Will the shortened season affect NBA salaries?

In a typical year, October brings with it the start of another basketball season. Fans from Florida to California pour into stadiums and fill the stadium seats with their cheers, jerseys and bags of popcorn.

In 2011, this was not exactly the case. Arenas, locker rooms and practice facilities were empty and silent as players and owners remained deadlocked in an ongoing debate over salary caps, the revenue split and luxury taxes. Heated negotiations began in July and eventually resulted in a lockout, only the fourth in NBA history. For 161 days, players and owners debated as fans anxiously awaited an armistice and the start of the season.

The end finally came in early December when the players and owners reached an agreement and signed a CBA (collective bargaining agreement). The players returned to the field and the fans prepared for the opening games on Christmas Day. With the season being reduced from the usual 82 games to just 66, will it have any impact on player salaries?

The answer is first no, and then maybe. If you take it by the numbers, it’s clear that the best players in the NBA not only didn’t lose money, but raised their salaries at a normal annual increase. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers was ranked No. 1 with a salary of more than $25 million, an increase of 2 percent from his salary last season. Other higher-paid players, such as the Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnet and San Antonio’s Tim Duncan, got as much as 13 percent pay raises from last year.

Given the shorter season, should players receive as much money as they would for a full regular season? (Or more, in many cases). Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone could work a “shorter year” and not only keep their salary but also get a raise?

While it may seem unfair, keep in mind that there is already some inherent injustice in a person coming with a multi-million dollar price tag. But wealth distribution aside, the fact that wages remained unfazed by the lockout gives credit to the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association). In times of crisis, the players’ union did exactly what a union is supposed to do: protect its members. Opinions aside as to whether or not the players’ claims and demands were justified, the NBPA did exactly what it was designed to do.

As for the “maybe” part of affecting wages, that remains to be seen. For many players who were heavily involved in the lockout, it has left a mark on their reputation. Will this affect their careers in the future? Will the owners hesitate to bring in players who played the most vocal roles in the lockout? This remains to be seen. But whatever that means for the future, the current season is underway and fans can soak up the short season and try to ignore the devastating trade rumors for now.

But then again, what’s the NBA without some controversial trade rumours?