Monthly Archives: September 2011

Who are the Successful Owners?

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Winning!

Team Year Owner W L W%
Dallas Mavericks 2000 Mark Cuban 620 282 69%
San Antonio Spurs 1993 Spurs Sports & Entertainment (Peter Holt, Chairman & CEO) 976 486 67%
Los Angeles Lakers 1979 Jerry Buss 1720 872 66%
Phoenix Suns 2004 Robert Sarver 372 202 65%
Chicago Bulls 1985 Jerry Reinsdorf 1145 644 64%
Utah Jazz 1985 Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment (Greg Miller, CEO) 1279 821 61%
Cleveland Cavaliers 2005 Dan Gilbert, Gary Gilbert, Dan Katzman, Usher Raymond, Gordon Gund 291 201 59%
Portland Trail Blazers 1988 Paul Allen 1056 798 57%
Boston Celtics 2002 Boston Basketball Partners, LLC. (H. Irving Grousbeck, Wycliffe Grousbeck, Stephen Pagliuca, The Abbey Group) 416 322 56%
Houston Rockets 1993 Leslie Alexander 807 637 56%
Miami Heat 1995 Micky Arison 714 566 56%
Orlando Magic 1991 Orlando Magic, Ltd. (RDV Sports, Inc., Richard DeVos, Chairman) 873 735 54%
Denver Nuggets 2000 Kroenke Sports Enterprise (Stan Kroenke) 432 388 53%
Sacramento Kings 1998 Maloof Companies (Joe Maloof, Gavin Maloof, Phil Maloof, George J. Maloof, Jr., Adrienne Maloof-Nassif), Robin E. Hernreich 532 502 51%
Indiana Pacers 1983 Herbert Simon 1135 1129 50%
Philadelphia 76ers 1996 Comcast Spectacor (Ed Snider, Chairman) 575 623 48%
Milwaukee Bucks 1985 Herb Kohl 982 1118 47%
Minnesota Timberwolves 1995 Glen Taylor 579 701 45%
Toronto Raptors 1998 Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (Richard Peddie, CEO) 457 577 44%
Golden State Warriors 2010 Peter Guber, Joe Lacob 36 46 44%
Oklahoma City Thunder 2006 Professional Basketball Club, LLC. (Clayton Bennett, Chairman) 178 231 44%
New York Knicks 1997 Madison Square Garden, Inc. (James Dolan, Chairman) 489 652 43%
Charlotte Bobcats 2010 Michael Jordan 34 48 41%
Memphis Grizzlies 2000 Michael Heisley 372 530 41%
Los Angeles Clippers 1981 Donald Sterling 834 1594 34%
New Jersey Nets 2010 Mikhail Prokhorov, Bruce Ratner, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter 24 58 29%
Washington Wizards 2010 Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Ted Leonsis) 23 59 28%
Atlanta Hawks 2011 Meruelo Group (Alex Meruelo, Owner) N/A N/A N/A
Detroit Pistons 2011 Tom Gores, Palace Sports & Entertainment N/A N/A N/A
New Orleans Hornets 2010 National Basketball Association N/A N/A N/A
  • *Owner list from Wikipedia (via Hoopshype)
  • *W/L records via Basketball-Reference

With all the talk about failing and successful ownership I figured a fun thing to look at would be the success rate of each current ownership in the NBA. The above table shows how well each NBA franchise has done since their current regeme took over. Cuban has been the most successful and should be very proud. Sterling has been impressively bad. Some of the newer ownerships inherited bad teams so we’ll have to wait and see what they do.

-Dre

The 10 Most Reckless NBA Franchises

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Reckless in spending and e-mailing.

NBA owners would have us believe they are incapable of controlling costs. The outrageous contracts of players like Rashard Lewis and Joe Johnson are to blame for this. The owners feel this is easy evidence that a bidding war for mediocre talent is costing them their shirts.

