A Link to the NBA.com's Article on Cut off at every turn, union has one choice: Take the deal

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A Link to the DenverPost.com Article on Nuggets' Hamilton eager to be living NBA Dream

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Sports today on TV and radio Image

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A Link to the NBA.com's Video on NBA Labor Update

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A Link to the DenverPost.com Article on NBA sides return, hope to build on progress

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A Link to the DenverPost.com Article on NBA sides meeting in hopes of ending lockout

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Remembering McNichols Sports Arena Quotes

Here are some of the Remembering McNichols Sports Arena Quotes:

Jay Clark, former Nuggets director of media services.

I will never forget the first quarter of Game 3 in Denver when we beat Seattle in the opening-round playoff series in 1994. We had John Elway come out and fire up the crowd by saying, “It's time to get Mutombo-ized!” and the place went nuts. Then, the Nuggets jumped out to a big lead right away and it was as loud as I'd ever heard it for a rock show or game. It was one of the few times that sound became a true physical presence. The whole place was shaking and we couldn't communicate over radios because it was so loud. You felt like something was squeezing your head. I was up in the upper press box checking on some out-of-town media, and I remember trading hand signals with Brian Bain who was down on the press table. The Nugs went on to win that game, Game 4 and the stunner Game 5 in Seattle. Such a fun memory.

Deb Dowling, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment vice president of community relations and fan development. Started as director of special events in 1994.

My first encounter with coach George Karl too place during the 1994 Denver vs. Seattle playoff series at McNichols. Back in those days, we didn’t have game ops staff, conversion staff per se. Other departments just picked up game duties, as well as the 9-to-5 job. That meant the “Special Events” department did all the events for the company – corporate, community, meet-the-team parties, parking lot festivals AND renting and hanging bunting in the arena. On the day of one of the playoff games, the three women in our department were hanging bunting during the SuperSonics shootaround when a security guard came and escorted us out of the arena. The Sonics didn’t believe we were just hanging bunting. They thought we were stealing plays.

One of my other favorite stories involves as program called Operation Cease Fire. It was created after Mayor Wellington Webb came to us in an effort to help get guns off the street. People had the opportunity to turn in a gun (no questions asked) in exchange for two tickets to the Nuggets-Chicago Bulls game (sold out during Jordan days) and a pair of adidas basketball shoes. Guns were then turned into police for meltdown. By the end of the promotion, the hallway of McNichols was lined with guns and shoes.

LaPhonso Ellis, Nuggets forward from 1992-98

I loved having the front office, the business offices, the playing floor and our locker room all on the same level. It created EASY accessibility to the staff, and them to us. This contributed a STRONG sense of family and unity. It’s why we were all so tight.

Tim Gelt, Nuggets media relations director

I never got to work there, unfortunately, but I spent a lot of time there as a fan. My favorite McNichols memory was racing my friends up the two steep staircases in front of the building to the top. It seemed never-ending and we always got winded.

Jim Gillen, Nuggets athletic trainer, 1991-present

The cozy wood-paneled locker room, training room and my office. Might have been a few ghosts.
My first game in 1991 against the Golden St. Warriors. Don’t even remember if we won or not. Probably not.
The 93-94 Playoffs Round 2 against the Utah Jazz. To this day, that was the most noise and enthusiasm by our fans. It was very exciting.
The year Chicago won 72 games and we won about 11. We beat them for one of their losses. We were up 30 at half and Jordan took over in the 3rd and they tied us up, I believe. We were able to hang on and win.
The House of Mutombo. Dikembe and I started the same year. He was a terrific player and even better person.
The 93-94 team was probably my favorite team of all the years.
Priest Lauderdale walking from the locker room to the cardio room for his post-game workout, since he didn’t play. We were trying to get him to lose about 50 lbs. He was carrying a plate of nachos to the workout.
Loretta Harmon’s game-night popcorn staff lounge.

Jerry Girkin, KSE executive director of sports finance. Arrived at McNichols in 1993.

I loved the efficient single concourse design.
Watching the Stanley Cup-clinching Game 4 vs. Florida in one of those fancy concourse restaurants. Beer kept flowing through the third OT. Spilling out on that single concourse after we won and mingling with the few thousand people that came to watch the game on the 27-inch Sony’s we had hanging in the arena bowl.
The random screams echoing through the hallways as Lesley’s storage-room mouse family made rounds.
The transformation of every nook and cranny into viable (if not desirable) office space.
Being very far removed from any natural source of light. We needed a phone tree to let everyone know there was a blizzard outside.
The mystery of the “Hockey hallway” – much like the foggy glass door we have now.
The entire staff fitting in the conference room for weekly meetings with Tim Leiweke.
LaPhonso Ellis actually knowing my name and saying “Hi” when he was strolling through the building. Imagine that.
Gotta include Miss Loretta’s game-day popcorn.
Favorite, though, has got to be Game 4 vss Seattle in ’94. The loudest and most electric game I have ever witnessed.

Sparky Gonzales, Nuggets equipment manager

There used to be a superfan before there were superfans. Her name was Patrice. She would get tickets from anyone who would help her – players, coaches, staff people. Somehow, someway, she would get a ticket to every game. They would always give her a ticket at the very top row of McNichols, but you could still hear her screaming. Boy, did she have some lungs. After the game, players such as Bill Hanzlik and Alex English would flip a coin to see who had to give her a ride back home or a ride to the bus station.

Susan Hagar, former director of communications

First thing that comes to mind is Chopper’s office in the locker room. It was literally covered – wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling – with personally autographed photos of an incredible array of celebrities and ordinary people. Celebrities who found a place on “the wall” ranged from Julius Erving to Frank Sinatra to Andre the Giant. Ordinary people included on his wall of fame were his pals from New Jersey and his mom. Heck, I even had a tiny spot. It became its own destination – a “must-see” to be included in behind-the-scenes tours for VIPs.

One other great McNichols memory is from the 1984 NBA All-Star Game. Of course, we had a packed house and a big game, but the best part of the day for me was before the game even started. I will never forget standing in a hallway outside my office with The Temptations (the originals!) as they warmed up to sing the national anthem.

Loretta Harmon, KSE accounting assistant. Started as a ticket sales representative in 1974.

When the Nuggets were on the road, Frank Sinatra used the Nugget locker room as his dressing room. Gregory Peck and his wife were guests of his. After the concert, Frank signed his locker room door. When Chopper got back in town, he had Plexiglas put over it so that it didn’t fade away.

Scott Hastings, Nuggets television analyst. Played for the Nuggets from 1991-93

I remember the tiny training room and the giant hot tub put in the shower. I remember ZZ Top saying goodbye and handing the 72-10 bulls one of those losses. I remember the Mutombo finger wag being born and the silky, Doug Moe's tirades and gulping for air as an opponent.

Steve Hess, Nuggets strength-and-conditioning coach, 1997-present

I remember Jim Gillen, Max Benton and myself sharing a tiny office. I had I doll’s desk lodged between their desks!!! Gillen realized he had made a mistake hiring me when my dirty Tupperware began taking over his office!!!

Lisa Johnson, Nuggets executive director of basketball administration. Started in ticket sales in 1982.

Just the thought of McNichols Arena makes me smile. So many great events, so much history and so many special people combined for memorable experiences of a lifetime. I will always remember fondly that concrete hamburger looking building with the huge stairs going up and say “thank you Big Mac”.

I even loved the building itself. My first day on the job in McNichols we had a tornado warning and we all had to gather in the hallway. A tornado hit very near the arena (an indication of my career?) but we were safe and sound. We had the worst hail storm of the century a few years later, our cars were trashed but everyone was safe.

