Strike One: NBA to Delay Start of Training Camps

The NBA is running out of time and David Stern is running out of answers. Today marked yet another uneventful session between the players and owners. Despite the rumors of progress being made just over a week ago the reality is that the 2011-12 NBA season is in real jeopardy.

As if the lockout itself wasn’t enough of a sign of impending doom we got word today that the league is prepared to announce training camps being delayed as soon as tomorrow. That would mean the preseason would be pushed back as well with the regular season being next on the chopping block.

Both Commissioner Stern and union president Derek Fisher are finally admitting what we’ve all been speculating since this debacle began.  Time is short and there is still too much work to be done.

Now getting a deal in place is one thing. Trying to squeeze in free agency and training camp is quite another. Not to mention sorting out the whole mess of who has contracts overseas that allow for return to the NBA and who doesn’t. I guess a cheap way to answer the latter is to simply ask if they play for the Denver Nuggets or not.

To date three different Nuggets have inked deals to ball in China. That would be the same Chinese Basketball Association that does not allow for an NBA opt-out clause. You can already hear the asterisks being applied to any records set this season should we get a season.

The NBA lockout has officially reached the crossroads. After taking their sweet time to get to the bargaining table, both sides are now staring revenue loss dead in the grill. But that’s nothing new to the owners. The players are the ones most affected by the delayed start to the season.  Hopefully someone will hit that panic button within the next three of four days to get a fire lit. Unless a deal is struck in the next week we’re looking at the certainty of lost games.