Of course, that turns out to be a lie. Player salaries are fixed at 57% of NBA revenue under the previous CBA, so the owners insulated themselves from Joe Johnson’s outrageous contract. The real victim are players on rookie scale contracts (e.g. Kobe made more than the starting 5 of Oklahoma last season)

There is an element of truth to the owners’ claim though. They don’t know how to spend their money. Today we’ve decided to look at the most reckless franchises operating under the last CBA. If the owner’s claims were true, this is evidence that they are bringing financial ruin on to themselves.

We set up some simple criteria to find these offending contracts: A team had to sign or trade for a questionable player after the start of the 2005-2006 season. This questionable player also had to have at least 3 years left on their contract and one year remaining with a salary of $10 million or more.

We ended up with the top 10 offenders! Let’s check them out:

1) The New York Knicks. 

  • Owner(s): Madison Square Garden Inc. (James Dolan C.E.O)
  • Reckless Contract Values: ~$285 Million

Fans of this blog shouldn’t be surprised to see Isiah Thomas’ handiwork at the top. With four reckless transactions the Knicks take the cake! Eddy Curry, Zach Randolph, Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony are the major culprits the Knicks overpaid without getting production. Thanks to their virtual lock on the New York market they barely feel the burn of all this reckless spending.

2) The Washington Wizards.

  • Owner(s): Abe Polin, Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Ted Leonsis C.E.O)
  • Reckless Contract Values: ~$225 Million

You know what you should do when you have a mediocre team of injured players? Pay them top dollar of course! Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison are the main reason for the Wizards’ spot on this list. Of course the Wizards managed to get rid of Arenas but at the cost of Rashard Lewis. The Wizards did have a big three in terms of wasted spending but not in any other sense.

3) The Cleveland Cavaliers.

For seven years the Cavs had the best forward since Grant Hill and they could never seem to win it all. It turns out that despite being lucky in the draft they were terrible at signing other big names. Even leaving out Ben Wallace (he was injured and old) the Cavs still signed a mediocre Big Z to long term extension and also traded for Antawn Jamison (who they are still stuck with). Larry Hughes had one good year but his career had been poor otherwise.

4) The Orlando Magic.

Just like the Cavs this team was graced with an all-time great at a bargain for many years. Their decision was to surround him with overpriced mediocre players. Rashard Lewis is the main culprit. Unfortunately swapping him out for Gilbert Arenas leaves them in the same spot. Despite having a chance to let Hedo Turkoglu walk they eventually traded to get him back and put themselves in the top 5 for reckless spending.

5) The Toronto Raptors.

They signed Andrea Bargnani to a long term deal that will eventually pay him $10 million or more a season. They signed an aged Turkoglu to a big deal. This team has no clue how to spend its money. It’s not surprising no one was shocked when Bosh walked out the door.

6) The Detroit Pistons.

  • Owner(s): William Davidson
  • Reckless Contract Values: ~$92 Million

The Pistons just skirted the rules with Charlie Villanueva (he won’t make $10 million). That said, their decision to pay Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon insane contracts (for the same position!) gets them to the top of the list. I think we can accept that Joe Dumars has no clue what he is doing. Let’s hope new management reigns in the poor spending.

7) The Denver Nuggets.

  • Owners(s): Kroenke Sports Enterprise (Stan Kroenke)
  • Reckless Contract Values: ~$118 Million

In 2008 the Nuggets gave Carmelo Anthony a long term extension and as a result traded Marcus Camby for nothing. This was right after trading Andre Miller (a top point guard in the league) for Allen Iverson. This team cannibalized its best players for overpaid scorers. Luckily the people responsible have been sacked.

8) The Atlanta Hawks.

