WATERCOOLER CHAT: LABOR MEETINGS IN NBA, BOISE STATE IN HOT WATER
BASKETBALL
In the NBA, things aren’t exactly going well for the labor meetings. Now is the time that they need to make something happen if the NBA wants to get training camp started on time. It’s really their only chance of actually starting this season. Remember, one of the main issues is that the players want a ‘soft salary cap’ (which pretty much means that teams can pay more for players if they can afford it, and thus allow things like the Big 3 in Miami to happen) and owners want a ‘Hard Cap’ (meaning that there is a strict policy on how much a team can spend. Doing this would create more balance in the league, and allow small market teams like Sacramento and Milwaukee to actually compete. Those teams are losing a ton of money. As of now, the two parties are nowhere close to an agreement, and there is almost no way that the season will start on time. Folks, there may not be any basketball at all this year.
FOOTBALL
Finally in college football, the Boise State Broncos have been the darling underdog team of the past few years. They’re always competitive, and sometimes even dominant. They’re the team that showed a small team could go to a major BCS bowl and beat a mighty powerhouse like Oklahoma. It turns out they got themselves in a little trouble over all the top tier talent they were getting. Yes, they too were giving benefits to incoming players, and now, as a penalty, the NCAA has taken away 9 scholarships over the next few seasons. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but that’s 9 star players that they won’t be able to recruit. This penalty is even more reason that the Broncos are trying to make it to the National Championship this season. With their star QB Kellen Moore bolting for the NFL next year, this could be their last chance for a while.
