Miami Heat star Chris Bosh still optimistic about NBA lockout
In an atmosphere that is getting increasingly gloomy with regards to the NBA lockout, Chris Bosh has provided a breath of fresh air. The Miami Heat star sat down for an interview recently and expressed optimism about the NBA lockout situation and the next season.
The league has been in lockout for over two months now. The old CBA expired and the failure of the NBA owners and players to agree on a new one means that there will be no NBA season next term, unless, of course, the two sides resolve their differences.
That though seems unlikely. Both sides have been extremely rigid with their stances so far, the owners more than the players. Since the lockout began on July 1st there haven’t been many olive branches extended. One scheduled meeting was cancelled and only two have been held between the players and the NBA.
In the last one there was some positive news as some ground rules were agreed over how to take the negotiating process forward, nothing else. That is a painfully slow rate of progress by any and all standards and NBA fans have seriously started to fear the worst; the loss of an entire NBA season.
National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Billy Hunter, among others, has already declared that he doesn’t expect there to be an NBA season 2011-2012 and NBA Commissioner David Stern doesn’t look in any mood to prove him wrong.
Therefore you have to commend Chris Bosh’s optimism when he says he is still hopeful major damage would be avoided in the ongoing fight over a new CBA.
"I'm an optimistic person anyway," Bosh said. "The NBA is as good as it's ever been right now and I think there's no reason to miss out on it. So I think everybody will come to a conclusion. When you're dealing with business, emotions and feelings get involved and that's natural. You're going to have arguments. But I think as long as everybody knows that and as long as we keep moving forward to a deal, then that's progress."
Bosh is right about the NBA being at a high at the moment. The league’s revenues have never been greater and the fans are more involved than in many past years. Last season the Miami Heat’s acquisition of LeBron James and Bosh himself stirred up public interest in the NBA and the league recorded the highest TV ratings in around a decade for the NBA Finals.
However this is also the reason most NBA fans cannot get their head around why the NBA has chosen this moment to fight over money with its players. If the two sides involved in the labour dispute cannot come to an amicable solution soon, the damage done to the fan base could be very long lasting indeed.
Tags: