As we all know, the NBA season is not going to be starting on time this year and at the very least, will not have a full season. At this point reconciliation isn’t looking too likely, the biggest issues on the table include the revenue split between players and owners, a hard cap on team’s salaries, and contract buyouts that would reduce excessive player contracts. Last year’s revenue split between players and ownership was right around 57% players and 43% ownership. Now both sides are looking for at least 53% and seem unwilling to budge. That might not seem like a huge gap but it is when you’re talking about billions of dollars in revenue.
Over the last 10 years, the NBA has been gaining in popularity but many franchises have been losing money. According to league accounting, owners collectively lost three hundred seventy million dollars last season. Yet, NBA players make more than athletes in any other pro sport, the average annual salary in the NBA is in the neighborhood of five million dollars. While this would imply that the players are the ones that need to back down, they aren’t the only ones to blame for this conundrum. As one time all-star and current Washington Wizard Rashard Lewis explained in a recent Washington Post article, the players aren’t the ones making the deals, their agents and the owners are. And if an agent says he can get more money in a contract, why would the player say no. Conversely, if an owner wants a star player, he knows he needs to pay and the top teams are willing to do so.
Unfortunately the NBA couldn’t be locked out at a worse time. After everyone jumped on the magic carpet ride that was the Dallas Mavericks upsetting the Miami Heat in the NBA finals, interest and popularity was at an all-time high. Last season’s postseason and finals saw the highest ratings for NBA games of all time and yet now the players and owners seem primed to throw it all away.
I asked some On Tap readers who they think is at fault in the lockout, (players or owners) and what they will do instead of watching NBA basketball if there is a lockout for the whole season.
Montgomery County lawyer Terry McGann had this to say about the lockout: “I would watch college basketball or find other things to do or watch. The owners are at fault for creating a system that allows most of the players to be way over-paid with long-guaranteed contracts. The real superstars are probably under-paid but the average player is over-paid. That said, the players are now the ones who need to give in. The way things are set up is in favor of the players, so they will need to compromise for the good of the league. However, it is very hard to ask someone in a negotiation to take significantly less than they are getting, so I am not surprised that they aren’t exactly willing to give up too much yet.”
Former Navy basketball player Mike Windlan said instead of watching NBA basketball this year he would: “Watch more Capitals hockey and college basketball than I normally do, even it if means watching South Dakota State vs. Northeast Louisiana Tech on ESPNU.”
Sounds like college basketball might have the most to gain if the players and owners can’t come to an agreement soon. Fortunately for DC area fans, we have multiple teams to follow.
Instead of heading to the Verizon Center to see the Wizards you could be watching the Georgetown Hoyas, or heading to the Smith Center to see the George Washington Colonials, or to the Comcast Center to see the Maryland Terrapins or the Patriot Center to see the George Mason Patriots. While the atmosphere is certainly different from a pro game (no beer at the college venues), at least you know the kids are going to play hard, the fans are going to be cheering wildly and the season culminates with March Madness.
This is a transition year for all the area teams; star players have graduated and three of the teams are led by a new coach. Here’s a rundown to get you ready for the season and to help keep those lockout blues at bay.
University of Maryland
For the first time in twenty years Maryland is going to have a new head. Mark Turgeon takes over after a four year tenure at Texas A&M during which he won 24 or more games each season. Turgeon’s most important move so far might be his first addition to the coaching staff – Turgeon brings with him Dalonte Hill, a former DC star who proved himself one of the best recruiters in the country as an assistant at Kansas State. In 2006 Hill lured number one recruit Michael Beasley out of the DC area to help create the country’s top-ranked recruiting class. If he is able to re-establish pipelines in the DC and Baltimore markets the Terps could see a significant upgrade in their level of talent. This comes at a key time for the team; the Terps lost more than a coach after last season, they also lost their leading scorer and rebounder when Jordan Williams declared himself eligible for the NBA draft after his sophomore season. And the Terps could start as many as four underclassmen this season including returning guards Pe’Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin and dynamic freshman Nick Faust, a 6’6” top 40 recruit from Baltimore. Ukraine import Alex Len is another fascinating possibility; athletic and over seven feet tall, he arrived on campus two months ago but had yet to pass the NCAA Clearinghouse when we went to press. If Len is eligible it changes the entire dynamic of Maryland’s team, currently picked to finish in the bottom half of the ACC.
George Washington University
George Washington’s new coach is no stranger to the DC basketball scene. Mike Lonergan spent his last six years as the head coach of the University of Vermont but before that spent twleve years at Catholic University where he guided them to a Division III National Championship in 2001. He amassed a 251-88 record over the course of twelve seasons and won seven straight league titles. Lonergan welcomes back senior guard Tony Taylor, who was named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference First Team. Taylor earned second team A-10 honors last year after leading the Colonials in scoring, assists and steals. GW went 17-14 and tied for fourth place in the Atlantic 10 regular season with a record of 10-6 in conference. They have been picked to finish eighth in the A-10 by coaches and media members but Lonergan says “our players and coaches have some ambitious goals for this season”.
George Mason University
Another local team, another new head coach; I’m starting to see a pattern here. As Jim Larranaga embarks on a dicey situation at the University of Miami, George Mason welcomes former ACC coach Paul Hewitt. Hewitt comes with big-time credentials; he led Georgia Tech to the National Championship game in 2004 and has coached in the ACC for the last eleven years. Last season the Patriots led the CAA in points per game and field goal percentage but the team will start the season with only one of their top four scorers from last year, Ryan Pearson. Despite their offensive efficiency, defensive intensity has always been the calling card for Larranaga coached teams. Fortunately, Hewitt brings the same mindset to the table, some of his Georgia Tech teams routinely held opponents under 40% shooting per game. The Patriots will have a deep bench, a strong incoming class of freshman and a good shot at winning the CAA and moving on to the NCAA Tournament, maybe the best shot of the four local teams…
Georgetown University
Georgetown didn’t change head coaches this summer but they still managed to make headlines when a goodwill trip to China was interrupted by a brawl during an exhibition game against Chinese professional team Bayi Rockets. Head Coach John Thompson III and the young Hoyas stayed classy and played the rest of their scheduled exhibitions without further ado, giving some insight into how this team will handle the unexpected. While Coach Thompson remains at Georgetown, this team will also be undergoing changes as they lose the steady influence of backcourt mates Chris Wright and Austin Freeman, both seniors and four-year starters. Georgetown finished last season 21-11 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in Thompson’s seven years while playing one of the nation’s most difficult schedules. This season Georgetown will be led by small forward Hollis Thompson, a 6’7” junior who averaged 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds last season. Thompson is a great outside shooter, able to shoot over most defenders and he made a wise decision to return to Georgetown after briefly flirting with the NBA. Look for returning guard Jason Clark to shoulder some of the ball handling and scoring responsibilities. After averaging 12 points a game last year he’ll probably slide back and forth between point guard and shooting guard. The Big East is going to be tough again this year and Georgetown will be hard pressed to replicate last season’s 10-8 in conference record.
