If it were not for the NBA lockout, we would be talking about whether Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks have enough left in the tank to repeat, if younger teams like the Bulls and Thunder did enough in the offseason to make another run, or whether LeBron will finally get his first ring down in Miami.

All of that sounds great, except for the fact that none of it is likely to happen. David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA, continues to point the finger at the players, giving the notion that they are not being fair.

Recently, Stern and his associates have told the rest of the media that they offered Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and the rest of the players an even 50/50 split. Seems fair, right?

No.

Not at all. Here’s why.

Stern makes it seem as if a 50/50 split is more than generous, and that the players are being selfish and unreasonable for not even considering it.  He is essentially putting it all on them, while anointing himself as ‘the nice guy,’ if you will.

This is absurd. Fans buy tickets to go see their favorite team. They buy tickets to see Derrick Rose finesse his way to the basket past three defenders. They buy tickets to watch LeBron James and Dwayne Wade tear up the rim.

They buy tickets for the players, and maybe they will even get a $12, six-ounce beer in the process, just to help the cause.

But the players are being selfish? I don’t think so.

When’s the last time you bought a ticket to a game and said to yourself, “You know, I’m buying this just so Mark Cuban can get a few extra bucks, and maybe I’ll catch some basketball action in the process.”?

The answer is never. We, as fans, go to see the game, the players, and couldn’t care less about the owners. A 50/50 split? Are you kidding me? There is no league without players. Period.

Sure, one can make an argument that without the owners, there is no organizational structure. However, when it comes down to it the players are the ones bringing in all the fans, generating profit. They are the reason that fat guy in the stands behind the hoop, dressed in an Elvis costume, is buying the $9 hotdog.

Maybe the owners should realize just what they are doing. Maybe they should be thanking the players for how much money they make off of them, instead of blaming them.

The reality: as of now, the preseason is canceled. By Monday, the first two weeks of the season will be canceled, and there is zero progress in any talks. In 1999, the NBA season was nearly canceled, and talks are nowhere near where they were then, at this point in time.

Something or someone has to give, and it won’t be the players. David Stern and the rest of his crew need to realize that what they are offering is idiotic, and simply insulting.

My prediction?

No NBA season.

All signs point to it, and there simply has been no progress whatsoever. It’s unfortunate because the NBA was really starting to make some headway. It was building a fan base, especially after how last season ended with a veteran, deserving team like the Mavs winning it all, while all of the younger teams were starting to establish themselves as legitimate contenders.

I guess the self-proclaimed “King” will have to wait another year to get that ring that he has worked oh-so-hard for, joining forces with future Hall of Famer in Dwayne Wade and another All-Star player in Chris Bosh.

What a hard life he lives.