2 days removed from Thanksgiving and 1 day removed from Black Friday, November 26, 2011 is a day of continued celebration. Why? The answer is simple! The National Basketball Association (NBA) lockout has been lifted or for some resurrected from the grave. Although not official, there has been a tentative agreement between players and owners. Even though it isn't official, for most sports fans especially Basketball fans, it is a huge step in the right direction. Just like the NFL in the beginning of 2011 that left many fans of the sport in limbo as to what one will do for the season, most NBA fans were left in limbo as well, until today. To think that the chances of Basketball being played in 2011 was getting slimmer and slimmer especially the way the Commissioner, David Stern, kept saying to the media. Today is a day of jubilation! Some specifics in the collective bargaining agreement are as follow:
• Revenue split: The players will receive anywhere from 49 percent to 51 percent of basketball-related income based on revenue projections.
• New $2.5 million exception for teams below the salary cap to go over the cap. Those teams can’t use the midlevel or bi-annual exceptions.
• Midlevel exception: up to $5 million starting salary with four-year maximum contract length; teams that exceed the luxury-tax threshold by $4 million will be limited to using a $3 million midlevel exception with a four-year maximum contract.
• Minimum team salary increases to 85 percent of the salary cap in the first two years of the deal and 90 percent of the cap in the years thereafter.
• Maximum salary: Only one player per team is eligible to receive a maximum salary worth 30 percent of the salary cap.
These are a few details between players and owners on the agreement that has been tentatively agreed upon. With the resurrection of the 2011 NBA season, many fans will now have a chance to witness the annual Christmas Day match-up which usually consists of two highly-successful teams. As well as the weekly NBA games on Wednesday on ESPN/TNT which can now be seen. Unlike the NFL, the NBA is shown more often throughout the week which gives sports fans something to watch for, making the work week for them more bearable. Knowing that the NBA lockout is going in the right direction and sooner or later will become official, basketball fans can now finally update their social networks from the popular "End the NBA lockout, we want basketball" plea to " Go [Insert Team's Name] chant!" What team will you be cheering for this 2011-2012 NBA Season?
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