The NBA lockout/work stoppage/strike was wonderful. Was it because the owners and players now have an agreement that will allow the season to happen? Did the players get a good deal? Did the owners screw the players?
No, no ... the results of the resolution make it well worth all the pain.
The Dallas Mavericks will play on Christmas Day to open the season. They will play the Miami Heat, the team they beat for the NBA championship - on nation wide TV. David Stern will present Mark Cuban and the team with their championsip trophy prior to the game. The Mavericks will receive their championship rings. The Mavericks will hoist the championship banner in the AAC. And ... LeBron and Dwade will have to sit there and watch it!
How sweet!
Update - Christmas Day may be the only day of celebration for the Mavs this season. Due to conditions of the new CBA, the rules on how much teams can spend on players have changed significantly. As a result, the 4 free agents the Mavs had on the team, Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler, JJ Barea, and Deshawn Stevenson, have all been allowed to sign with other teams. Mark Cuban has so far made no attempt to sign any of them, or to replace them.
His stated reasons are to get a youth movement going on the team - it is (or was) the oldest in the NBA - and to free up money to go after big free agents next summer. Logical, and you can't argue with his track record of success with the team. However, it does mean that this season is likely to SUCK for the Mavericks.
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