Dwyane Wade wishes the 2011-12 season start sooner rather than later. (GETTY IMAGES)
It has been three months since the NBA locked out its players and now we are nearing the point where the regular season could be compromised. The league recently canceled more than 40 preseason games and if the owners and players can’t agree on a new deal by this week more games will be lost.
Miami Heat All-Star guard Dwyane Wade spoke on ESPN First Take Wednesday and offered his own take on the lockout. “If it was up to me we would be getting ready for training camp, but that’s not the case,” Wade said. “Obviously it’s very unfortunate we would have to go through this. It’s the business side of the game.”
Wade also wanted to reiterate the fact that the players were not the ones who initiated this current stalemate. The players had no problems whatsoever with the current system. It’s the owners who wanted change.
“The biggest thing we want our fans to know is we are locked out. We’re not on strike as players. We want to be playing. It’s just not happening right now,” Wade said.
On Tuesday, Commissioner David Stern presented to NBA players’ union representatives the owners’ latest proposal, which surprisingly did not include a hard salary cap something the owners were very adamant about during the initial talks. This is a major concession from the owners, and now they are asking the players to cave in on other issues such as the length of guaranteed contracts and revenue distribution. Under the previous deal, the players earned a 57-43 split in revenue.
“Hopefully we can eventually get to where the owners and the players are both happy, come together [and find] a common goal and understand that this is all about the game of basketball, and this is all about growing the game,” Wade said.