Laker Nation

The NBA thrives on addicted customers who have integrated basketball into every area of their life (like most of us). If we miss games this season (we will), that will be the NBA sending every one of us to rehab, forcing us to detox from our addiction and face the world without the NBA. How many of us will relapse when if they work out a new CBA in the near future? That remains to be seen, but I can guarantee it won’t be anywhere near the 100% return rate they are counting on.

Yep, you guessed it… this is the obligatory ‘lockout update’ column, brought to you, once again, by the NBA: Where no progress happens. At this stage of negotiations (I use that term loosely), we have reached well beyond ludicrous and settled right into the Lindsay Lohan zone.

What we are learning this morning is that 95% done doesn’t guarantee a deal, and an economic deal isn’t a signed contract. There are still some major hurdles to be overcome, most importantly the refusal from certain teams to re-organize their schedules to accommodate Sabatini’s goal of having Bryant showcased in the leagued biggest arenas.

Tired of reading lockout columns? Well, I’m tired of writing them. Here are the latest developments in bullet points. The CBA negotiations in New York ended today with no significant progress (at-least none that was confirmed by either side).

Rumor says that Bryant and his agent are focusing on a specialized offer that has him in uniform for just 10 games (10/19 – 11/16) for a reported $2.5 million.

In what could be described as a small injection of optimism, the NBPA and owners have cancelled internal meetings this week in favor of resuming negotiations in New York on Tuesday. If history is any indication, this can be considered progress, as neither side during the ’98-99 lockout met between the time they cancelled the first part of training camp and the preseason (9/24/98) and the time they nixed the remainder of the preseason (10/5/98).

We both knew this was coming, so I’ll just go ahead and throw it out there. Sources have confirmed that the NBA plans to announce on Friday that the first two weeks of both training camp (slated to begin on 10/3) and the preseason (slated to begin on 10/9) will be cancelled. This news comes on the heels of a largely negative and unproductive meeting between the two sides in Manhattan this morning.

This guy (or girl) is the leading candidate for either the worst Laker fan ever, or the worst LeBron fan ever. Whatever the case, we can only assume they either lost a bet, a succession of bets, or my personal theory, this is a picture of Bill Simmons car, and this is his way of taunting Laker fans. I mean, there’s no way this is one of you guys out there in Laker Nation, right?

The much talked about debut of Metta World Peace on Dancing with the Stars has come and gone. How’d he do? Well, why don't you be the judge of that…

Logic be damned, we live in a culture where having money seems to come with the obligation of spending it all, which explains why wealthier-than-average athletes are likely to face some financial challenges in the wake of an extended lockout. According to an L.A. Times interview with Executive Director Billy Hunter, Kobe Bryant is willing and prepared to lend some cash to his fellow NBA’ers if the need is there.

While the book is said to offer a brutally honest and enlightening account of The Logo, that could be lost in the undertow of insight surrounding the Lakers organization, Jerry Buss, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and more. Here are just a few excerpts that were noted:

Tuesday (which happened to be day 74 of the NBA lockout) began with optimism, but after several meetings in New York over the past couple weeks, the NBPA and owners remain on opposite sides of what has becomes a nearly impassable financial rift. With training camps scheduled to begin in just 19 days, things continue to look gloomy in the foreseeable NBA future.

It may have taken a couple extra days, but we have our first (of two) Mophie iPhone Juice Pack winner: Person’s Name. Congrats, Persons name!

We have a Black Mamba iPhone case to give away TODAY, courtesy of our friends over at Luxmo. To be entered, simply tell us about your favorite 'Black Mamba' moment in the comments section below.