Just a few quick memories:
Working with Chopper on his dinners back when he sold raffle tickets (without a raffle license, of course, but he invited the chief of police and a judge to the dinner, so he figured we were ok!). Each raffle ticket purchased had a corresponding number on a ping pong ball that was used for the raffle itself. At midnight prior to the dinner the next evening, I was in the locker room working with Chopper numbering the ping pong balls to correspond to the matching tickets. I was in charge of setting each ball on the training table to make sure they were all accounted for. When we were almost done, I accidentally hit the table and hundreds of ping pong balls went flying all over the locker room. In a split second, I thought my life was over and I should flee. However, Chopper looked at me and busted up laughing. We just started tossing the ping pong balls and rolling them everywhere. I know there were still some in there when they tore the place down.
Being dressed in a tuxedo for the 1984 All-Star Game greeting fans. Sitting at center court to watch the game and standing in the hall holding the MVP trophy to give to Larry O’Brien to hand to Isaiah Thomas.
Sharing an office at the end of the hall with Mike D’Antoni and a huge mouse we could never catch. We just accepted him and named him Mickey. Also sharing an office with Mike Evans and Kim Hughes. Oh, the stories they could come up with.
Chopper’s little bitty locker room and all of the photos.
The amazing “show” our staff put on to impress Pepsi for the naming rights to the new building. It was planned and completed in a matter of hours.
Sidney Shlenkers’s carnival in the parking lot called Springfest.
Wearing out hundreds of pairs of shoes while logging miles and miles on that concrete concourse on game nights.
Former President Jimmy Carter walking by my office to a meeting in the dark old dungeon of a room they called a conference room. On his way back, I approached him without being stopped or questioned and gave him an autographed basketball.
Jack Nicholson taking refuge in my office at my desk during the 1985 conference finals against the Lakers.

Kelly Kocher, KSE executive director of creative imaging. Started in 1997 as creative director for Ascent Sports.

I remember Chopper bringing all the ladies roses on Valentine's Day.

I remember my cheese wedge-shaped office under a seating section.

I remember being lazy and calling Mike Schanno on the phone in the next office over to ask him a question. He would let it ring, get up, walk to my door and say, "What?!"

I remember the group sales staff crammed into that inhumane 9-by-9 room with at least 12 cubicle stations.

I remember the all-night party in the box office stuffing three months of individual game tickets into those little binders for the Nuggets shortened season.

Jason Kosmicki, Nuggets radio play-by-play announcer

Back then, I would produce and studio host the game from our flagship radio station. During the games, media relations director Tommy Sheppard would be on headset with our play-by-play guy Jerry Schemmel. Now mind you, Tommy’s voice didn't go over the air, just into Jerry’s headset, so Schemmel would be the only one to hear his comments. Often times, the engineer would have Tommy’s microphone too loud. If you knew what you were listening for (which we all did) you could hear Tommy’s comments filtering through Schemmel’s headset. Needless to say, we must have broken about 2,000 different FCC violations over a four-year span. I still remember a lot of his comments but cannot print them here. Rest assured, I am honestly laughing out loud as I sit here and type. Tommy was/is a funny funny man.

Fat Lever, Nuggets guard from 1984-90

When fans came to McNichols, there was a cozy feeling that they were part of the team. They got to know you and they got to talk to you. They thought they were part of the show because Doug Moe would turn around and say something to them. They took it as being involved in the game.

Lesley Linscott, KSE senior manager, community relations. Started as a community relations intern in 1997.

I still carry my McNichols office key on my key ring. Just a fun little reminder of what used to be! My storage “closet” for some valuable autograph stuff at McNichols was an old walk-in freezer. I was always worried that I’d get locked in there. I wouldn’t have been alone, however; there was a nice mouse family that lived there as well.

My mom came to visit and she once had a lovely chat in the kitchen with LaPhonso Ellis while he heated his lunch in the microwave. Of course, Chopper also hit on her, but that came with the territory.

Other little things I remember include working out in that tiny little cell of a weight room, Jon Moore singing all the way to his office every morning, ducking my head (yes, even at 5-foot-2) to get into one of my office spaces that was under the seats. Most of all, I miss Loretta Harmon’s game-day popcorn!

Jean Martineau, Colorado Avalanche senior vice president of communications and business operations

Beating Detroit in the 1996 Western Conference finals Game 6 was something special. Also, the fact there was no press box made it very interesting, to say the least, with the local, national and international media. We had to kill more than 550 seats in the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals to accommodate the media.

Cheryl Miller, KSE executive director of human resources. Started as director of administration in 1992.

Being called to the conference room on game days to roll posters for the give-away.
Sitting with the staff during games. All of our seats (season tickets) were in a couple of sections.
Chopper bringing in his favorite treats to share (I think they were Little Debbie cupcakes).
Office moves. I remember all the times walls went up and walls came down. I also remember painting Dan Issel’s office one evening with a group of employees.
Walking out at the end of the day with my sunglasses on, only to find out it was dark. No one had a window office back then except for the box office.
Being at McNichols when the Avs won the 1996 Stanley Cup. Watching with the staff in that restaurant on the concourse and then going out to the arena bowl, which was full of fans. Hanging out in that bus in front of McNichols for a couple of hours, waiting to go to the airport to meet the team. I think it was 3:00 a.m. when I finally went home for an hour nap and then back to McNichols to car pool to the airport.
The popcorn Loretta Harmon made on game nights. Everyone from game-night staff to full-timers to the players enjoyed it. I think we still have that machine stored somewhere at the Pepsi Center.

Mark Randall, Nuggets community ambassador. Played for the Nuggets from 1993-95

How freakin’ small the locker room was.
Meeting Chopper for the first time when I was in high school.
The fact that the training room was set apart from the locker room by sliding glass doors….awesome!!
Since Dan Issel and Bernie Bickerstaff never played me when I clearly was deserving of starter-type minutes, have to go back to the 1986 Colorado state championship game: George Washington vs. our Cherry Creek team. Both teams were 25-0 coming into the final. We lose the game by one point because someone set the hoops too low as I threw a dunk off of the back of the rim to win the game – because I was up so high…..
Seeing my first, of what has totaled seven to this point of my life, Def Leppard concert!
But seriously, stepping onto the floor for my first home game as a Nugget was awesomely emotional for me since I had dreamed of being a Nugget since the 5th grade.

Jerry Schemmel, former Nuggets radio/television play-by-play announcer

I remember walking toward the building before the Game 3 playoff win vs. Utah in 1994 and seeing the gigantic banner that said, “We Have A Dream.” I still get chills just thinking about it. I remember a true warrior named Dikembe Mutombo bringing back respectability to the franchise. What a great old building!

Eric Sebastian, former Nuggets media relations director. Started as a media relations intern in 1994. Currently director of basketball operations for the University of Memphis.

• Smashing the Sacramento Kings in April for our 10th win of the season and celebrating like we'd won the championship.
• The allure of the extra locker room next to our office that might afford you the chance to bump into Faith Hill in the hallway or pass out from the smell of used hockey pads, depending on the day.
• The famed Duplo machine and hand-collating game notes in the press room.
• Rocky breaking his back, which led to more media requests for our mascot than our players.
• Doing PR for “Colorado NHL” and fielding calls like: “If you call it the Colorado Avalanche I will never come to a game.” Wonder how that worked out for that guy.
• Quietly fearing what would happen if the hockey team was actually named the Rocky Mountain Extreme.
• Tommy Sheppard firing our clock operator after Dan Issel nearly killed him when Terry Mills was able to catch, fake, dribble, spin and sink the game-winning shot in 1.2 seconds.
• Fighting through the last two years in the dungeon of an office under the stands at McNichols with the allure of a brand new office at the Pepsi Center ... only to be booted from those offices after the second year so they could put in a restaurant.
• Not liking our new Australian strength coach very much because he kept playing the same song over and over and over in the weight room next door.
• And last, but not least, our famed noon pickup games on the main floor.

Tommy Sheppard, Nuggets media relations director 1994-2003. Currently vice president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards.

One of my lasting memories of McNichols was the presentation that Tim Leiweke and his staff put together for the naming rights for the Pepsi Center. It involved the entire staff in one shape or another. The idea was to show all the possibilities that an arena could be beyond just hoops and hockey.

It was unbelievable and a heck of a production, no sealing the deal for the Nuggets to get the Pepsi Center naming rights done. Tim has on to much greater heights as a mogul in the entertainment industry, but you saw his vision so clearly that day.

The arena was carved into little areas – it was dark and each area was lit as an announcer set the tone for what was being seen There was boxing, figure skating (sales executive Allison Levy actually did the skating as she is an accomplished skater), a band performed, clowns and other circus acts were there, a whole lot of stuff.

