NBA Lockout Forces 43 Preseason Cancellations

By Christine Thomasos, Christian Post Reporter Sunday, September 25, 2011

The NBA lockout has officially started to impact scheduling for the upcoming season in the form of indefinitely postponed training camps and 43 preseason game cancellations.

According to nba.com, all games from Oct. 9-15 have been cancelled.

Adam Silver, deputy commissioner for the league, released an official statement about the matter.

"We have regretfully reached the point on the calendar where we are not able to open training camps on time and need to cancel the first week of preseason games,"

Silver said. "We will make further decisions as warranted."

The lockout began on July 1 and has since been the cause of 11 percent of the NBA workforce being cut. Aside from training camp and preseason games, a program to help rookies transition into the league was also postponed.

The lockout of NBA players stems from owners wanting players to take a pay cut. Owners claim they lost $300 million last season and that 23 out of 30 teams are losing money in the league.

Players have agreed to go from collecting 57 percent of income to 53 percent. However after a meeting on Thursday, negotiations have yet to come to a head.

Although players have said they would like to reach an amicable decision concerning the lockout, some players have prepared for the possible loss of a season if it means acquiring a better Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Ray Allen, shooting guard for the Bostin Celtics, said a beneficial deal for the players is what he is cares most about.

“Nobody wants to miss a year,” Allen said, according to The Boston Globe. “But I’m prepared to do what the team needs me to do, what my players association, players union team, what they need me to do, because we want to make sure we get the right deal for us.”