  • Owner(s): Atlanta Spirt LLC (Michael Gearon, Jr., Bruce Levenson, Ed Peskowitz, J. Rutherford Seydel, Todd Foreman, J. Michael Gearon, Sr., and Beau Turner, Bud Seretean)
  • Reckless Contract Values: ~$189 Million

I get to count the Hawks as repeat offenders for overspending. They signed Joe Johnson to a huge contract in 2005, even though he had never been worth it. They repeated that mistake in 2010 They make the list for being dumb enough to make the same mistake twice.

9) The Phoenix Suns.

  • Owner(s): Robert Sarver
  • Reckless Contract Values: ~$93.3 Million

The Suns had a great run in 2007 with a core of Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash and Shawn Marion. In 2008 Amare, Nash and Marion were playing great so the logical decision was to trade Marion for a beat up Shaq. Their next move to try and win Nash a title was to trade for Hedo Turkoglu. These reckless moves cost the Suns another run at the title and cost them a pretty penny as well.

10) The Los Angeles Clippers.

  • Owner(s): Donald Sterling
  • Reckless Contract Values: ~$112 Million

For a franchise that is known for being both terrible and frugal it’s a bit surprising for them to end up on this list. They signed Chris Kaman to a big contract despite the fact that he had only played one decent year in his rookie contract. They traded for Zach Randolph, which was equally bizarre. They then traded off Randolph and kept Kaman. Confusing right?

If the NBA owners are really losing their shirts thanks to outrageous player contracts, then these are the specific teams and decisions hurting the NBA the most. Maybe the rest of the owners should be holding them accountable instead of the players!

-Dre and Jeremy

Why Jack Sikma and Gus Williams were a more impressive duo than LeBron and Wade

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Who the heck is Jack Sikma?

In 1979 an amazing thing happened. The Seattle Supersonics won an NBA title. What makes this event truly spectacular is that the team did it without a star player. James Brocato analyzed championship teams for the turnover era (1978-present) and a scary fact stood out:

  • To win a title you need a player playing a season that ranks in the top 5% of all time! 

Dave Berri has in fact pointed out you likely need more than one such player to truly compete. It’s a fun notion to talk team work but if your team doesn’t have at least one star then your shot at a title is non-existent. The lone exception is the 1979 Seattle Supersonics who won a title behind their “star” duo of Jack Sikma and Gus Williams. Here’s a break down of the NBA’s “stars” in 1979. For this exercise I’ve included all players with a WP > 9.5 (admittedly I used 9.5 instead of my usual 10.0 so Gus Williams would make the cut)

The Top Tier in 1979

Season Player Team Pos G MP WP48 WP
1979 Moses Malone Houston 5.0 82 3390 0.333 23.5
1979 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar LA Lakers 5.0 80 3157 0.348 22.9
1979 Cedric Maxwell Boston 3.8 80 2969 0.294 18.2
1979 Artis Gilmore Chicago 5.0 82 3265 0.235 16.0
1979 Marques Johnson Milwaukee 3.4 77 2779 0.265 15.4
1979 Dan Roundfield Atlanta 4.0 80 2539 0.287 15.2
1979 George Gervin San Antonio 2.0 80 2888 0.253 15.2
1979 Rich Kelley New Orleans 5.0 80 2705 0.269 15.1
1979 Larry Kenon San Antonio 3.3 81 2947 0.246 15.1
1979 Norm Nixon LA Lakers 1.0 82 3145 0.217 14.2
1979 Wes Unseld Washington 5.0 77 2406 0.277 13.9
1979 Kevin Porter Detroit 1.0 82 3064 0.205 13.1
1979 George McGinnis Denver 3.6 76 2552 0.240 12.8
1979 Kermit Washington San Diego Clippers 4.0 82 2764 0.223 12.8
1979 Alex English Indiana 3.0 81 2696 0.222 12.5
1979 Elvin Hayes Washington 4.0 82 3105 0.190 12.3
1979 Otis Birdsong Kansas City 2.0 82 2839 0.205 12.1
1979 Paul Westphal Phoenix 1.2 81 2641 0.214 11.8
1979 Robert Parish Golden State 5.0 76 2411 0.223 11.2
1979 Tom Owens Portland 4.4 82 2791 0.193 11.2
1979 John Lucas Golden State 1.0 82 3095 0.173 11.1
1979 Jack Sikma Seattle 5.0 82 2958 0.173 10.6
1979 Walter Davis Phoenix 3.0 79 2437 0.203 10.3
1979 David Thompson Denver 2.0 76 2670 0.183 10.2
1979 Don Buse Phoenix 2.0 82 2544 0.191 10.1
1979 M.L. Carr Detroit 3.0 80 3207 0.147 9.8
1979 Gus Williams Seattle 1.0 76 2266 0.208 9.8
1979 Julius Erving Philadelphia 3.0 78 2802 0.166 9.7

