Tiger Woods saddened by the NBA lockout – NBA Update
Golf great and ardent NBA fan, Tiger Woods has revealed his sadness at the prolonged NBA lockout.
Woods, who is one of the most famous sporting personalities in the world, is a devoted follower of NBA and like all fans, he too wants the money battle between the players union and NBA owners to end.
The NBA locked out its players on July 1st after the expiry of the old Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Efforts to cut a deal for a new CBA have so far been futile, with both sides still far apart on all major issues. The NBA and player met hurriedly arranged negotiation sessions last weekend to get a deal through in time, but failed, prompting NBA Commissioner David Stern to wipe out the first 100 games of the season.
“Yeah, of course I'm bummed,” Tiger said about the NBA lockout, according to CSNNE.com. “I think anybody who is an NBA fan is certainly bummed.”
Tiger then went on take a dig at the Boston Celtics.
As a Los Angeles Lakers fan, Tiger is no stranger to the rivalry that exists between the two powerhouses of NBA.
“I know that probably one person who is happy is probably Doc Rivers. I mean, with the age of his team, it's nice for them to only play half-a-season. It's true. It's a fact, come on.” Tiger said, referring to the many veterans in the Boston Celtics roster.
The Celtics have players like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, all future Hall of Famers, but all past their prime. Woods fears playing a shorter season will help these guys perform at optimal levels in the NBA playoffs, which could ultimately harm the chances of the Lakers.
He also expressed frustration at not being able to decipher the future of the Los Angeles Lakers, because of the NBA lockout. News coming out of the Lakers camp is minimal these days as players and coaches are barred from talking to each other, and that has left the fans in the lurch.
"I'm looking forward to the Lakers getting back there and we'll see what they do,” he continued. “The problem is, you can't talk to anybody. You can't see who is potentially on the block of being traded, what kind of deals can we do? Nothing can be happening.”
The Lakers have a new setup now with legendary coach Phil Jackson retiring last season. Mike Brown, the new coach, is set to ring in some changes when the season begins but hasn’t been able to get a hold of his players.
Before the lockout began, there were also rumours that Los Angeles could be in the market for certain players, but the noises have also now died down on that front.
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