Happy Labor Day…Kinda

With today being Labor Day, I hope everyone takes the time today to relax, eat some good food (preferably some barbecue), and enjoy (what I hope) is some time away from the day job. After all, history tells us that today is a day “dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

Actually, I take that back. I don’t hope everyone is taking a day off today. I hope that the owners and the players union are hard at work trying to end this lockout.

We’re now a week into September and the progress has been so slow that meetings where more meetings have been planned can be considered a success. Frankly, that’s nice to hear but we still need more.

You see, I want this season to start on time and still believe it will. But in order for this to happen, both sides need to actively seek a solution together. If either side decides that winning this negotiation is more important than actually starting the season on time, there actually won’t be any winners. We all will lose.

The NBA is entering a period that could easily be described as a second golden era. There are aging veteran superstars putting their stamp on the league (Kobe and Dirk have won the last three championships), established superstars that are on the brink of doing the same (LeBron, Wade, Howard), and a young crop of superstars that are trying to make the league their own through their unique skill sets (Durant, Rose). When you add in the stockpile of other talented players and teams that populate the league you’d have to go back to the mid 80’s and early 90’s to find a time where the league was this strong in the present day with a future that looked just as bright.

Now is not the time to piss it all away by missing games and not getting this season started on time.

So, today, I hope that all of you – the fans – are enjoying your day off (if you’re lucky enough to have one). Devour some ribs, put your feet up, and turn on the tube to whatever entertains you. But for all the players and owners out there, I hope that you’re working towards a solution as the rest of us relax. By my calendar, training camps would typically open within the month. Please try to make sure that we get there on time (or at least within the next 30 days or so).

Thanks,

All NBA Fans