Now that the excitement of the possible end of the lockout is dying down, I wanted to talk about something that I saw when I woke up – for the second time – this morning.

I checked Twitter on my phone, like I always do when I wake up – it’s what addicts do – and I noticed a barrage of tweets from people saying that they didn’t care that the NBA was back or that they hate basketball, etc. I immediately rolled my eyes at those people and tweeted an obnoxious message in response.

Here’s the thing. When you say stuff like that, when you thumb your nose at a sport because you don’t happen to care for it, you’re pretty much insulting all of the people who watch and love the sport. For all of the people who “hate” basketball, there are a lot of us who like it. There are a lot of us who are happy the NBA – hopefully – will be coming back.

It also seems like the people who are most likely to bash the NBA are Major League Baseball fans. Some of them are so uppity and self righteous that it makes me roll my eyes so far into my head that they’re likely to get stuck in that position. It’s as if NBA basketball is so far beneath them.

Really? Get over yourselves.

And you know, it is possible to like both sports. In fact, there doesn’t need to be a division among the fans of the four major sports in America. I like all four sports but happen to love baseball more than everything else. I’ll admit I strayed away from the NBA for a while but now I’m back and I’m excited that they will be back. (Although I’m not sure how excited I am to be subjected to a Knicks/Celtics game on Christmas Day but that’s for another rant…)

I’m also not saying the haters have to like basketball. It’s their prerogative to hate it all they want but why feel the need to announce it to their followers? To seem cool? Come on, this isn’t high school.

It’s an early Christmas miracle!

According to the New York Times email alert I received at 4:52 a.m. this morning, the players and NBA owners have struck a tentative deal to resume play.

After 148 contentious days, NBA fans will finally have something to watch. The season would be 66 games – instead of its regular 82 – and the plan is to start it on Christmas day.

NBA Commissioner David Stern:

“We’ve reached a tentative understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals … we’re optimistic that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin on December 25 — Christmas Day — a tripleheader.”

Derrick Fisher, President of the Players Association:

“Our fans and the support from the people and (their) patience through a large part of this process — that’s where a lot of this credit goes to, Fisher said. “The efforts that have been made have been largely with them in mind.”

Billy Hunter, Executive Director of the Players Association:

“What we have to do is obviously sit down with the litigants because it has to be solved in the context of litigation,” Billy Hunter, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, said in an early morning press conference with Stern.

Hunter who declined to talk about what the deal actually entails also went on to say that he plans to meet with lawyers later today and that a resolution could come in about three days. Stern believes the labor relations committee and the Board of Governors will endorse the tentative agreement and that a new CBA would come out of all of this.

I don’t know about you my fellow Knicks fans but I feel like doing a jig right now. A tentative deal is better than nothing. Hopefully they can get their acts together and we will have a triple header to watch on Christmas Day.

Tentative NBA Deal Reached, Season Expected to Start Christmas [CNN]
NBA, Players Reach Tentative Deal [CBS Sports]

Flickr Image by Gerald Simmons

“We’re prepared to file this antitrust action against the NBA. That’s the best situation where players can get their due process.” – Billy Hunter

Sigh.

The NBA is blowing up. Or will be entering a “nuclear winter” – Commissioner David Stern’s words, not mine. Isn’t this exciting?

They were so close – or seemed to be close – to a deal to salvage the season and now the players union will be disbanding which will mostly put the entire 2011-2012 NBA season in jeopardy.

From ESPN.com:

Players ignored that warning, choosing instead to dissolve its union, giving them a chance to win several billion dollars in triple damages in an antitrust lawsuit.

“This is the best decision for the players,” union president Derek Fisher said. “I want to reiterate that point, that a lot of individual players have a lot of things personally at stake in terms of their careers and where they stand. And right now they feel it’s important — we all feel it’s important to all our players, not just the ones in this room, but our entire group — that we not only try to get a deal done for today but for the body of NBA players that will come into this league over the next decade and beyond.”

Fisher, flanked at a press conference by dozens of players including Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, said the decision was unanimous.

Hunter said the National Basketball Player’s Association was in the process of converting to a trade association and that all players will be represented in a class-action suit against the NBA by attorneys Jeffrey Kessler and David Boies — who were on opposite sides of the NFL labor dispute, Kessler working for the players, Boies for the league. That lawsuit has yet to be filed.

Things are even worse for our Knicks.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Madison Square Garden Co., which owns the Knicks, in a November public filing said if cancelled games aren’t rescheduled, the company’s financial results would see a “material negative effect.”

The Knicks are unveiling the first phase of their $850 million renovation this year and planned to raise ticket prices 49% in the lower seating section. The Knicks anchor Madison Square Garden and combine with the New York Rangers and other sporting events at the arena to generate $372 million in revenue in 2010 for its MSG Sports division.

Oops. Bad timing for such a big renovation.

