This may not be fanshot-worthy, but what the hey, it's interesting. The Atlanta Hawks sale to LA pizza magnate Alex Meruelo, which had been contingent on NBA approval, has been called off. ------------------ "The approval process bogged down after the NBA required economic conditions that were not part of Meruelo's original deal. The NBA's stance was believed to be similar to that the league took when Atlanta Spirit bought the Hawks, as well as the Thrashers, from Time Warner in 2004. At that time, the NBA and NHL approved the transaction only after several Spirit partners agreed to make personal guarantees of tens of millions of dollars to ensure sufficient liquidity to fund the money-losing teams' operations going forward." ----------------- Meruelo's statement noted that the two parties "were not able to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement on some key issues given the current uncertainty surrounding the labor issue."

This is an interesting look at the 1999 50 game season after that lockout. "Charles Barkley, of course, had the greatest takes on the season: "I can't play three days in a row. I can't have sex three days in a row... Those guys that you normally play 10 or 12 minutes a night are playing 25 minutes a night because there are so many games, and they can't play." Jeff Van Gundy: "Players weren’t in shape. Teams weren’t given ample time to get their teams ready to play at a high level. More injuries were suffered." Jonathan Abrams: "What ensued was some of the worst basketball ever seen in the modern era...Teams averaged just 91.6 points in 1998-99, down 4 points from a season earlier, and the lowest output since the inclusion of the shot clock. Van Gundy’s Knicks made a record-low 19 field goals in a game against Chicago. The Bulls scored 49 points in a game against Miami. The Knicks and Hawks combined for 19 points in a quarter of one game."

Some friends started this full-season simulation on NBA 2k12. Follow @newrealityhoops on Twitter; Blazers open their season tonight against Denver. Hey, at least it's something!

Adrian Wojnarowski的Yahoo! Sports reportsthat a fairly large group of players sought out the advice of a decertification specialist without informing the National Basketball Players Association executive staff. ----------------------- As many as 50 disgruntled NBA players – including several All-Stars – participated in a clandestine conference call with a top antitrust attorney on Thursday to discuss the process of decertifying the Players Association, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Angry with the concessions already made to the owners and fearful of worse ones coming with the completion of a new collective bargaining agreement, the players could push for a scenario that throws negotiations into chaos and could eventually lead to the loss of the 2011-12 season. ----------------------- -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

He also got 4 steals but 9 TOs, and was fouled 11 times. Thabo Sefolosha was playing for the other side, so he saw NBA defense.

Steve Bulpett的theBoston Herald reportedThursday morning that negotiations between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association would resume on Saturday after breaking down last Friday.Ken Berger的CBSSports.com reportedthat NBPA board member Roger Mason, Jr. confirmed the report to media members on Thursday afternoon after an NBPA strategy meeting in New York City.ed: updated and bumped to front page

I'm actually shocked it took this long.

TheAssociated Pressreportsthat former Portland Trail Blazers center Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, now 33, unexpectedly retired from his professional team in Germany on Wednesday, after a medical exam discovered a previously-unknown heart condition. The details were not released publicly.ed: bumped to front page