NBA Lockout Update: Can Mediation Resolve the Labour Dispute?
by Bodog Sportsbook | Oct 21 2011
Dirk Nowitzki will be back in front of a packed stadium this week - but he'll be holding a baseball, and not a basketball. The Mavericks star has been chosen to throw out the first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series in Arlington. Meanwhile, the
NBA betting board remains blank as Nowitzki's fellow NBA players try to negotiate a deal with the league.
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NBA futures are up at
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Can mediation produce real results?The NBA and its Players Association started mediation this week in an attempt to bridge the gap and produce a new collective bargaining agreement. The division of revenues continues to be the top issue, although it's widely expected that the two sides will end up agreeing to close to a 50/50 split of that cash. Changes to the salary cap and luxury tax systems are also on the table as the sides discuss their cases with the federal mediator.
So where does that leave the lockout? Still on, heading into Friday, leaving
NBA betting fans still looking elsewhere for their sports action as we approach the end of October.
Memphis to sue? Stars to barnstorm?The longer the lockout persists, the more oddball news items we're going to get from the world of pro hoops. This week the Memphis city council began investigating whether they could sue the NBA if the league ends up cancelling the season - which would allow them to make up for lost revenue. Other cities around the league would be paying attention to that.
As well, reports from the players' camp suggest a group of the league's superstars are planning a worldwide barnstorming tour to begin at the end of this month with games in San Juan, London, Macau, and Melbourne. Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, and Chris Paul have all been floated as possible participants in the exhibition contests; Bryant had also been rumoured to be signing with an Italian team, but those reports have died down over the past week.
Heat, Lakers, Bulls lead futures oddsIf you absolutely must get a wager down on some
NBA lines this week, though, you still have the option of the futures board at the
Bodog Sportsbook. The Miami Heat (5/2), Los Angeles Lakers (11/2), and Chicago Bulls (7/1) are currently the favorites on the list to win the 2012 NBA Championship, assuming of course there is a 2012 NBA Championship to be won. The Oklahoma City Thunder are at 15/2 odds, with the Dallas Mavericks set at 17/2.
The last time the NBA season was shortened due to a lockout was back in 1998/99, and the San Antonio Spurs managed to win the title that season. If you think the veteran Spurs will be helped by a lighter workload this time around as well you can get them at 28/1 on the
NBA futures board to win the 2012 title. The New York Knicks were the Spurs' opponents in the 1999 Finals - they're at 20/1 to win the 2012 Finals if they are staged.
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