00's post.

NHL fans remember hearing countless times that "a deal was near" back in 04-05 all the way into February, when they finally cancelled the season.

Yay, time for parking to be hell at the Toyota Center

/goes to school next door

Here is hoping the get the season off the ground.

There is a ton of young talent in the league and I would hate to miss out on a season of solid ball.

Shaunn: The provided link does not work, but this one does>> Link (new window)

*shakes fist* Dammit CBS Sports!

pjbreeze: Well, if they lowered the price of a ticket, dropped the salaries of the players and quit fleecing the taxpayers to build new stadiums

What sports do you watch?

How to fix the NBA: Cut the league to 24 teams, split them into four divisions of six teams each. Play a 64 regular-season game schedule. Take eight teams to the playoffs (three rounds; best of 5 first round, best of 7 in the semis and championship).

I know it will never happen because the NBA, which used to take 16/23 teams to the playoffs, has never been about the integrity of the game. Not that that's peculiar to the NBA, but the historically precarious finances of the NBA has made them particularly desperate to make $$$ at the expensive of a compelling regular season and post-season than other pro sports.

IKanHazaBukkit: i think the players shouldn't budge on their stance regarding the splitting of revenues and many of the owners need to stfu.

Arent the owners offering a split and it is the players that want more?

Gunny Highway: Here is hoping the get the season off the ground.

There is a ton of young talent in the league and I would hate to miss out on a season of solid ball.

That's what your Mom/wife/gf/daughter (pick one) said.

/sorry, couldn't resist.

velvet_fog: compelling regular season

What sport has a compelling regular season besides football? Die hard fans (of any sport) enjoy watching the games. I cant wait for the NBA to come back.

No NBA = No TNT NBA coverage. That is a crying shame.

bhcompy:

I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in NHL viewership growing significantly

THIS

Devo:
Why are hockey fans so insecure?

We're not. But since ESPN was spurned by the NHL, there's little to no coverage of anything NHL related on that network. Couple that with the lack of games shown on public TV (VS doesn't count) and you have a huge lack of exposure.

It's also difficult living in a city where the football team is fellated all year long, even when they are terrible, yet little to no coverage is given to the NHL team. Of course, not making the playoffs the last 3 seasons hasn't helped, but still, when your football team crashes and burns and your NHL team is 1 win away from the playoffs, you should get more coverage.

/Even worse now that our NBA team won a championship
//And the MLB team is on the cusp of one

IamSoSmart_S_M_R_T: It's also difficult living in a city where the football team is fellated all year long, even when they are terrible, yet little to no coverage is given to the NHL team. Of course, not making the playoffs the last 3 seasons hasn't helped, but still, when your football team crashes and burns and your NHL team is 1 win away from the playoffs, you should get more coverage.

WHere are you from?

Good thing the players have their degrees to fall back on

Gunny Highway:

WHere are you from?

Originally? Not here, but an Original Six city. hah I thought posting about our recent NBA championship team and our MLB team was a big enough hint, but I'll give you one more: St. Louis doesn't have an NBA team. :)

Gonz: Or during the MLS playoffs.

?

The only professional league that people care less about than MLS is the WNBA.

velvet_fog: How to fix the NBA: Cut the league to 24 teams, split them into four divisions of six teams each. Play a 64 regular-season game schedule. Take eight teams to the playoffs (three rounds; best of 5 first round, best of 7 in the semis and championship).

I know it will never happen because the NBA, which used to take 16/23 teams to the playoffs, has never been about the integrity of the game. Not that that's peculiar to the NBA, but the historically precarious finances of the NBA has made them particularly desperate to make $$$ at the expensive of a compelling regular season and post-season than other pro sports.

The league would definitely be better if they trimmed the number of teams, the harsh reality is that there aren't 30 cities capable of supporting an NBA franchise. Unfortunately, David Stern doesn't want to admit that.

They'll never reduce the playoff field though, playoff NBA is the only NBA that anybody watches.

Lost Thought 00: Bullshiat. The instant Stern thinks the players may agree to a deal, he'll make it that much worse just to see how much blood he can squeeze from that stone.



You...you're good, you.

Gosh, i hope Lebron is ok with all this. We wouldn't want to upset the King. pffftttt.........

/take dat wit chu

IamSoSmart_S_M_R_T: bhcompy:

I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in NHL viewership growing significantly

THIS

Devo:
Why are hockey fans so insecure?

We're not. But since ESPN was spurned by the NHL, there's little to no coverage of anything NHL related on that network. Couple that with the lack of games shown on public TV (VS doesn't count) and you have a huge lack of exposure.

It's also difficult living in a city where the football team is fellated all year long, even when they are terrible, yet little to no coverage is given to the NHL team. Of course, not making the playoffs the last 3 seasons hasn't helped, but still, when your football team crashes and burns and your NHL team is 1 win away from the playoffs, you should get more coverage.

/Even worse now that our NBA team won a championship
//And the MLB team is on the cusp of one

Gotta love the DFW media, only since the ALCS hit game 4 have the Rangers gotten higher billing than the Cowboys, even during the bye week.


Wait...
Hockey season started?

