Bah Humbug To The NBA

Chris Paul recently joined the Clippers in a trade that basically sucked the
life out of the New Orleans Hornets. The Paul trade is just one of many
reasons I am locking out the NBA from my TV set this Christmas.

The NBA season begins on Christmas, and to be honest, I could not care less.

It isn't that I don't like the NBA — or basketball for that matter. I used to be a huge fan, but this past offseason as been more of a put-off than a turn-on.

Don't take it personal, NBA fans. It's nothing you did. If you had to blame someone, blame the greedy players and owners who couldn't settle things like civilized human beings. Instead, they both wanted everything without giving up anything — proving that there was no bargaining in the bargaining agreement.

The previous lockout left fans with a sour taste in their mouth, but this lockout seemed slightly worse. Perhaps it was the NBA trying to rush through a half-hearted attempt at a preseason to make sure that they don't lose the TV revenue on Christmas. Or maybe it was the league's rejection of a trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers after allowing LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to all sign with the Heat a year ago.

Paul eventually found his way to Los Angeles, by way of joining the Clippers. Understandably, the Clippers have need help for years — looking more like an NBA D-League team than an actual competitor. But was allowing Paul to join forces with Blake Griffin really the answer?

The trade has turned one mediocre team into a contender, but it sucked the life out of another city with a history of heartbreak. New Orleans has already lost one team, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Hornets don't find a new home in the coming years.

So while many fans will watch the full slate of games to begin on Christmas, I will spend my day with the family waiting for the NFL game to start. And as for the NBA's owners and players, they can expect a lump of coal in their stockings.

Here We Go Again...

Kobe Bryant may be trading in his Lakers
jersey for an overseas one if the players and
owners of the NBA don't start talking soon.

Just when you thought everything was returning to normal, it appears were in for another long stretch of court dates and litigation – and I could care less.

It took four months to sort out the situation in the NFL – with the players eventually succumbing to the owners' wishes – and now it appears we're in for a second round.

According to NBA players and owners, both sides haven't even addressed each other about the pending lockout. The games biggest stars like Kobe Bryant are looking at possibly signing overseas contracts to guarantee that they play.

This isn't the first time the NBA has been in this situation. Just a few years ago, there was a lockout that did heavy damage to the league's reputation. Now they're threatening to go through it again? Please.

I honestly have never been a huge NBA fan. Over the years it has turned into a playground version of a dunking contest as athletes get bigger and stronger – but that's another subject for another time.

While Dirk and the Mavericks brought back some of the magic by beating the Three-Headed Monster in Miami, should the NBA follow the NFL's footsteps, it will almost surely kill the sport. There's only so much patience the fans have for guys in suits after the NFL and the most recent lockout

And I'm afraid that patience is about to wear thin.