At least MSG has the Rangers!

To hear Howard Beck of the New York Times tell it, our national nightmare is closer to ending than we think.

Despite the on-again, off-again progress of labor negotiations between the owners and the players’ union, Beck wrote Saturday that the new collective bargaining agreement is “about 95 percent complete.” Given the resurrection of talks and tangible progress made in recent weeks, it seems entirely possible that a handshake agreement is all but imminent. Both sides are in agreement on a host of other issues such as contract lengths, luxury-tax rates and an amnesty clause similar to the one introduced in 2005. (A breakdown of the issues agreed upon will come later in this post.)

Of course, there is but one major issue left to be settled: the dreaded basketball-related income, or BRI. Beck said that the gap between the owners and players sits at about $100 million, which basically amounts to Washington forward Rashard Lewis’ current contract (THANKS, Seattle). Commissioner David Stern is hellbent on securing an even 50-50 split, while union chief Billy Hunter has offered a 52.5% share for the players. Both parties have made significant sacrifices, but neither seems willing to budge on the BRI. While there is no doubt that this singular issue has been –and will continue to be — the key issue in ensuring labor peace for the next ten years, it’s important to recognize the steps being made to get basketball back as soon as possible.

Here are the major issues that have already been settled, according to Beck:

Luxury-tax rate: Teams will be charged $1.50 per $1 spent beyond a threshold, replacing the previous dollar-for-dollar tax, according to people who have seen the plan. To further discourage spending, the tax will increase for every $5 million spent beyond the threshold: to $1.75 after $5 million, $2.25 after $10 million and $3 after $15 million. Under this system, the Los Angeles Lakers would have paid $42.5 million in taxes last season, compared with $20 million under the old formula. (The rates could still change based on other tradeoffs.)

Contract lengths: Players with “Bird” rights will be eligible for five-year deals, while others will be limited to four. The previous C.B.A. allowed for six-year (Bird) and five-year deals. The 1999 C.B.A. allowed for seven-year (Bird) and six-year deals.

Raises: Annual raises will be reduced by several percentage points, possibly as low as 5 percent for Bird players and 3.5 percent for non-Bird players. The prior deal allowed raises as high as 10.5 percent (Bird) and 8 percent.

Mid-level exception: It will start at $5 million, a decrease of $800,000. The contract length and annual raises attached to the exception remain under discussion.

Amnesty clause: Each team will be permitted to waive one player, with pay — anytime during the life of the C.B.A. — and have his salary be exempt from the cap and the luxury tax. Its use will be limited to players already under contract as of July 1, 2011.

Stretch exception: Teams will be permitted to stretch out payments to waived players, spreading out the cap hit, over several seasons. The payment schedule will be set by doubling the years left on the contract and adding one. (Thus a team waiving a player with two years left could pay him over five years.)

With these topics essentially agreed upon, it’s only fair to expect a settlement of BRI coming sooner rather than later. Let’s just hope that the NBA and NBPA have the same type of urgency that the fans do and get our boys out on the court soon.

So what did you do during your summer vacation?

Carmelo Anthony revealed to the New York Post that he was recovering from both knee and elbow surgery:

The Knicks forward revealed more elements to his mysterious offseason, disclosing last night he had knee and elbow surgery simultaneously in May. Anthony disclosed the surgeries after playing 48 minutes and dropping 31 points with 17 rebounds last night at the sweaty Palestra in a lockout-inspired barnstorming-tour loss.

The Knicks never announced the procedures. Anthony said he had arthroscopic surgery on the left knee and an elbow procedure, as he suffers from chronic bursitis.

Anthony was playing with Lebron James and Chris Bosh on Team Melo, a barnstorming team that has been playing games since August. Team Melo which represents Baltimore fell to Team Philly – made up of Hakim Warrick, Tyreke Evans and Louis Williams – 131-122.

I cannot take it anymore. Nothing is happening. Well, okay the Knicks hired Mike Woodson to be an assistant coach but in the immortal words of Derrick Coleman, “Whoopdee damn doo!”

Ugh.

I comb the interwebz for Knicks news and there’s NOTHING OUT THERE!

Oh, I’m sorry, yes there is. Stories about Carmelo and Lala Anthony going on a double date with Lebron James and his girlfriend. Yawn.

And no, I’m not writing about LaLa Anthony. She doesn’t play for the Knicks. Plus, stalking her is Frank Isola’s job.

There were stories about Amar’e Stoudemire becoming a fashion designer. There are plenty of other sites that can write about that stuff. You know, fashion blogs and the like.

I wear sweatpants in public, I am not an authority on fashion.

And there is no way in hell I am linking that website that specializes in slideshows. Nope, not doing it.

So that leaves me with a whole lot of nothing. Yeah, this lockout can definitely kiss my ass.