Additionally here’s some brief perspective of how teams with more than one star looked.

  • Denver had 47 wins with the 13th and 24th best players
  • Detroit had 30 wins with the 12th and 27th best players
  • Golden State had 38 wins with the 19th and 21st best players
  • The Los Angeles Lakers had 47 wins with the 2nd and 10th best players
  • Phoenix had 50 wins with the 18th,23rd and 25th best players
  • San Antonio had 48 wins with the 7th and 8th best players
  • Seattle had 52 wins with the 22nd and 26th best players
  • Washington had 54 wins with the 11th and 16th best players

The Top Tier in 2011

Season Player Team Pos G MP WP48 WP
2011 Kevin Love Minnesota 4.2 73 2611 0.474 25.8
2011 Dwight Howard Orlando 5.0 78 2935 0.382 23.4
2011 LeBron James Miami 3.2 79 3063 0.356 22.7
2011 Chris Paul New Orleans 1.0 80 2865 0.358 21.4
2011 Dwyane Wade Miami 2.0 76 2824 0.322 18.9
2011 Zach Randolph Memphis 4.3 75 2724 0.291 16.5
2011 Pau Gasol LA Lakers 5.0 82 3037 0.258 16.3
2011 Blake Griffin LA Clippers 4.3 82 3112 0.248 16.1
2011 Kevin Garnett Boston 4.0 71 2220 0.323 15
2011 Kris Humphries New Jersey 4.0 74 2061 0.344 14.8
2011 Steve Nash Phoenix 1.0 75 2497 0.283 14.7
2011 Landry Fields New York 2.0 82 2541 0.273 14.4
2011 Lamar Odom LA Lakers 4.0 82 2639 0.260 14.3
2011 Rajon Rondo Boston 1.0 68 2527 0.265 14.0
2011 Kevin Durant Oklahoma City 4.3 78 3038 0.216 13.7
2011 Al Horford Atlanta 4.8 77 2704 0.242 13.6
2011 Jason Kidd Dallas 1.0 80 2653 0.241 13.3
2011 Paul Pierce Boston 3.1 80 2774 0.221 12.8
2011 Derrick Rose Chicago 1.0 81 3026 0.197 12.4
2011 Gerald Wallace Charlotte-Portland 3.0 71 2693 0.217 12.2
2011 Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City 1.0 82 2847 0.201 11.9
2011 Andre Iguodala Philadelphia 3.0 67 2469 0.228 11.7
2011 Tim Duncan San Antonio 5.0 76 2156 0.260 11.7
2011 Tyson Chandler Dallas 5.0 74 2059 0.269 11.6
2011 Kobe Bryant LA Lakers 2.1 82 2779 0.200 11.6
2011 Manu Ginobili San Antonio 2.6 80 2426 0.225 11.4
2011 Ray Allen Boston 2.0 80 2890 0.185 11.1
2011 Deron Williams New Jersey-Utah 1.0 65 2465 0.213 11.0
2011 Josh Smith Atlanta 4.0 77 2645 0.196 10.8
2011 Andre Miller Portland 1.0 81 2650 0.190 10.5
2011 Dirk Nowitzki Dallas 4.0 73 2504 0.195 10.2
2011 Marcus Camby Portland 5.0 59 1540 0.310 9.9
2011 Nene Hilario Denver 5.0 75 2291 0.200 9.5
2011 Chris Bosh Miami 4.1 77 2795 0.163 9.5