I believe it started with a helicopter ride with Tim and the Pepsi folks to see the space where the Pepsi Center currently sits. Then, he brought them into a dark McNichols and the show began. Most of the people involved were all on staff and everyone had a piece of it – even if they were extras “fans in the stands” types. It was awesome stuff, way ahead of its time. It was so impressive that he allowed the staff to have stakes in it.

I always remember beating the Sonics on Christmas Day 1994. Rodney Rogers went nuts (22 points). First rematch with them since the Nuggs beat the Sonics in the playoffs the previous season.

Beating the Bulls the year they won 72 games was certainly an all-timer as well.

I still am amazed at the quality of people, the level of expertise that was assembled in every area of the building. We had Leiweke and Shawn Hunter, Gary Hunter. A lot of the current AEG folks worked first for the Nuggets. On the basketball side, Bernie Bickerstaff, Mike Brown, Chris Grant …

I remember how strong the ABA roots ran for the Nuggets as well as the Spurs, Nets and Pacers. It meant a lot to everyone when the ABA was discussed. Once, we actually played a pre-season game with a red, white and blue ball against the Spurs, I believe. The NBA finally started to recognize the ABA for its merits and this was an anniversary season of some sort. The dang balls they sent looked great until they got moist – then the paint came off and was all over the court, hands, uniforms, you name it. That was hilarious and sad at the same time.

Gina Silletto, executive assistant to Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke

I started working in the reception area of McNichols Sports Arena in February of 1996. I was 19 and I sat in a little window adjacent to the security desk. My job was to be the first person people checked in with as they came in or one of the first people they spoke to on the phone. I saw and heard it all.

I met a number of great people in that arena. Names such as LaPhonso Ellis, Peter Forsberg and Chopper Travaglini are among the few. Working there, I saw my first NHL and NBA game and it was just the beginning. From the love of sports to my potential as an individual, McNichols Sports Arena has lasting memories. Not only did I meet the man behind Pepsi Center’s street name “Chopper”, but I also met the core to a great working environment, the staff that came to work every day.

I am honored to be among the few that started at McNichols and who are currently still working at Pepsi Center or around the industry. It’s a privilege and, ultimately, my favorite memory.

Jon Waldron, KSE senior director of retail operations. Started as a retail manager in 1998

• Awesome was the retail store that was the size of a closet! One register, no room, line snaking through the store. I know I have seen offices at the Pepsi Center bigger than the square footage of that store.
• First time I rode with Johnny Duke as he drove our retail van onto the concourse to re-stock the store. Me: “Johnny, are we allowed to drive on the concourse like this?” Johnny: “You worry too much, Waldron.” (Casual flick of cigarette ashes out the window)
• Massive retail tent sale as Mr. Sherman took control of the operations and I think he might have had a heartache looking at inventory levels. Mutombo jerseys $1! Nothing like a $10 Christmas shopping list and everyone was happy!
• As a fan, I saw my first-ever professional game at McNichols, Nuggets vs. Knicks – $18 ticket on the risers. I was in awe of Patrick Ewing. Al Albert seemed pleased when I shouted, “Where’s Marv?” I became a Nugget fan from that day forward as I watched Michael Adams run non-stop the whole game. It was like Angus Young at an ACDC concert!
• I heckled the ever-livin’ heck out of Shawn Kemp in 1994. BAM! I was in is head from the last row of the building. Nuggies pulled it out, and we ran/fell down the 60 percent grade that was the upper level, and went and stood in line and bought tickets for Game 4. Rest is history.
• My favorite Nuggets moment, though, came before I started working here. A friend called me with free tickets to a game. One catch: I had to pretend to be a produce manger from a Pueblo King Soopers. My friend couldn’t keep a straight face, as I couldn’t fly under the radar and just be quiet. It was like a one-man Broadway show. I think by the end of the game, I had made several suggestions for a whole new delivery system and had everyone in an uproar as they agreed on how our invoices never match physical deliveries! Afterwards, two Nuggets came by to sign autographs. Marcus Liberty was one of them. Not sure about Nugget No. 2, but that was a good night.
• I would be remiss if I did not mention Game 6 of the 1996 Western Conference finals between the Avs and Red Wings. Still the loudest I have ever, ever heard a building! What a fun ride home. The whole city was united and in a feel-good mood. Everyone waved everyone else into the traffic flow. It was then that I decided, “I have to work here!!”

Lisa Whittaker, KSE manager of premium sales and service

In his first year with the Nuggets, Mo Martin purchased a beautiful BMW. He loved that car, he worshiped that car. He worshiped it so much that we got a crane driver to hoist it on top of the arena when he and the team were practicing inside. We called all of the news crews in town. The entire staff waited (in hiding) in the side parking lot and watched his reaction when he thought the car was stolen. Then, everyone pointed to the top of the arena.

Another favorite moment took place shortly after we hired supermascot Rocky. Charlotte Grahame and I were in charge of him (if that is possible). Rocky always practiced his skits in front of us to make sure everything was ok, etc. One time he rented a guillotine for his skit. He was going to ask someone out of the crowd to come onto the court and put their head in it.

So, Rocky, Charlotte and I went out to practice the skit. Charlotte volunteered to put her head in the guillotine just as the fan would later that night. Charlotte got on her hands and knees at center court, Rocky dropped the guillotine …………. and then couldn’t figure out how to open the guillotine. He had forgotten to ask that minor detail when he rented it. We had to walk Charlotte back to the engineering department wearing the guillotine to get someone to break the thing and get her head out.

Rob Winston, KSE executive director of ticket operations. Started as a media relations intern in 1994

Ahhh McNichols….

• The burrito truck coming by at 9 every morning with a rush of employees to greet it.
• The Arena Club and all its neon.
• The ghost of George…named after some construction worker named George who fell from the rafters to his death and all of the odd things that took place afterwards. (I thought they were referring to Kent, the security guard).
• Many say the Game 4 win vs. the Sonics is still the loudest they’ve ever heard a building (both Big Mac and Pepsi Center).
• When the Avalanche “A” looked like a “less-than” sign as they were pulling up the chains before one game.
• Paul Fernandez (now Bartch) leading the Avs onto the ice for every game.
• Dodging quarters that were being hurled from the stands from our great fans during a home playoff game vs. the Spurs in 1995.
• Section numbers like 2, 4, 16, 32 – where do you see that now???
• Escorting Pat Sajak and his wife to their seats for an Avs game, when a fight between two yahoos broke out on the concourse. As one guy was shoving the other guy against the wall into the entrance of the ladies bathroom, Sajak’s wife got swept into the bathroom with them. She was pinned along the wall, as well, and I had to go inside the ladies room to retrieve her. I’ll never forget the look on Sajak’s face.
• The Halloween costume contests and the $25 pop machine.

A Link to the NBA.com's Article on Still seeking deal, NBA stars shine in Oklahoma exhibition

Here is A Link to the NBA.com's Article on Still seeking deal, NBA stars shine in Oklahoma exhibition:

NBA.com's Article on Still seeking deal, NBA stars shine in Oklahoma exhibition Link

Q&A on lingering NBA lockout

Here is the Q&A on lingering NBA lockout:

Q: Any more cancellations yet?

A: No, but more could come within the next week. For now, still only the first two weeks of the season have been eliminated.

Q: Are 82 games still possible?

A: Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said it was "unclear" to him, and both sides would want to play as many games as possible, but it would be difficult to find enough available dates at the arenas. However, if players bargained for it — perhaps dropping one demand in exchange for a full season so they didn't miss any pay — the league would be more motivated to try.

Q: Where do things currently stand on the split of basketball-related income (BRI)?

A: Owners have formally proposed a 50-50 split, which the sides had informally discussed earlier this month. The players offered to lower their guarantee from 57 percent under the previous deal to a band between 50 and 53 percent, depending on the league's performance. League officials said the union's proposal would average out at 52.5 percent.

Q: So they're close, right?

A: In percentage points, yeah. In real dollars, the difference between 50 and 52.5 is about $100 million annually, based on last year's revenues.

Q: Why did talks break down this time?

A: Players said owners essentially gave them a "take-it-or-leave it" demand to agree to a 50-50 split before they would return to more discussions on the salary cap structure, which is the other significant item in the lockout.

Q: Will the league improve its offer beyond 50-50?

