The absence of an NBA season would have made a long summer feel even longer. In a bizarre world where the 2011 NBA lockout was never settled, so many “what if” scenarios would arise.
Perhaps the hypothetical proposition is preposterous, but it’s necessary to look at the extensive impact the 2011-2012 NBA season has made, especially considering how the season was nearly lost.
Our journey begins with the NBA Draft Lottery on May 30, where the New Orleans Hornets secured the top pick in June’s 2012 NBA Draft. Barring some type of catastrophic lapse in judgement, the Hornets will select Kentucky’s Anthony Davis.
During the 1998-1999 lockout, the NBA canceled the All-Star Game because the season began in February. Had the 2011-2012 lockout lasted longer than the one during the 1998-1999 season, there is no precedent as to what would have happened with the draft.
Maybe the NBA would have gotten exactly what it wanted with the nonexistence of a draft in that prep players would be at least 20 years of age upon entering the league. The concept of the one-and-done player would have stalled for at least a year, as Davis, his Kentucky teammates and fellow underclassmen most likely would have returned to school, and the NCAA would be gearing up for one of the most exciting seasons in college basketball in a long time.
However, if negotiations reached the point of no return, the NBA season and NBA Draft would not have been the only things lost. There is no telling how long the owners and players, represented by the National Basketball Players Association, would have taken to come to terms. The NBA was headed toward a work stoppage similar to that of the 2004-2005 NHL lockout, which lasted nearly a year.
All interest lost the season before by LeBron James’ infamous “decision” would have been all for naught; the loss of TV contracts, licensors, and fans of the sport would ensue. Players would have traveled overseas even more so than ones who did during the 161-day lockout to earn a paycheck.
Moving past the “Unibrow Sweepstakes,” it is entirely possible Chris Paul would still be a member of the Hornets, waiting until an agreement was reached so he could become a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was originally supposed to end up.
The odds of the Paul deal going through post-lockout greatly increase to regenerate interest in the league. The whole “Lob City” mantra developed by the Los Angeles Clippers would be a pipe dream for Clippers fans.
Speaking of the Chris Paul trade, if commissioner David Stern did not veto the three-team transaction whenever the lockout ended, Jeremy Lin would still be a member of the Houston Rockets, who held his contract rights. Backup point guard Goran Dragic would have gone to the Hornets, allowing Lin to take his roster spot.
While Lin might have been a flash in the pan, his heroics were truly extraordinary and would not have been possible without playing in New York City. His story is remarkable and would have never come to light otherwise. What’s to say Lin would be working at Goldman Sachs instead of being the star point guard and international phenomenon on the Knicks?
Speaking of the Knicks, without an NBA season, Mike D’Antoni would never have resigned as head coach.
Staying in the state of New York, the Nets, formerly based in New Jersey, probably would not have moved to Brooklyn in late April if there was not an NBA season.
On top of all this, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and Ricky Rubio would not have endured season-ending injuries, which will drastically impact the outcome of the Olympics as well as their teams’ immediate futures.
Consider this a microcosm of all the craziness that did not occur as a result of NBA basketball being played. How widespread the impact of an extended lockout could have been is incredible. Regardless of who is crowned as the NBA champion in June, it is important to understand how history unfolds as the season wraps up.
The landscape of the game would have been substantially different from the loss of only one shortened season of play, and that, more than anything, is the lesson to take away from this NBA season.