Devo: bhcompy: Wolf Cola: Well that's a damn shame. I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in half a dozen teams folding.

I was hoping there would be a year long lockout that would result in NHL viewership growing significantly

Why are hockey fans so insecure?

We want to see more hockey on TV, and if interest in the current ones goes up, there will be more. The insecurity comes from not being able to see hockey on TV every night.

Of course I'm in Canada so there is in fact hockey on TV every night, but still, I feel for my American friends.

I only watch playoff basketball and even then, just the semis/finals. and casually at that.

ther'es no reason for the NBA to play 82 games, considering that what, half of the league makes the playoffs? The playoffs start in mid to late April and finish in mid-June. it's ridiculous.

i mean, MLB is ridiculous in its 162 game season, but give them credit for (a) limiting the playoff field and then, it is all done in one month. late setpembre to, as we're seeing today, possibly being over. so while MLB's 162 game regular season is also ridiculous, they at least dont drag the playoffs out.

/why do i keep saying "ridiculous"? it is ridiculous.

Treygreen13: rickythepenguin: I only watch playoff basketball and even then, just the semis/finals. and casually at that.

ther'es no reason for the NBA to play 82 games, considering that what, half of the league makes the playoffs? The playoffs start in mid to late April and finish in mid-June. it's ridiculous.

i mean, MLB is ridiculous in its 162 game season, but give them credit for (a) limiting the playoff field and then, it is all done in one month. late setpembre to, as we're seeing today, possibly being over. so while MLB's 162 game regular season is also ridiculous, they at least dont drag the playoffs out.

/why do i keep saying "ridiculous"? it is ridiculous.

I think the NBA being the middle-ground between a ludicrously long season (baseball) and the ludicrously short season (NFL) should make them the ideal sport to attend, but you're right - the seemingly meaningless playoff system seems to make the 82 games ludicrously long.

It's a shame the NFL is such a violent game that they can't do it more often, or for a longer period of time. Some teams don't play each other for years at a time. It's ludicrous. And the playoffs being 1 and done certainly puts a lot of focus on the "clutch" play but it's not really fair to the ultimate team game that you can pull a Patriots and win every game but 1 and be a loser.

It's ludicrous.
/why DO you keep saying ridiculous? That's ludicrous.

Are you one of those helicopter parents who whines when their child places last and doesn't get a medal for it?

Treygreen13: seemingly meaningless playoff system seems to make the 82 games ludicrously long.

that's what drives me crazy. the last week of the season is all this chatter about the 8 seed playing the 1, who'/s gonna get the 8 seed, whether hte 6/3 is an upset, how the 5/4 teams are blah blah blah blah. just get the top 4. bang that shiat out.


Treygreen13: It's a shame the NFL is such a violent game that they can't do it more often, or for a longer period of time.

the NFL could, and very easily and in a way that mmmmmmmmight keep players healthy. Instead of random bye weeks, have 2 "league wide" byes. i know some would be liek, "OH NOEZ NO FOOTBALL LOL WHAT A DUMB IDEA" but think about it.

you could start the season in august, have every team play maybe 6 games, leaguewide bye week, where players get healthy, play another 6 games, another leaguewide bye, then you roll out the playoffs with that regular "first round bye for champs / wild card weekend".

yes, you'd be going without football for those two weeks, but the seasonw ould be longer. so instead of having "just" a roughly 21 week NFL season (exlcuding preseason but couting regular and then playoffs, you coulud have 23 weeks.

/would neve rhappen

rickythepenguin: The playoffs start in mid to late April and finish in mid-June. it's ridiculous.


i don't know the NBA well enough to know (a) when they expanded the playoff field to 16, but.....has the 7 or 8 seed ever even advanced to the Finals?

If not, then why have it? you could go top 6 in each converence and give the conference champs a first round bye.

NAB playoffs are stupid.

Treygreen13: rickythepenguin: I only watch playoff basketball and even then, just the semis/finals. and casually at that.

ther'es no reason for the NBA to play 82 games, considering that what, half of the league makes the playoffs? The playoffs start in mid to late April and finish in mid-June. it's ridiculous.

i mean, MLB is ridiculous in its 162 game season, but give them credit for (a) limiting the playoff field and then, it is all done in one month. late setpembre to, as we're seeing today, possibly being over. so while MLB's 162 game regular season is also ridiculous, they at least dont drag the playoffs out.

/why do i keep saying "ridiculous"? it is ridiculous.

I think the NBA being the middle-ground between a ludicrously long season (baseball) and the ludicrously short season (NFL) should make them the ideal sport to attend, but you're right - the seemingly meaningless playoff system seems to make the 82 games ludicrously long.

It's a shame the NFL is such a violent game that they can't do it more often, or for a longer period of time. Some teams don't play each other for years at a time. It's ludicrous. And the playoffs being 1 and done certainly puts a lot of focus on the "clutch" play but it's not really fair to the ultimate team game that you can pull a Patriots and win every game but 1 and be a loser.

It's ludicrous.
/why DO you keep saying ridiculous? That's ludicrous.

No this is Ludacris:

http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/2328/ludacris.jpg