A: It sure doesn't look like it. Even though dropping from 57 to 50 would be an enormous
NBA Commissioner David Stern leaves the NBA labor negotiations after talks surpassed the seven-hour mark on Wednesday. (Louis Lanzano, The Denver Post)
concession by the players, it would only erase about $280 million of the $300 million the league said it lost last season, and owners want a chance to profit.

Q: Was any progress made last week in three days with federal mediator George Cohen?

A: Yes, both sides acknowledged agreement on some minor issues. However, this negotiation is always about the two big ones, and those are still out there.

Q: What was the deal with Paul Allen​ showing up at Thursday's meeting?

A: The union said a surprise appearance by the Portland Trail Blazers​' billionaire owner was to serve as a message from the hard-liners that they had already conceded enough. The Blazers have a spot on the labor relations committee, so Allen can attend whenever he wants. He just rarely has for health reasons, so team president Larry Miller has handled the role.

Q: When will the sides meet again?

A: Probably soon. Every time talks have broken off without further negotiations planned, they've managed to get back to the table fairly quickly. Though this time, there was a nasty tone when things fell apart, with union officials saying Silver had lied in his press conference, so that must be overcome.

Q: Will Cohen still have a role?

A: Union executive director Billy Hunter said if they opted for mediation again, he assumed it would be with Cohen. Cohen's statement after the breakdown said that while "no useful purpose would be served by requesting the parties to continue the mediation process at this time," his office would be willing to facilitate future discussions if requested.

A Link to the DenverPost.com Article on NBA labor talks stall, season now in jeopardy

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NBA labor talks stall, season now in jeopardy DenverPost.com Article Link

NBA.com's Article on Labor Talks: Season On The Brink...

Here is the NBA.com's Article on Labor Talks: Season On The Brink...:

Mostly because the actions of so many are indefensible.

With this latest breakdown in talks between the two sides in the NBA’s labor madness comes a sobering truth about this entire process. It’s never been about saving the game or even preserving it for the fans. It’s about two sides fighting over a billion dollar pie and each one wanting the biggest piece. Someone has to win and someone has to lose, compromise be damned!

We knew as much when this thing started, but we seemed to lose sight of that in the past few months with all the details tossed into the fray to deflect our attention from the fundamentals of this dispute. Our confidence has been betrayed by the men who have asked for that very thing from us, the basketball loving public,. And here we stand, just days away from what should have been the start of a season, staring at a potential season on the brink.

When the federal mediator both sides agreed to let dive into the middle of this battle packs up his stuff and heads for the door after three days of listening to everyone talk, it’s clear the “gulf” between the positions NBA Commissioner David Stern spoke of last week is greater than most of us imagined.

Unlike many of my less cynical colleagues here at the hideout and beyond, I wasn’t expecting a resolution to this process this week. I did (foolishly) assume that some tangible progress this week could lead to a deal sometime in the very near future.

But not after reading these words from NBPA attorney Jeffrey Kessler after the Board of Governors meeting:

This meeting was hijacked. Something happened at their [owners] meeting. This is not the move where the owners were yesterday. We were making progress, as you heard.

They came back, they came without the commissioner. They came with Paul Allen. We were told Paul Allen was here to express the views of the other members of the Board of Governors. And that view was: ‘Our way or the highway.

That’s what we were told. We were shocked. We went in there trying to negotiate, and they came in and said, ‘You either accept 50-50 or we’re done. And we won’t discuss anything else.

Point fingers in whatever direction you like. Both sides are doing the same now without hesitation.

We’re inclined to take the index fingers on both hands, point them in both directions and remind the owners and players that they are playing with the one sacred item in this entire affair. If they think the fans, die-hard and casual alike, will simply assume the position and wait in the parking lot until someone frees them all, they are mistaken.

The owners and players should be mindful of the sacrifices that need to be made or risk sacrificing all that’s been built in recent years and risk doing any further damage than they’ve already done …

Link to the NBA.com's Video on Silver and Holt Address Media

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NBA.com's Article on NBA postpones board meetings, talks with union, mediator

Here is the NBA.com's Article on NBA postpones board meetings, talks with union, mediator:

NBA postpones board meetings, talks with union, mediator

NEW YORK (AP) --

NBA owners and players are meeting for a second straight day, shortly after finishing a 16-hour marathon with a federal mediator.

The sides resumed talks about 10 a.m. Wednesday, about eight hours after they broke for the night.

No bargaining had been expected Wednesday or Thursday, since the owners have board meetings schedules. But instead their labor relations committee came back for further discussions with the players' association executive committee.

Neither side commented on Tuesday's talks at the request of mediator George Cohen.

Commissioner David Stern wanted a deal to bring to his owners this week, otherwise he warned more games may be canceled. Already the first two weeks of the season -- exactly 100 games -- have been lost.

With the sides unable to make any real headway in recent weeks on the two main issues that divide them, they welcomed the presence of Cohen, who also spent 16 days trying to resolve the NFL's labor dispute in February and March.

Their first day with him produced a bargaining session that was more than twice as long as any previous one since owners locked out players when the old collective bargaining agreement expired June 30.

Although the fact that talks didn't break off was good news, one person with knowledge of the process said not to presume there was any serious progress. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of Cohen's request.

Players believe owners' attempts to make the luxury tax more punitive and limit the use of spending exceptions will effectively create a hard salary cap, which they say they will refuse to accept. Also, each side has formally proposed receiving 53 percent of basketball-related income after players were guaranteed 57 percent under the previous collective bargaining agreement.

Without a deal this week, Stern may have to decide when a next round of cancellations would be necessary. The season was supposed to begin Nov. 1, but all games through Nov. 14 have been scrapped, costing players about $170 million in salaries.

NBA.com's Article on NBA players, owners meeting with meditator

Here is the NBA.com's Article on NBA players, owners meeting with meditator:

NBA players, owners meeting with mediator

NEW YORK (AP) --

NBA players and owners are meeting with a federal mediator, and Commissioner David Stern believes more games could be canceled if there isn't movement toward a new labor deal.

George Cohen tried to resolve the NFL's labor dispute. Now he's overseeing basketball's negotiations for the first time. Stern wants immediate results, saying during interviews last week that proposals could get worse and more games could be lost without a deal Tuesday.

"If there's a breakthrough, it's going to come on Tuesday," he told NBA TV. "And if not, I think that the season is really going to potentially escape from us because we aren't making any progress."

Tuesday was the 110th day of the lockout. In another interview, Stern told WFAN radio in New York that his "gut" was that there wouldn't be NBA games on Christmas if it ended without a deal.

But large gaps remain between the sides, with both seeking 53 percent of basketball revenues and players opposing owners' attempts to significantly change the salary cap system.

Cohen met with the sides individually at their offices Monday before both brought their full bargaining committees to a hotel Tuesday. The union said it wanted to have the whole week set aside for negotiations, but owners have two days of board meetings beginning Wednesday.

Stern wants to be able to bring them a deal. If not, they may have to discuss further cancellations after the first two weeks of the season were already wiped out.

Cohen was appointed director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service by President Barack Obama in 2009. He was present for talks between NFL owners and players for 16 days in February and March before that mediation broke off.

He previously helped broker a deal between Major League Soccer and its players and was lead lawyer for the baseball players' union when it won an injunction against its owners in 1995, ending the 7 1/2-month strike.

A Link to the NBA.com's Article on Competitive balance? NBA has always been about dynasties

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ESPN.com's Video on Parting Shot- NBA Impasse with Bob Ryan

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A Link to the ESPN.com's Article on Jerry West reveals lifelong depression

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NBA.com's Link to the David Aldridge's One on One Interview with David Stern

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David Aldridge's One on One Interview with David Stern NBA.com's Link

Links to the NBA.com's Videos on Barkley and Miller Interview Parts 1 and 2

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Barkley and Miller Interview- Part 1 NBA.com Video Link

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ESPN.com's Video on NBA Canceling the First Two Weeks of Regular Season

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NBA.com's Article on Negotiators resume labor talks on deadline day

Here is the NBA.com's Article on Negotiators resume labor talks on deadline day:

NEW YORK (AP) --

Facing a Monday deadline to reach a deal or have regular-season games canceled, NBA owners and players have resumed talks toward ending the lockout.

Commissioner David Stern said last week he could cancel the first two weeks of the season Monday without a new deal. Opening night is scheduled for Nov. 1.

