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Tuesday, June 21, 2005

No lockout? Color me shocked 

In a stunning turn of events, the NBA actually managed to get out of it's own way and avert a lockout. Amazing! The principles of the new agreement are as follows:

The league and its players' association on Monday night were close to agreeing on a new CBA that would institute a new 19-year-old age limit, reduce contract lengths and raise the salary cap, according to sources close to both negotiating committee.

I have to say, even at 19 years old, I'm a bit surprised that a minimum age limit made it into the negotiations. That point is, of course, commissioner David Stern's pet. But still, the only sport an age limit is truly necessary is in football just becuase of the sheer physical brutality of the sport (can't throw in a boy amongst men there). Tennis, soccer, hockey, baseball, gymnastics, swimming and countless other sports see no need for an age limit. Why should basketball not be among them? At first, I used to agree with Stern as the some of these kids out of high school are gambling far more than they realize by jumping straight to the pros - many under ill advisement. But I've adopted a laissez faire approach to the issue lately. If you're comfortable with being on the street with no life skills three years after you flame out of the NBA, go right ahead and jump.

Anyway, this news overshadows the possibly penultimate game 6 of tonight's Finals. As I've said all year long, Spurs close it out tonight. If that happens, by the way, I will have correctly predicted the outcome of every single playoff series during this NBA post-season. When you think about it, that's not terribly impressive seeing as how all those matchups were so awfully predictable.

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