Filling the NBA lockout void

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LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant is saying "deuces" to the NBA preseason and saying a big, bright hello to the $3 million, 10-game offer from Italian club Virtus Bologna. But where does that leave the fans? (Luca Bruno/Associated Press)

By now the panic has probably subsided. The questions NBA fans have been asking all summer have answers. They're undesirable - if not predictable - but they're still answers.

For months the NBA players and owners have been "talking."  As an outsider, it's hard to determine just what they've been talking about because at the end of every day of discussions, nothing much seems to have changed.

Today, preseason games were officially cancelled, while the owners and players are now further apart than ever. Andrei Kirilenko just signed a 3-year deal with a professional team in Russia. If that's not a bad sign, I don't know what is.

It would be nothing less than shocking if more games don't get cancelled before the end of next week. And it would be not the least bit surprising if NBA games don't return until 2012. The fact is that neither side is in a big rush. This lockout is just not that costly for players and owners alike.

Don't get too down about it, though. It may seem like a barren basketball landscape right now, but opening your mind to new possibilities could do wonders for depressed basketball fans.

No NBA? No problem! There's always NCAA. This might require relocation to the States, but if you like watching textbook ball where the players might even shed a tear after a regular season loss then it's totally worth it. And if you're thinking you'll still miss the Sportscentre-worthy highlights, you're wrong!




Or you could just order the cable sports package and watch the games from the comfort of your own home.

If both those options are too pricey, there is always Canadian Interuniversity Sport basketball. There are games every weekend, and chances are there are a few going on right in your city or town. The players are talented, campus-wide celebrities and admission to the games is usually only $10.

In August, the Carleton Ravens went 5 and 4 against NCAA opponents. Those same Ravens have won 6 of the last 7 national championships. That proves there's some TV-worthy basketball talent right in your own backyard.


 
If you live in Canada, your best option may be to adopt the game of hockey as your new favorite sport. There's definitely no shortage of it, and it's more like basketball than one might think.

For instance, both sports have five players on the ice/court. Basketball doesn't have a goaltender, but there's usually one big man whose job it is swat away anything that comes near the basket. Both games are fast-paced, flow games with minimal start-and-stop.  And if you substitute shaved heads and tattoos for helmet hair and missing teeth, the players are basically the same.

Plus, if you got all excited seeing Ron Artest (AKA Metta World Peace) get into a fight with a fan, there's plenty of that in every good 'ole hockey game.
 

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