Top negotiators for both sides returned about 14 hours after ending talks Sunday night. They are still apart on the main issues of the division of revenues and salary cap system, with many lesser items still not even discussed.

Owners locked out the players July 1 when they couldn't reach a deal before the expiration of the old collective bargaining agreement.

NBA.com's Article on As sides plan Sunday night talks, financial picture muddles

Here is the NBA.com's Article on As sides plan Sunday night talks, financial picture muddles:

As sides plan Sunday night talks, financial picture muddles

As the damage grows, the pie shrinks. It's an inverse relationship that deepens with each fruitless round of negotiations in the NBA labor dispute.

The longer it drags on, the more harm gets inflicted on the events -- preseason, regular season, sponsorships, broadcasts -- that generate the $4 billion over which the league's owners and players are squabbling. And the more harm that gets inflicted, the more money is lost, intensifying each side's fight to grab what it considers to be its "fair" share.

Both sides reportedly were ready to make one last grab Sunday night at the pie as is, agreeing to meet in New York to find a compromise that would preserve the NBA's 82-game 2011-12 schedule.

The session, based on information given anonymously to the New York Times, was to involve the key negotiators from each side: NBA commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver for the owners, with union president Derek Fisher and executive director Billy Hunter representing the players. San Antonio owner Peter Holt, head of the league's labor relations committee, also was reported to be headed to New York.

After the most recent bargaining session ended last Tuesday, Stern said he would cancel the first two weeks of the regular season if an agreement wasn't reached by Monday. (He specifically used the word "cancel" too, rather than "postpone," citing arena conflicts and calendar constraints that would make it difficult for all 30 teams to reschedule lost games.)

What Stern didn't specify was the time Monday by which the games would get whacked. With Hunter expected to fly Monday morning to a regional players' meeting in Los Angeles, the prospect of any Sunday meeting spilling into Monday initially seemed slim. But a report on sheridanhoops.com said Hunter's plane ticket had been canceled, adding one more opportunity to meet what has been a succession of "D-Day" deadlines.

More than a week ago, the owners, players and fans faced "enormous consequences" if the collective-bargaining talks on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 failed to produce an agreement. After sessions on Monday and Tuesday, there was chatter that the sides might not meet again for a week, a month or longer. So far, the cries of "Wolf!" and the Chicken Little hysterics seem less credible than a Yogi Berra outlook (as in, the CBA talks will be over when they're over).

Some D-Days are more equal than others, though. Even if the commissioner's deadline comes a stroke before midnight Monday, the cancellation of games will cost the NBA real money. How much? Stern and Silver alluded last week to "hundred of millions of dollars" lost from the first two weeks. Hunter estimated a $350 million hit to players' salaries for every month of missed games.

To keep the math simple, let's divide the annual $4 billion haul by six, since that's the length of the NBA regular season (yes, we know the playoffs are lucrative for the owners) and the round numbers jibe somewhat with the estimates tossed out by both sides. If each month represents $666 million of basketball-related revenues, two weeks would be about half that ($333 million). Which would be about 8.3 percent of the total.

So by digging in at their bottom-line share of 53 percent -- and contributing to the loss of two weeks of the season -- the players would have to up their demand to 57.8 percent of a smaller BRI to get the same $2.12 billion they want now. Heck, they'd have to get 54.5 percent just to reap the $2 billion that the owners are -- or at least Stern is -- offering in a 50-50 split.

The same goes for the owners. If they require a minimum of $2 billion, as suggested by Stern's 50-50 "concept," they would need the players to accept 45.5 percent going forward just to recoup their losses from the first two weeks of games. Anything short of that split -- 54.5 to 45.5 -- would mean that someone lost dearly. Maybe two someones.

Remember, the assumption from the start of the lockout on July 1 was that one side or the other would get the better deal. Most observers assumed the owners would hold out past the time (middle of November) when the players start missing paychecks and use that leverage against them. More recently, some have suggested the players are more committed and prepared than anticipated and might outlast a splintering group of owners.

What the above back-of-the-page calculations show, though, is the toxic cost to both sides of failing to preserve the entire 2011-12 season. Once actual financial pain is inflicted, both sides -- in most negotiations of this sort, historically -- try to recoup some of their losses from the other side by digging in for a better deal.

As Stern said last week: "There is an extraordinary hit coming to the owners and to the players. So I don't want to speculate about what our future bargaining position would be."

What might work best at 50-50, in this instance, becomes less attractive even at 52-48 in one side's favor if the overall $4 billion pie shrinks. And the speculated losses in just two weeks of games doesn't even account for what might end up as a dropoff in fan enthusiasm overall. After all, gate receipts and broadcast ratings slumped for several seasons after the 1998-99 lockout resulted in a 50-game season.

Nor do the numbers above factor in a league whose success instead builds on the momentum of 2010-11 and, with owners and players committed not just to a new CBA but to a more legitimate, revenue-sharing partnership.

So which will it be: Half of a big pie? Or more than half of a smaller pie? Children seated at the kitchen table could answer that one quickly enough.

Youtube Video on A Tribute to Al Davis

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A Link to the ESPN.com's Player Rankings Chart

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Youtube Video on Steve Jobs Tribute

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A PDF Link to the Full Union detailing Tuesday's Meeting Letter to all NBA players

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Full Union detailing Tuesday's Meeting Letter to all NBA players PDF Link

A Link to the SI.com's Article on Gasols to practice with Barcelona during lockout

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NBA.com's Article on Labor talks shaken out of doldrums by players' presence

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Labor talks shaken out of doldrums by players' presence

In San Antonio, when coach Gregg Popovich would be purple with rage during a practice or a film session, they called it "going Serbian." It was part real and part theatre, designed to wake the Spurs out of whatever doldrums they were going through. Pop didn't do it every week or every month; when you're a coach, you can only pull such things a few times a season. But he made his point and his players understood it was time to pick things up.

That's why it was important for the NBA's star players to show up for Friday's negotiating session in New York with the owners. No, they did not "scare" the owners, in a physical sense or otherwise. The deal is the same; the owners are going to get most of what they want from the union because they have the leverage and the players do not.

But Dwyane Wade's confrontation with David Stern last Friday, combined with the strength of LeBron James in the room with his fellow players and Paul Pierce challenging the owners' math, stirred the pot, rattled the cages and got everyone's attention. And it cleared the air and the stage for the last, best chance to avoid cancelling a signficant amount of regular season games. (The likelihood that at least some -- maybe 10, maybe 20 -- are going to go away is significant.)

Stern has always maintained that, if roles were switched, he could do Billy Hunter's job, and Hunter could do his job. They are not friends, but they have been across negotiating tables from one another for 13 years now, and they know what the other guy needs to make a deal. And that's what this comes down to now, giving the other guy something he can sell to his people.

Stern cannot sell the same soft cap that has been in place for a quarter-century; his owners have made it plain that they'll kill a season before going back to that system. Hunter can't sell a 46 percent player cut of Basketball Related Income; when he's already agreed to give back more than $160 million in salaries from current levels, giving the owners another $300 million or so is a non-starter.

The last chance has always been in the hands of Stern and Hunter, just as it was in 2005, when Stern went to the owners and raised hell at the 11th hour, getting the owners to take their "supertax" proposal -- these things never go away; they're just tabled until the next time -- off the table, and give Hunter the opening he needed to get his guys to swallow a 19-year-old age minimum for the Draft.

Hunter said then, "I guess the two of us needed to ratchet up the rhetoric and we decided it was time to back away from the abyss and decide if we could really do a deal."

Or, as Stern put it: "half of it went our way, half of it went their way, and the central economics really remain the same. We knew that that's what we had to get to. I think that the question about what happened in the last week, I think Russ (Granik, then deputy commissioner) at my press conference got the owners to thinking that maybe we were crazy enough to do it. Billy's press conference got the players thinking the same thing, and so we both got encouraged to sit down and try to avoid the Apocolypse that we were each describing."

There is another one of those on the horizon. The rest of the preseason will go poof, maybe as early as Tuesday, if there isn't a breakthrough in the next two days of negotiations. And nuking the start of the regular season isn't far behind; there just isn't any more time.