Here is how the our 2011 superteams stacked up

  • Atlanta had 44 wins with the 16th and 29th best players
  • Boston had 56 wins with the 9th, 14th, 18th and 27th best players
  • Dallas had 57 wins with the 17th,25th and 31st best players
  • The Los Angeles Lakers had 57 wins with the 7th, 13th and 24th best players
  • Miami had 58 wins with the 3rd, 5th and 33rd best players
  • Oklahoma had 55 wins with the 15th and 21st best players
  • Portland had 48 wins with the 30th and 32nd best players (and later the 20th best)
  • San Antonio had 61 wins with the 23rd and 26th best players

Let’s run down some key differences between 1979 and 2011 and see why Sikma and Williams were able to accomplish what LeBron and Wade could not.

Rare Teams have gotten Rarer

In 2011 eight teams were lucky enough to get more than one top player. In 1979 the same was true. A major difference though was the total number of teams in the league. In 1979 there were only 22 teams. Since then eight extra teams have joined the league. If the ratio of superteams had stayed consistent we’d expect at least two or three more teams with multiple star players. This hasn’t been the case so the advantage of top teams has increased, which is very clear when comparing  records from the two eras.

The Top Players have gotten Better

In comparing the top players only Larry Kenon at 9th best in 1979 beats his contempary counterpart of Kevin Garnett in terms of Wins Produced (by a very thin margin at that!). In 2011 the top 28 players produced 42 more wins than the top 28 players in 1979. While this isn’t a huge margin (it’s roughly 1.5 win a player) it does mean a star player is even more valuable today than they were 30 years ago.

Super Teams have gotten even more Super

Not only are super teams rarer today and consist of better players, they have more good players on them. In 1979 only the Phoenix Suns had more than two top players. In 2011 Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Portland all had three or more top players. In 1979 having two star players could put you in the top echelon. These days it makes you a playoff team but by no means guarantees title hope.

The Playoffs have gotten Harder

The playoffs used to let the top seeds have a bye in the first round. This meant that a team like Seattle didn’t have to worry about potentially getting upset in the first round by a lower seed. Since then the rules have changed. Any team can beat any other team on a given night and the playoffs are short enough to let upsets happen. By increasing the length of the playoffs for top seeds tbe NBA has lowered the odds of top teams always winning. Of course, this is not enough to overcome the fact that top teams have gotten much better.

Bringing it all together

So why were two good players able to team up and win it all when some of the all time greats (Wade and LeBron, Stockton and Malone, Drexler and Porter) have failed to do so? The answer is that they had perfect timing. They were in the league when the requirement to be a top team was much lower and the competitive advantage of a top team wasn’t as high. Additionally the playoffs were easier if you were a top team. Putting this all together let team work prevail! Of course as I’ve chronicled, this is not  the way things are any more. And that’s why modern superteams can still fail and why teamwork is no longer enough to win it all.

-Dre

Have Owners’ Bargaining Positions Changed During the NBA Lockout?

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The following is originally from the Miami Heat Index. Mosi Platt (@MIA_Heat_Index) has done some brilliant analysis of the NBA owners based on media perception. Enjoy!

You know what makes owners love lockouts? Fining them money!

The bargaining positions of NBA owners reported by Henry Abbott from ESPN last week differ from those reported by Mark Heislerfor the LA Times at the all-star break.The question is, “How much have the owners changed?”  For an answer, we can turn to this post at the Miami Heat Index (which compares the reporting of NBA owners’ bargaining positions by Abbott and Heisler) and this slideshow at Bleacher Report (which analyzes the impact the biggest changes could have on the NBA lockout). Or you can just keep reading.

