DNB Lockout Journal- Scedule Release

On Tuesday the NBA Released a schedule that it is most likely will never happen. It is kinda like someone tells you all your Christmas Gifts now and then by time Christmas comes around you get none of those lovely gifts. Ironically when you look at the Raptors Schedule it might have been one of the better schedules they have had in recent years. It would have included a 7 game home stand. Chris Bosh would have come back to Toronto in December and fans likely would have thrown rice to congratulate him on his wedding in the summer. But sadly none of these things will happen.

Some people have asked me why is the NBA releasing a schedule. Is it not bad enough that we are in a lockout and now they tease us with releasing a schedule they likely never will play. Well the answer to that is pretty simple. If the NBA did not release a schedule as they would in any other year. The players union would likely use that against them and accuse them of negotiating in bad faith. In other words if the NBA schedule is not released it would be a sign the owners have no intention of wanting to make a deal or play a season next year. Which in all honesty might be the truth. Teams losing money could actually benefit from not playing a season. If you believe the NBA that would mean about 2/3rds of the league.

In all honesty during this entire process the league that so famously has ads "NBA Cares" really doesn't about the fans. In fact both sides don't at the end of the day. Fans are used as pawns in this whole process. Both sides want you to believe the other is the bad guy and thus public pressure will be on the other side to make a deal. But ultimately everyone is out for themselves in this make no mistake about that. It is not that players and ownership don't care about fans. It is just they do but maybe not in the most positive ways or with best motives.

I have found the last few weeks very depressing. It is frustrating to know that all you have worked for in the past years is left in the hands of others. I am no different from any of you in the sense of I want to see basketball being played as well. This blog is based almost exclusively to cover the Raptors and the NBA. It hard or next to impossible to produce content with no real news to talk about. Sure we can do lots of things that really are at the end of the day just filler. After awhile though that gets old for you as readers and for myself as well.

On Twitter I was talking about having a Lockout Party on November 2nd when the Raptors are at least in theory scheduled to open their season at home vs the Sixers. The reason I am serious about doing such a thing is without the game of basketball it is a way to still connect with all the great people that I have got to know through this blog and basketball. Truth is with no Raptors to cover I really have no reason to be in Toronto much at all. So it would be fun to come to the city and get to see lots of people that are in the same boat as me missing basketball and just say screw it and have some fun. At this point it is just an idea. But so was this blog. So hopefully there is no reason to have this party at all. But the sad reality is this party is far more likely than the Raptors playing the Sixers at the ACC.

As this lockout goes on I am going to share and express my feelings and emotions about all of this. Also mix in whatever news there might be. Ultimately while it makes me sick to my stomach this is going on. I do understand why it is. I also think that ultimately the owners need to fix this league to have a competitive balance. Raptor fans have seen all to often how this system works for them. It has seen many stars be born in Toronto only to take their talents elsewhere. While The Raptors can endure this with solid fan support and ownership in MLSE, many other teams can not. If when this is all over the Raptors are in a better position to have a more even playing field to compete for a championship I will be happy. Anything less than that will be pointless and painful.

We will keep plugging along here at the DNB. So please keep supporting the blog and I will be back Tuesday to talk about...honestly who knows. But I will do my best to make it worth your time.