At minimum, a month is likely required from the time both sides shake hands across the conference table to the opening tipoff; a week to write and ratify the deal, a week for some form of free agency, a week of training camp and a week of preseason games. Maybe you could squeeze all that into three weeks. Maybe.

Where can Stern and Hunter reach one another? I've argued for months (to no avail, obviously) that a 50-50 split of BRI has to be the settling point between the two sides. That would represent almost $300 million in reduced spending for owners -- precisely the amount of money the league claims it lost this past season. Stern cannot ask Hunter to give more; it's a humongous bite of the apple, hard enough for the players to swallow.

Stern has already gotten the owners to capitulate on their desires to take away guaranteed contracts, and the owners' latest proposal, with its current version of the supertax, would nonetheless preserve a softer cap than the owners initially desired. Can Stern do more? Can he get the owners up to 50 percent on BRI? Is there any more money he can get from the Busses and Dolans of the league for revenue sharing, and can he get them to couple it to the CBA discussions? Can he preserve the existing cap exceptions in some form, or will the hawks who've been pushing him make it impossible?

That's why I asked Stern on Friday if, even if they weren't there yet, he could see what the framework of a deal would look like. He demurred, saying, "I leave that to the bloggers."

Heavy rocks, indeed, to push up the hill this late. But Stern and Hunter both have great incentive to hammer this out between themselves and their small groups -- deputy commissioner Adam Silver and Spurs owner Peter Holt on Stern's side, union president Derek Fisher and attorneys Jeffrey Kessler and Ron Klempner with Hunter's back. Otherwise, this thing could get pulled in a million different directions.

The Commish and deputy commish went out of their way the last few days to praise the star players for showing up Friday, and the cynic in me can't help but think they know the stars being in New York means that the stars aren't sitting somewhere with their agents, contemplating decertification.

James, for example, is represented by Leon Rose, one of the agents that is part of the pro-decertification group. Pierce is repped by Jeff Schwartz, another pro-decertification guy. If those influential players literally have Hunter and Derek Fisher's back, the chances of finding 230-plus other players that would vote to blow up the union decrease significantly. (And the stars may keep coming out: a source said Sunday night that Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Amar'e Stoudemire have been invited to New York for Tuesday's meeting, and that Wade, Ray Allen and Carmelo Anthony, who were among the players in attendance on Friday, have been asked to come back.)

But Hunter didn't shy from the elephant in the middle of the room. According to a source with knowledge of the discussions, Hunter put it point blank to James, Wade and the other stars in the room on Friday during a players-only session: Do you guys want to decertify? Let me know where you stand. And the players said no.

The decertifcation strategy, seemingly inevitable a couple of weeks ago, seems to have cooled a little. The major pro-decertification agents -- Arn Tellem, Bill Duffy, Schwartz, Rose, Mark Bartlestein -- still think that's a strategy worth pursuing. But there aren't that many other agents who seem sold on the idea.

Several high-profile agents contacted by NBA.com over the past two weeks have indicated opposition to the decertification strategy. Collectively, they represent more than 75 players -- not as many as the more than 180 that Tellem, Rose, Duffy, Bartlestein and Schwartz either represent directly or indirectly, but a significant slice nonetheless.

Among the concerns of these agents:

1) The effect of decertifying on the season.

Many believe if the union opts to decertify, the whole season will be lost.

"We could have a discussion about whether we should have done it in May. That would be an interesting discussion," said one agent -- who, like the others, would not speak for attribution. "But if we do it now, there's no season."

2) The motives of the pro-decertification agents.

There is suspicion among their brethren.

"That's for their gain, not for their players' gain," one agent said.

Asked another: "If we decertify, are they doing so to replace Billy, or are they doing it as a negotiating tactic, like the NFL? And if they're trying to replace Billy, who will they replace him with?"

3) The effect of decertification on the union's pending case with the National Labor Relations Board against the NBA.

The union has accused the league of not negotiating in good faith, just as the league has done in a lawsuit filed against the union in a New York court. If the NLRB were to agree with the players, it could end the lockout. The NBPA believes that case will be adjudicated within the next couple of weeks, and until then, it obviously cannot talk about decertifying; one of the main accusations against the union in the league's lawsuit is that the NBPA has "threatened" to decertify on numerous occasions.

"The NLRB is a tactic," another agent said. "But it also says, 'We exhausted all possibilities to get a deal done.' "

The pro-decertification agents, though, have to get only 30 percent of the league's players to sign a petition asking for an "involuntary" decertification vote, and they represent more than 30 percent of the NBA's players. If they can bring their guys in, they can ultimately force a vote, and then they'd need 50 percent plus one. Yet for all of the supposed threats over the years, the NBPA has never actually decertified. It is still virgin territory.

But decertification sits out there, just outside the union's territorial waters, its backers still circling, waiting for the moment. If Stern and Hunter don't want to face a second front on which they'll have to fight, putting their futures in the hands of judges they don't know and appelate courts they can't trust, they better end the war. Now.

20 Things we'll miss if NBA games are canceled List

Here is the 20 Things we'll miss if NBA games are canceled List:

1 The 2011-12 version of the Miami Heat
AP

What a shame to waste this kind of villainy. How often can the whole country pull against one team and feel so good about it? It took the Yankees decades to build up this much animosity; the Heat did it in a matter of days.

And now, in Season 2, the Heat will be even more compelling. We have LeBron James' failure, Dwyane Wade's frustration, Chris Bosh's humanity and the specter of Riles. Most intriguing is how the team will adapt on the court. Will Erik Spoelstra finally install an offense? Will James finally develop a post-up game? Who will fill spots 4-12? Will we finally get a Kobe-LeBron Finals?

It would be a shame not to find out. -- Chris Ballard
2 Stan Van Gundy
AP

I don't want the NBA back unless Stan Van Gundy comes with it. Put a provision in the new CBA that guarantees him a lifetime job. It just wouldn't be as entertaining a league without the Orlando Magic coach. Van Gundy is both a visual and verbal treat with his delightfully pained expressions and his unflinching candor in interviews. It doesn't matter how well a game is going for Orlando -- if one of his players dribbles the ball off his foot or misses an open cutter with a pass, Van Gundy's face portrays instant agony. He cringes and winces as if someone is slowly driving an ice pick through the palm of his hand, or he sits down and massages his temples like a schoolteacher in a classroom full of third-graders on sugar rush. Van Gundy often looks as if some minor mistake on the court is causing him excruciating physical pain, and that's just fun to watch.

It's just as fun to hear him answer with honest opinions instead of the usual clichés coaches spout. This is Van Gundy on commissioner David Stern: "Like a lot of leaders we've seen in this world lately, he doesn't really tolerate other peoples' opinion or free speech or anything." And this is Van Gundy on the Miami Heat last season: "I do chuckle a bit when they sort of complain about the scrutiny they get. My suggestion would be if you don't want the scrutiny, you don't hold a championship celebration before you've even practiced together. It's hard to go out and invite that kind of crowd and celebration and attention, and then when things aren't going well, sort of bemoan the fact that you're getting that attention."

Agree or disagree, no one can accuse Van Gundy of being afraid to say what he thinks. Because coaches are forbidden to talk about the lockout while it's in effect, Van Gundy is essentially muzzled. That must cause him to sit at home with a doozy of a pained expression. I want to see it. -- Phil Taylor
3 Derrick Rose's crossover
AP
He stands at the top of the key, shoulders slumped and eyelids heavy, as if he might doze off for a few seconds. His head falls to one side. His mouthpiece spills out over his bottom lip. He looks exhausted and disengaged, more interested in nibbling the mouthpiece than dribbling the ball. Then, just as you start to wonder if this is truly the NBA MVP, the most transcendent driver in the league, the most captivating point guard in an era full of them, he sucks in his mouthpiece, rolls back his shoulders, and throws down one thunderous crossover, with the speed of Iverson but far more power.

