The NBA Lockout might be ongoing, but don’t tell these 60 players. Led by trainer Joe Abunassar, players like Chauncey Billups, Jared Dudley, Jermaine O’Neal, and Kenyon Martin are participating in what Abunassar coined the “Competitive Training Series.” Also known as the “Lockout League,” these players commence two weeks of five-on-five games this Monday, September 12th at Impact Basketball’s Las Vegas facilities. Given the caliber of players, the games should be nothing short of spectacular. And with NBA owners convening in Dallas, this league and these games will hopefully send a message that the players are ready to play and not taking the lockout lightly.
Despite some recent news of progress with regard to negotiating a new collective
bargaining agreement, neither side of the lockout has proffered a serious proposal. The substantive issues have been covered extensively. And in case anyone is looking for potential solutions to those issues, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com has amassed a mind boggling 95 theses attacking what appears to be at this point an irreparable rift between players and owners.
In any event, it seems that the NBA players learned a thing or two from their brethren in the NFL. That is, until you work it out, work out. It’s all about the game. These 60 players and Impact Basketball understand it; and hopefully, the rest of the league and owners get it sooner rather than later.