It’s finally okay to be a Knicks fan again. They have their first winning record since 2001. The 42-40 was good enough for a playoff berth. While it only amounted to a four-game sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics, there’s still a lot to be excited for. Amar’e Stoudemire willingly put the team and the city on his back and left it all on the court every night — much like Patrick Ewing did during his 15 seasons in New York. Add in the 2nd superstar in Carmelo Anthony, the experience of Chauncey Billups and a supporting cast that stepped up at any given moment … you have a team on the rise that can challenge for the NBA title in a few seasons. You can’t help but think to yourself, Nothing can stop the Knicks now!

Of course, the lockout strikes on July 1st. Figures, right?

The main sticking point in labor negotiations (not that there have been many recently) has been the owners’ insistence on a “hard” salary cap, preferably one significantly lower than the $58 million set for 2010-11. As it currently stands the Knicks have nine players under contract for 2011-2012 at a total of $60,610,763. Most of that money is tied into Anthony and Stoudemire (both set to earn north of $18 million), plus $14 million for Billups*. That $60 million does not include forward Derrick Brown’s qualifying offer, nor does it include the potential rookie contracts for guard Iman Shumpert and center Josh Harrellson. And lest we forget the fact that the Knicks still need a center and shooters. Oh, and it doesn’t help that Donnie Walsh was forced to walk away after saving the franchise from salary cap hell.

I’d love to go into who the Knicks should target in free agency to fill the necessary holes, but the uncertainty of a new CBA makes it difficult to fully gauge who will be available and at what cost. You can judge for yourself by checking out the free agent classes for 2011 and 2012. But what we’re looking at is a Knicks team that desperately needs not only a higher salary cap, but one that is “softer” and allows for exceptions to exceed it. Otherwise, we could be headed for yet another dark period of being the red-headed middle child stuck in the NBA’s dreaded purgatory.

And quite frankly, we don’t want to see THIS again:

*This was the main reason I was against including Raymond Felton in the deal and taking back Chauncey.

Chris “Smoov” Johnson is a New York Knicks, New York Yankees and New York Giants fanatic. You can follow him @TheSmoovOne on Twitter and read his blog The Gospel of Smoov.

I’m sorry it went down like this,
And someone had to lose,
It’s the nature of the business,
It’s the Lockout blues.

My apologies to Glenn Frey.

Is anyone else as bored as I am? I have my google reader and alerts set up for “NBA” and “New York Knicks” news and because of this damn lockout, there’s nothing.

The big news was that Carmelo Anthony’s furniture that he left in Denver when he was traded to the Knicks is being auctioned off. Exciting, right?

Oh and just to be total teases, the league is releasing the 2011-12 schedule on Tuesday for a season that probably won’t even be played.

WAIT! I found something! Alan Hahn of Newsday is reporting that Amar’e Stoudemire is looking to organize team workouts in August.

Isn’t that exciting?!

When the NBA lockout was about to start people said it would be more contentious and heated than the current NFL lockout and it looks like they weren’t kidding. Some people were even saying that the entire 2011-12 season could be lost before the lockout could come to an end.

Today, NBA owners are speaking out against claims made by Forbes Magazine that the owners were overstating the NBA’s financial losses.

Nate Silver, author of the New York Times blog Five Thirty Eight, wrote a piece that cited figures from a Forbes Magazine article written by Dr. Patrick Rishe.

The owners have said that they lost as much as 340 million dollars during the 2009-10 season but Silver states that the NBA made as much as 183 million dollars in profit during that same season.

Silver went on to say that NBA fans should be skeptical about the NBA’s numbers, one main reason being that the data hadn’t been released to the public and that the CBA in place since 1999 was renewed as recently as 2005.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank sent Silver a statement on Tuesday night disputing Forbes’ data.

“The information from Forbes that serves as the basis for this article is inaccurate and we do not know how they do their calculations.”

Another spokesman for the NBA, Mike Bass said, “Precisely to avoid this issue, the NBA and its teams shared their complete league and team audited financials as well as our state and federal tax returns with the players union.” He added, “Those financials demonstrate the substantial and indisputable losses the league has incurred over the past several years.”

The NBA then reworded the statement and posted it on NBA.com this morning. (It’s too long to repost here)

Silver responded to the NBA’s statement saying that the league released information in their lengthy statement that was previously not made public:

I simply have no way to adjudicate the NBA’s claims. Mr. Frank’s statement includes several specific claims that have the league has not made publicly before, but in general the league has not made substantial detail on its financial condition, or its accounting procedures, available to the general public.

My question is, why are the NBA owners suddenly up in arms about this now when the Forbes Magazine piece was published nearly a week ago on July 1? Was it because Nate Silver and the New York Times decided to take the information and run with it on his blog?

Stay tuned for more “As the NBA Turns” on your TVs, computers and mobile devices all summer long and possibly into next year.