By Seth Herrold
Fans only thought the NFL lockout was bad. I will admit, the thought of losing part of or all of an NFL season actually started getting to me as the summer wore on. In the end though, all was saved… well, except for the knees of Jamal Charles, Tony Moeake and Eric Berry. The season lived on, however.
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Anyone who follows sports at all can tell you the NBA isn’t so lucky. There will be no professional basketball at the time the 2011-2012 season is scheduled to begin. The first two weeks have already been cancelled and now the Christmas Day games are in serious jeopardy of being terminated as well.
As bad as the NFL lockout was, the NBA’s lockout is much worse and yet, I can’t seem to bring myself to care. That was strange to me because the NBA is a major sport and the fact that the season may be lost should matter more. The obvious thought is that since there is no professional basketball team anywhere near here, I have no horse in the race and therefore just don’t care. The thing is, however, I used to be a big NBA fan; I just liked certain players rather than a team, which is really how every NBA fan you meet in this area is. As a kid I had the #23 Chicago Bulls jersey like every kid had in those days, but even after Michael Jordan retired I followed guys like Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony. I even spent money on NBA merchandise. I had jerseys of Duncan, Carter and Anthony and had a Kobe t-shirt. After a while, though, my love for the game just died out. It got to the point where I watched the Stanley Cup Finals more than the NBA Finals each year (I still love the Stanley Cup Finals by the way).
While I can’t explain what started slowly killing off my NBA fanhood, I can tell you the exact two events that pushed me to the point of not caring if another NBA game is ever played in my lifetime. Both happened during this past season. One, “The Decision,” and two, the Carmelo Anthony trade. I was one of the people who thought it was ridiculous that LeBron James decided what team he would play with on a nationally televised special. It also made me mad that LeBron, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh decided to team up and make Miami an all-star team. Secondly, if I had a team I wanted to be the NBA champions it was the Denver Nuggets. I like George Karl as a coach and I like Carmelo Anthony. The town, the team colors, it was just the right fit for me. When ‘Melo left, I was angry and, with all the other stuff, vowed to not watch the NBA anymore. I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I was extremely happy when LeBron and his boys lost to Dallas in the finals, but I didn’t watch. Now, with the lockout, I might not have any problems keeping that vow.
Can my relationship with the NBA be repaired? Absolutely. If a pro team ever decided to come to the City of Fountains and call the Sprint Center home, though highly unlikely, I would absolutely jump on the band wagon and back that team. I would probably also attend my first pro basketball game if that occurred. In all likelihood, that isn’t going to happen. If the Sprint Center ever does draw a professional sports franchise, it will most likely be an NHL team and I would be fine with that. Judging by the turnout the pre-season NHL game drew to the Sprint Center last month, I think Kansas City would be, too.
With the NHL and my love of college basketball, which has always trumped the NBA, my mid- to late-winter sports fix is handled. A lack of an NBA season won’t upset me and, other than those ex-Cleveland Cavalier fans who rooted so passionately for the Miami Heat last season, I don’t think it should really bother anybody in these parts.