Original Blog Entry: Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose And Bulls Among Winners With NBA Lockout Over

Starr920 — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:22:39 GMT

So the NBA players and owners have reached a deal to end the lockout and it looks like we'll have pro basketball to go with our Christmas turkey (or lasagna or beef or whatever it is you dig in to on Dec. 25).

With the business side of the game taken care of, and since you have to keep score in sports, here's a look at the winners and losers as the players get ready to hit the hardwood.

WINNERS

David Stern

He gets his owners a 50-50 revenue split, with a harder cap, along with the Christmas Day games. Just as he diagrammed it. Best of all, he doesn't lose an entire season, which would have killed his legacy.

Billy Hunter

True, he put up the white flag on the money split, but the union chief got his players a deal that isn't nearly as bad as many hard-line owners like Michael Jordan and Paul Allen had wanted.

Kobe Bryant

At his age, the best player in the game couldn't afford to sit out an entire season.

The Chicago Bulls

They finished with the best record last season, have the reigning MVP, Derrick Rose, and Coach of the Year, Tom Thibodeau, and aren't undergoing any major changes. They should hit the ground running.

LOSERS

The City of Akron

Scheduled to have LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony play in their Homecoming Tour on Dec. 1, that game will be canceled now.

Free-spending teams

The Lakers, Knicks and Mavs will face more punitive luxury tax levels, which might prevent them from outspending rivals. But it shouldn't prevent the Knicks from getting Chris Paul, if the money is right.

Deron Williams

Although he gets to come home from Turkey, his next contract won't equal what the top stars were able to make in the last CBA.

The Lakers

With a shorter training camp and preseason, they'll probably struggle in the regular season with first-year coach Mike Brown putting in a new system and trying to replace Phil Jackson.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/kobe-bryant-derrick-rose-bulls-winners-nba-lockout-deron-williams-ny-knicks-losing-side-article-1.983090#ixzz1fBcx4ZlO

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