In February, Heisler reported that nine of 12 members on the NBA’s labor relations committee wanted to drive a hard bargain with the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), but only one member wanted to cancel games. Last week, Abbott reported only seven of 12 owners on the committee wanted to take a “hard line” with the players, but two of them wanted to cancel games. Voting on the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) isn’t limited to the committee, however. According to Abbott, it requires a majority vote of 16 owners to ratify a new CBA.

Heisler reported at the all-star break that 24 of 30 NBA owners wanted to drive a hard bargain with the players, and at least four of them would be willing to cancel games to get the collective bargaining agreement they wanted. Last week, Abbott reported that 17 of 30 NBA owners wanted to drive a hard bargain with the players and at least three to six owners would be willing to cancel games.

The following paragraphs summarize the key differences in Abbott and Heisler’s reporting on the positions of owners from the NBA labor relations committee.

Dan Gilbert, Cleveland Cavaliers

In February, Heisler reported that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wouldn’t be willing to cancel games because he could make over $20 million dollars operating his team (since they cut payroll after trading LeBron James). Abbott reported that Gilbert would be willing to miss the season because 1) the Cavs stink, 2) it’s one less year Baron Davis gets paid and 3) it’s one less title for LeBron to win.

Miami Heat Index’s HEAT Check: Abbott’s justifications for Gilbert to cancel games and forgo a profitable season don’t pass muster. It seems more credible that the profit motive would supersede spite when it came down to the “Comic Sans Man” voting to cancel a season.

Herb Simon, Indiana Pacers

Heisler reported that Simon was a hawk in the CBA negotiations since he’s lost eight figures owning the team, but he did not want to cancel games or the season. Abbott reported the Pacers’ owner should not be considered a hawk because he does not want a long lockout, just a “reasonable” CBA with a decent portion of revenue sharing on the side.

HEAT Check: It seems reasonable that Simon’s position could change after seeing the Pacers make the playoffs and push the Bulls in four close games before being eliminated in five.

Glen Taylor, Minnesota Timberwolves

Heisler reported that Taylor would go with whatever commissioner David Stern wanted in February. Abbott reported a slight shift in Taylor’s position that has the Timberwolves’ owner driving a harder bargain for incremental improvement but not a completely new system.

HEAT Check: The difference in Heisler and Abbott’s reporting of Taylor’s position shouldn’t make a big difference when it comes down to canceling games. Either way, he’s voting with Stern. If Stern plays hardball, then Taylor probably will, too, and vice versa.

Clay Bennett, Oklahoma City Thunder

Heisler reported Bennett’s small market and expiring rookie contracts for star players like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook made him a hawk in CBA negotiations, but he also noted the Thunder owner may owe Stern allegiance for backing their move from Seattle. Abbott reported Bennett was a dove, not a hawk, because the Thunder wouldn’t want to miss a season coming off their playoff run to the Western Conference Finals.

HEAT Check: The most important reporting on Bennett was his relationship with Stern. The documentary Sonicsgate also reported the longstanding connection between the Thunder owner and NBA commissioner. Like Taylor, it’s very believable that Bennett will go whichever way Stern wants.

Rich DeVos/Bob Vander Weide, Orlando Magic

Heisler reported the Magic’s representative on the labor relations committee was a hawk in CBA negotiations with a focus on adding rules that would facilitate re-signing Dwight Howard. Abbott reported the same concern over Howard but said Magic ownership was a dove in CBA negotiations because they were more concerned about having the best center in the NBA on the court for one last run in their brand new arena.

HEAT Check: It doesn’t really make sense for the Magic to be soft in CBA negotiations because that would be incredibly short-sighted. Why settle for one year of Howard in an expensive, new arena when they could potentially have Howard for multiple years in an expensive, new arena if they just drive a harder bargain with the NBPA?