The rest is for the highlight reels: the blinding first step, the headlong rush into the lane, the way he cradles the ball in the crook of his arm like a tailback, hurtles himself into three men at least six inches taller than he is, and contorts his body up, under and around each one. He was never the least bit tired or removed. It was all part of the Derrick Rose hustle, and as another layup rolls in over a wave of so-called shot-blockers, he doesn't change expression. He could not appear less impressed with what he just did. -- Lee Jenkins
4 The All-Star Game
AP
I won't miss the rest of All-Star weekend, but the All-Star Game itself remains a treasure. Like so many things, it is no longer what it used to be -- it's less competitive than it was in the 1980s for sure -- yet it brings the biggest stars together for one radiant evening. Their personalities come through in each other's company: Shaquille O'Neal was an entertainer in his day, while Kobe, as recently as last year, was a cutthroat winner, and all the other stars operate somewhere in between.

It would be a loss that could not be redeemed, because each year the mixture of stars changes based on their comparative roles within the NBA hierarchy, and as the All-Star Game plays itself out it provides a different perspective on that hierarchy while revealing who is really in charge of the asylum. Of all the singular non-playoff games or events that could be canceled, the loss of the All-Star Game would be noticed the most and create the most harm. -- Ian Thomsen
5 Continued rise of the Thunder and Bulls
AP

There are some things that are just better in the NBA than any other sport, and maybe the biggest is this: It is more fun to track the rise of teams from the crap pile to the championship stand. The Thunder and Bulls each used lottery luck (they snared Hall-of-Fame talents with top-two picks) and deft decision-making to become must-follow teams. Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant and Chicago's Derrick Rose may be the two most likeable young players in the league. They can win MVP awards, and Rose just did, but they will measure their careers by whether they won titles with their original teams. They are trying to will their teams to titles, and it is fascinating to see whether they pull it off.

Will the Thunder's Russell Westbrook develop from freak athlete and All-Star player into championship point guard? Can the Bulls find the slasher to go along with Rose, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng, and lift Chicago past Miami? Or are these two teams destined to join the Mark Price/Brad Daugherty Cavs, Alonzo Mourning/Tim Hardaway Heat and Karl Malone/John Stockton Jazz as long-time contenders who couldn't finish the job? I don't have the answer. But the question is riveting. And that's why this is the best time to watch these teams. Greatness is thrilling. Teams reaching for greatness are even more compelling. -- Michael Rosenberg
6 The Dan Gilbert-LeBron James rivalry, continued
AP

This feud should continue to be spicy for oh, say, the next 10 years. Gilbert's stance on LeBron has not softened much since he called his former franchise player's defection to Miami a "cowardly betrayal" and accused James of quitting during the 2010 playoffs. James will be making regular trips to Cleveland over the next few years -- if the season starts on time, his next appearance will be Nov. 18 -- and Gilbert will likely be in his usual seat along the baseline, staring him down.

Miami-Cleveland isn't much of a rivalry -- one team went to the 2011 NBA Finals, while the other finished with the second-worst record in the league -- but the Cavs do have two talented prospects in top overall draft pick Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, who give Gilbert some hope of becoming competitive. Interestingly, Gilbert is one of the owners pushing hard for a very owner-friendly new collective bargaining agreement. That's undoubtedly to help level the playing field for his small-market team. But one byproduct of that kind of deal is that it would be difficult for a capped-out team like Miami to add pieces to its roster. Take that, LeBron. -- Chris Mannix
7 The three most exciting new pick-and-roll combos
Allen Eyestone/Zumapress
It's strange to think that a pick-and-roll involving two of the three best all-around players in the league might be the least effective of these three super-exciting combinations, but that may end up the case, considering the similarity in skill sets between LeBron and Wade. Neither is an elite three-point shooter nor a post-up beast comfortable working from the block regardless of the matchup. Their ability to punish defenses who have the right personnel to simply switch this play is questionable, but the sheer ability here makes this something the Heat almost have to experiment with more next season.

There are no such overlap issues with Oklahoma City's Durant and Westbrook, poised to rank among the greatest point guard/small forward pick-and-roll combinations in modern league history. And with the improved handling and passing Clippers guard Eric Gordon showed last season, he and Blake Griffin should be able to slice up defenses from the left side for the next half-decade. Enjoy. -- Zach Lowe
8 Ray Allen's shooting
AP

Here's the funny part about wanting to see Ray Allen shoot: I've never enjoyed his once-in-a-generation form more than when I couldn't see it. On April 29, 2005, Seattle rolled into Sacramento with a 2-0 series lead in the first-round matchup. The Sonics had done it without the best Allen had to offer, as he had hit just 16 of 38 shots to that point (42.1 percent) while scoring a combined 54 points.

As he worked alone before Game 3 on the Arco Arena floor, I watched with amazement from a courtside seat as he made one of the hardest tasks in sports look so incredibly easy. The rhythm was unreal, the consistency uncanny, the shot that was on display from so many different spots a sight to see. And then the place went dark. Lights out. Confusion all around. Employees scrambling. Reporters chuckling. But what was that sound? Swish. Swish. Swish. Swish. Yep, the shooter had just kept firing. And hitting.
I couldn't see the rim from just outside the right wing, and Allen would later admit that he couldn't see it either. Until later, of course, when the lights came back on and he scored 33 points on 10-of-21 shooting in Seattle's only loss of the series. His 45 points in Game 4 and 30 in Game 5 would help the Sonics finish the job.

Yeah, I'd miss seeing that. -- Sam Amick
9 Marv Albert calling games
Kirby Lee/US PRESSWIRE

YES! One word, three letters. Is there an announcer in sports who is more associated with a catchphrase than Marv Albert is with "YES!"? (For the record, the "YES!" is made even better when Albert follows it up with "AND THE FOUL!")

Albert, however, isn't about catchphrases and gimmicks. He's about calling a basketball game as well as it can be called. And he's been doing that since 1967. What's most amazing about him is that, despite turning 70 this past June, he's still at the top of his game. He hasn't lost one mile off his fastball. In fact, he's so good that CBS just hired him to call NFL games this season. Think about that: In this day and age, when the only thing that matters is youth and the young demographic, Marv Albert is still getting jobs at age 70.

One of the reasons for that is because when you hear Albert's iconic voice, a game becomes an event. His call of the game is sort of like adding a third team to the contest. You watch for the two teams and for Marv. That's why I'll miss Marv Albert more than anything during this NBA lockout. It doesn't matter if it's a Pacers-Timberwolves game in January or a Celtics-Heat Eastern Conference Finals. You'll always get an A+ broadcast with Marv behind the mic. He's like that old friend you can always rely on, and he will be missed. -- Jimmy Traina
10 Talking about the NBA
AP

The NBA is a conversation. Training camp ushers in talk of possibilities. The first half of the season brings chatter about breakout performances and how Free Agent X has matured into an MVP candidate. All-Star weekend ramps up gossip of trades, while the dog days of the late season are saved by debates over playoff matchups. Legacies are argued over in the postseason before everyone weighs in come late June on what draft picks will become stars or busts. Even in the summer the NBA doesn't recede from our consciousness completely, or at least not before the prospect of free-agent shopping gets fans and teams giddy with hope.

That will all be gone if games are canceled. Who cares how Mike Brown will connect with Kobe if they're not even allowed to work together? The potential of the Thunder with a full season of Kendrick Perkins is pointless to consider until Durant has the chance to play for more than a Rucker League crowd. Without a season, we'll be left to ponder words like Basketball-Related Income. And is there any phrase more frustrating than "another round of bargaining talks are scheduled"?

The NBA is a conversation, and without it, most of us will be left speechless. -- Paul Forrester
11 Playoff upsets
AP

Crazy Zach Randolph floaters, a meniscus-free Brandon Roy hitting threes, graybeard Jason Kidd D-ing up Kobe -- last spring provided the most thrilling playoffs in ages. The clustering of talent on top teams may have watered-down the regular season, but it made the postseason more competitive (one reason why a 50-game slate wouldn't be the worst thing in the world).

When 21 of the 25 NBA All-Stars are in the playoffs, as happened last year, it means plenty of teams are stacked, which in turn leads to better series and -- when they occur -- more dramatic upsets. -- C.B.
12 Blake Griffin's dunks
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

I'm a little bit of a dunk snob. I've been spoiled, because I can remember Dr. J throwing them down during his ABA days, as well as Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins in their primes. Everything since then has pretty much been just imitation, as far as I'm concerned. Don't even get me started on the contrived piece of business the All-Star Slam Dunk contest has become.

