The traditional NBA training camp time slot has been abandoned this year due to the ongoing lockout in pro basketball. The lockout is the result of the fact that the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Players Association had run out. The question that has perplexed long time fans and observers of the NBA is “How will this affect the game if the labor issues are resolved and the season is begun at some time past the usual starting date?”.
I for one don’t think that the quality of play will be greatly affected. Whenever the labor issues are resolved, all the teams will be given the same amount of time to get ready for whatever is left of the season. I understand that training camp is very important. At camp, a team gets to come together and put in place what its identity will be for the season. Players are given the opportunity to get in shape and work on moulding their individual talents into a team effort. This foundation will be the ground upon which any future success will grow. The fact that all the teams will be starting on the same date really has the effect of making the situation a level playing field. No team will have more time to prepare, so all the teams will have the same opportunity to thrive or fall behind.
I see the major impact on the league in terms of the players possibly losing a significant percentage of their salaries. The owners are really the ones who will come through this difficult time with a better set of circumstances than the players who can never make up for a lost season. The years that they have to play professional basketball for a living are limited and once gone will never return. Training camp will be a welcome moment for the rank and file players of the NBA. Some of my fondest memories of my pro career had to do with training camp. It is a time that you get to establish new relationships with new players. My rookie year was especially enjoyable because the anticipation of entering the NBA was for me, a big challenge. Friendships I made with players like Greg Smith and Flynn Robinson have endured to this day. As a baseball fan, the Mets amazin’ victory that year was kind of a backdrop to my rookie year. The next camp I attended I saw Oscar Robinson join the Bucks for a memorable year. We were world champs that year and we set the tone for that success in training camp.
So in my opinion training camp is the only part of the year where the pressure is off and the good times are a lot easier to take in. I hope the lockout ends soon for both the fans and the players sake.
– Kareem Abdul-Jabbar