NBA basketball Betting Online: The NFL has company, as both the Player’s Association and the league owners are readying for the NBA’s first lockout since 1998. This one is a little bit different from the NFL’s, because the NBA has projected $300 million losses for this season while the football owners are making healthy profits. The league projects 22 of the 30 NBA teams lost money this year.
A lockout could jeopardize some or all of next season, much like it did in 1998-99. That one dragged on, and the NBA players were forced to participate in a shortened 50-game regular season. The owners are looking for various concessions from the Player’s Association, now that the collective bargaining agreement has officially expired, putting on hold any league moves, including NBA free agency, which would have begun July 1.
The owners would like to institute a hard salary cap so the league’s small-market teams can compete better with their big-market counterparts. The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks have two of the highest payrolls in the league, and have combined to win the past three NBA championships. The owners would also like to see a big reduction in contract lengths and the elimination of contract guarantees.
It remains to be seen just how much the players are willing to compromise, but there is no doubt that they have one of the cushiest agreements among the four major sports. The long contracts will likely be a thing of the past, and many are projecting for the salary caps to decrease once a resolution has been made. With the owners losing money, they are desperate to get in better financial shape. It’s bad timing for the NBA, which gained plenty of attention last summer when LeBron James made his much-publicized decision to switch teams, from the Cavaliers to the Heat. Miami made the NBA Finals with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh leading the way, but lost to theMavericks. The interest is high in the league right now, and the owners can’t afford for this season to not be played, so it will lead to an interesting summer to figure out how quickly a resolution can be made.
Training camp generally opens the final week of September and the regular season in late October, but any prolonged lockout will have an affect on that, as well as NBA basketball wagering for next season.
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