NBA Lockout: The Double-Edged Sword

The heat across the Upper Midwest these last couple of days couldn't be any more different than the mood in the world of the NBA. The ice cold shoulders shown by both sides of the Association's stalemate couldn't be melted by 110-plus heat indices, and it's leaving most fans frosty. While the NFL seems inches from ending their lockout, many believe that the basketball work stoppage could last all the way into next summer.

Thing is, you wouldn't think the league understood all this when they released their 2011-2012 schedule on Monday. I know that the Association's management needs to plan for business as usual. I know that the NFL did the same thing when their 2011 schedule was released back in April. And I know that everybody knows about the likelihood that this will mean nothing at all.

Me ... I'm not a big speculation guy when it comes to labor negotiations. My ears may perk up when I hear of a new development, but I'm not hanging on every word that comes from either David Stern or Billy Hunter. There's a long way to go, both sides are miles apart from an agreement, and I know the world will move on. And while I'll probably take a peek or two at the schedule because, well, I like looking at sports schedules, this whole process is bringing up a more interesting topic.

It's now common knowledge that New Jersey point guard Deron Williams is looking to play in Turkey for as long as the lockout swipes away NBA playing time. Most folks that follow basketball have heard Dwight Howard's comments on playing in China. And with these two stars showing a willingness to put their money where their passports are, it brings up an intriguing question.

Has the NBA cut off its own nose to spite its ... uh ... logo?

It seems like ever since the Dream Team swept up the hearts (and medals) of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, one of Commissioner Stern's goals was to "globalize" the game of basketball. Sure, the U.S. had lost in previous Olympiads. Plus, there were a smattering of foreign players in the game by that point. But it was in the early '90s that the foothold seemed to take shape.

With an influx of Europeans being selected over the next decade, the leagues across the pond basically became the NBA's second feeder system (right behind college basketball). Owners sort of found a way back to the roots of the old NBA, where teams drafted the rights to players out of high school, but allowed them to play college ball. Now, it could be done again with European leagues and prospects taking the place of the NCAA.

This appears to have, in turn, given a little more of a bump to the Euro Leagues. Which would be the better marketing ploy ... promoting journeyman American talents that couldn't stay (or start) in the NBA, or saying that your team includes a couple young studs that have an arc to play in America within a couple of years?

In 2010, the arc has spread to areas of South America (particularly Argentina) and the Far East (can anyone say China?). More than anytime in basketball's 120 years of existence and 65 years of professional play, the game has reached all parts of the planet.

But could that grasp at the Brass Ring (or Euro, or Yen, or Peso) end up leaving the American game high and dry for the next 12-plus months? The Association's top man wouldn't have to go far to find a similar path.

It was only seven years ago that former Stern confidant and underling Gary Bettman, whether fair or unfair, was the face of the NHL dumping its 2004-2005 campaign. Hockey might not have been at an all-time high in enthusiasm, but I remember it still being solidly placed in the protection of the big four pro sports.

Then, it all went south when the league decided it needed a drastic overhaul. The owners were content with a season fading in the wind. And the player pool, consisting of many Europeans, seemed content in letting that be the case, as well. Several foreign-born players had an opportunity to go back home to play in their native country. It was a bit of a win for some skaters, but it ended up being a loss in regards to the fanbase once hockey came back in 2005. Even though the emergence of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin have helped restore some of the league's luster, I still believe they're taking a hit from six years ago.

And that's the kind of fate that could be served to Stern and his league. After the 1994 strike, it's speculated that it took baseball another three years to recover. For many, the Home Run Chase of 1998 (despite being tainted by steroids) was the catalyst that sparked baseball's return. Stern has gone through his own labor battles as recently as 1999. That season lost more than 30 games and its entire 1998 portion.

But the options weren't around before the turn of the millennium. Now, it will be interesting to find out how this possible player leverage will impact the length of the lockout.

Who will benefit the most? Can the teams in Turkey, or Germany, or France lure big-name stars with possibilities of living in Europe? Could Chinese offers open the door to a billion advertising customers? Can the D-League, which can't use 2011 NBA talent, or ABA, which looks more like an adult AAU league, fill some kind of void stateside?

Whatever the case may be, it appears that we won't see a pro bounce a basketball in any of the 30 NBA venues during the long, cold winter (for most of us, anyway). And without a CBA, any heat fired back and forth between Stern's crew and Hunter's posse won't be enough to thaw the freeze on the best pro basketball in the world.