But Griffin brought me back to the dunk. His throwdowns are so sudden and vicious that I'm drawn to the TV when he plays. I'll even sit through commercials if I know that a Griffin slam is coming up next. His best dunks are the ones in which he does awful, awful things to some poor defender, like the one over 7-footer Timofey Mozgov, on which he elevated so high that Mozgov's face was below Griffin's waist. That one should be marked NSFW.

Griffin already missed his rookie year with a knee injury, depriving us of who knows how many memorable dunks. It would be almost criminal if he -- we -- were robbed of another season of his ferocity. Griffin needs to come back soon, or I'm going to forget how to love the dunk again. -- P.T.
13 J.J. Barea
David J. Phillip/Landov

A consistent gripe you hear about pro basketball -- as perennial as "games aren't decided 'til the last two minutes" and "they don't really try 'til the playoffs" -- comes from people who, in so many words, protest that they can't relate to the players. That's why last spring's emergence of the Mavericks' J. J. Barea could have been such a lasting boon to the league. He's Everyman. He's 6 feet, if that. He comes from a Caribbean island known primarily for producing shortstops. He scores with the kinds of dinks and spins and angles that you and I have tried playing Ping-Pong in the basement. And, eliminating Los Angeles from the playoffs, he so bamboozled the Lakers' burliest frontliners, Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum, that each, on separate occasions, wound up getting suspended for taking out their frustrations on him.

If Rajon Rondo plays the point like an option quarterback, Barea does so like a shortstop -- moving east-west as much as north-south; scuttling into the hole that is the lane; emerging suddenly to make a play where none seemed there. Regardless of where Barea plays during a lockout, I'll be surfing YouTube for highlight clips. -- Alexander Wolff
14 The trade deadline frenzy
AP

The social media news cycle has made the trading deadline more important than ever. Like the buildup to the annual NBA draft, it is a world unto itself, and in recent years many big deals have been made to send Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks, or to unite Kobe with Pau Gasol in transforming the Lakers as champions. It arrives in mid-February, shortly after All-Star weekend, when teams fully understand whether they have a chance to contend for the playoffs or the title, or whether they need to break up the roster in order to hasten a roster overhaul. The cottage industry of trade speculation makes the long NBA regular season manageable for a lot of fans who would lose interest if it weren't for the rumors, proposals and wish-lists that encircle the league.

If the owners and players are able to reach an agreement in time to save the season, then the 2012 deadline might be the most interesting of them all, because it will occur under an entirely new set of collectively bargained rules that management and agents will still be trying to understand. It's likely to be very difficult to predict the long-term ramifications of some trades while the experts are still trying to grasp the loopholes and penalties of the new CBA, and that will make this deadline even more contentious than normal. -- Thomsen
15 The Grizzlies' grit, grind
AP

The Grizzlies were on national television six times in the 2010-11 regular season despite one of the most dynamic frontcourts in the NBA, a promising point guard in Mike Conley and a delightfully unstable wing in Tony Allen, who famously described his team: "All heart, grit, grind."

America was introduced to the Grindhouse in the playoffs, when the Grizzlies upset top-seeded San Antonio and pushed Oklahoma City to seven games, with Allen diving over the scorer's table for loose balls, Zach Randolph dancing during timeouts, and Darrell Arthur catching ally-oops thrown three feet over his head. For the first time, Memphis witnessed the NBA at its best, crowding Fed Ex Forum as if John Calipari was back in town, and celebrating afterward with players at Beale St. blues bars.

Memphis has the smallest TV market in the NBA, but with Rudy Gay returning from shoulder surgery and Marc Gasol emerging as an elite center, the Grizzlies will be a sleeper pick in the Western Conference. They are even scheduled to grind on national TV a franchise-record 13 times. For their sake and ours, they should make those dates. -- Jenkins
16 Shaq behind the mic
AP

Can this really miss? TNT is known for letting its on-air talent shoot from the hip and Shaq has never been shy about voicing his opinion. He'll ruffle a few feathers along the way -- big men, specifically Dwight Howard, beware -- but the Shaq-Charles Barkley combination should provide plenty of laughs.

Comedy aside, Shaq has the potential to be an insightful analyst. He will stumble a little bit at first but remember, O'Neal played for six teams, 12 different head coaches and with hundreds of teammates over a 19-year career. Great players don't always make great analysts, but Shaq brings a lot to the table. -- Mannix
17 The last run of the Celtics
AP
You almost have to admire Wyc Grousbeck's reported willingness to sacrifice the 2011-12 season to wring more concessions from the players, because ditching the season means robbing the league's fiercest veteran group of one last go-round. Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett will be free agents next summer, and even if the Celtics convince each other to return on cheap one-year deals, there is no guarantee anymore that either guy will be productive past next season. The declines can be sharp and sudden when guys reach their mid- and late-30s. Even if this group is intact for longer than expected, the roles and minutes will shrink and new help will arrive. It will be different. This team has been fun to watch for four seasons, with the yapping, on-a-string defense and all that shooting around Rondo. Let's hope we get a fifth. -- Lowe
18 Monitoring Kobe Bryant's daily level of annoyance
AP

Don't get the wrong idea here. The notion that I'd enjoy seeing Kobe stare holes through Mike Brown after the latest loss or start calling Gasol the "White Swan" again isn't rooted in some lust for drama. But the interest can tend to wane during the course of an 82-game season, especially when it comes to the championship-or-bust Lakers.

They can't really prove anything until the playoffs, and we all know Kobe saves his best for last. Along the way, however, we could have been tracking his happiness level on a daily basis considering the changed landscape in L.A. You know, sort of like we did following the summer of 2007 (trade demand/Andrew Bynum found under the bus).

Phil Jackson is a tough act to follow for Brown, especially when the increasingly influential Jim Buss decided not to consult Bryant before hiring the former Cleveland coach. That's not to say Kobe isn't on board with Brown, as the word is the two of them are just fine. But transitions can be tricky with any star and a new coach, let alone the most ruthless player on the planet after he loses his favorite mentor. And that, whenever it actually takes place, will be interesting to watch. -- Amick
19 The development of future stars
AP

The game's superstars are easy to appreciate. LeBron's combination of explosiveness and vision. Kobe's tenacity. Dwight's power. All are traits seen in only few, traits that mark particular players no matter the uniform. But none arrive with iconic skills in place. There's a process of development. In that process, elite talents become more than stars; they become benchmarks to eras. The lockout could short-circuit NBA history, robbing not only a prime year of the ascendant James-Howard-Wade era, but delaying the growth of the next. How might Rose's loss in the East finals have spurred him to improve? Would Westbrook and Durant find a way for both to thrive and avoid a battle for team leadership? After a year learning the league, would John Wall find a way to better his teammates as much as himself? And will Kyrie Irving remind fans of Chris Paul or any number of good-but-not-great point guards?

The athletic life of a pro is short. Games missed are opportunities lost to watch a player change. Stardom is a fun destination but the journey -- the heartbreaks overcome, the 15-foot jump shot added over the summer -- is what makes players part of the NBA's ongoing saga. -- Forrester
20 The social consciousness of the Suns
AP

With so many athletes and teams content to retreat into their bubbles, the Phoenix Suns take bold, sometimes risky stands, individually and collectively. As an organization the Suns tick off more than the usual community-relations boxes, having donated $1.3 million to charity last year and sponsored a wheelchair team for more than two decades. As an individual, Grant Hill champions everything from childhood literacy and education, to the Special Olympics, to the campaign against inner-city food deserts, where defunded recreation programs and a lack of fresh produce compound the obesity epidemic. Meanwhile, is there a cause that Steve Nash hasn't embraced? He not only wears the Nike Trash Talk shoe, made from recycled materials, but he jawboned the company into introducing it.

The Suns go far beyond merely adopting the movement of the moment. They're out front, leading. They wore their Los Suns jerseys within days of Arizona's passage of its law targeting Hispanic immigrants. And Hill and teammate Jared Dudley didn't hesitate to play starring roles in the NBA's "Not cool!" spot urging kids not to toss off anti-gay slurs, a PSA that received heavy rotation during last spring's playoffs.

A silver lining to the lockout: Hill, Nash and all the Suns will have more time on their hands to make a difference. -- Wolff

A Link to the NBA.com's Labor Update Video

Here is A Link to the NBA.com's Labor Update Video:

NBA.com's Labor Update Video Link