The labor relations committee is scheduled to meet with the NBPA on Tuesday. The subsequent paragraphs summarize key differences in Heisler and Abbott’s reporting on the collective bargaining positions of owners that aren’t on the labor relations committee but could cost the fans games this season if their influence spreads to other owners when the NBA Board of Governors meets on Thursday.

Donald Sterling, Los Angeles Clippers

Heisler reported that Sterling was a CBA hawk “sharpening talons” at the all-star break, but Abbott reported the Clippers owner was a dove who wanted to “let the Blake Griffin money machine keep rolling.”

HEAT Check: It’s good news for fans if Sterling’s position has changed, but Heisler’s reporting in February may have been more accurate since he worked for the LA Times while Abbott lives in New Jersey. TrueHoop’s Kevin Arnovitz ran a blog about the Clippers but it’s a good bet he didn’t have Heisler’s sources. Additionally, Abbott admitted that Sterling thought the last CBA was a horrible deal for the owners so it’s unlikely that he would completely reverse his position. Bad news for fans is that Sterling would likely vote to cancel games and perhaps the season.

Herb Kohl, Milwaukee Bucks

Heisler reported that Kohl absorbed big losses owning the Bucks, but did not report that he would support canceling the season. Abbott reported those losses resulted in Kohl being ‘as hardcore as anyone’ looking to overhaul the system.

HEAT Check: It’s bad news for fans if the Bucks owner would vote to cancel the season. While the number of owners willing to go that far still constitute a minority, it decreases the pool of owners that would potentially ratify a new CBA that didn’t meet all of the owners demands and thus extend the lockout.

Joe and Gavin Maloofs, Sacramento Kings

Heisler reported the Maloofs were not the “burn-the-village-to-save-it types” and thus not likely to support cancellation of games but Abbott reported the Kings owners could potentially profit from the lockout.

HEAT Check: If the Maloofs’ willingness to work with the city of Sacramento is altruistic, then perhaps they’re not the scorched earth types. If they’re as phony as Clay Bennett and Abbott’s reporting is accurate, then it’s more potential bad news that NBA fans could face an even longer lockout.

Larry Tanenbaum, Toronto Raptors

Heisler reported the Raptors were relatively secure financially with fans buying NBA tickets to ensure good seats for hockey games. Abbott implied Tanenbaum’s experience with the NHL lockout and the love of hockey in Canada could result in the Raptors ownership supporting a move to cancel the NBA season.

HEAT Check: With the NHL potentially staring another lockout in the face, Tanenbaum should know that canceling a season isn’t all it’s cracked up to be if a team makes money. Heisler may be closer to the mark on this one but it’s impossible to get a good read on this one.

Summing Up

NBA fans should get an idea this week whether the owners have truly softened their bargaining position since the lockout started, as Abbott reported, or if the owners remain the same hawks that Heisler reported them to be seven months ago.  What we will probably see is that it doesn’t matter what owners — and the people around them — say to reporters.  What matters in the end is what they do.  And to see that, we just have to wait.

-Mosi


Mosi Platt (@MIA_Heat_Index) is the Miami Heat writer for the Wages of Wins Network. You can normally find him at the Miami Heat Index. In addition to making sure the  world knows the greatness of Dwyane Wade, Mosi also helps keep haters in line. Mosi makes his own lists of people who spread false information and he checks them twice thanks to his trusty Blackberry.

Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns Podcasts with the Wages of Wins

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Ok so I don't think Chris Paul came up

Wages of Wins podcasts are back!

Miami Heat Index Podcast: Mosi Platt (@MIA_Heat_Index) and Alfredo Arteaga(@UptownReport) discuss the lockout and other sports writers at the Miami Heat Index.

Valley of the Sun Podcast: Michael Schwartz(@ValleyoftheSuns) lets Dre(@NerdNumbers) on at the Valley of the Sun Podcast to discuss the Phoenix Suns.

Enjoy!

-Dre