What would a lockout mean for us?

[Tim W.]

I think the key is learning from the Leafs mistakes. When the lockout hit the NHL the Maple Leafs quickly swooped in signing as many "quality vets" as they could before the lockout became official. This made them inflexible when the new agreement came. They were right up against the ceiling and had players that were a year older and with the new rules had a lot less value. The key is to get as low below the cap as possible before a lockout and then buy low after it. The Draft WILL suck, however, young free agents may become desperate for a decent contract especially if a hard cap comes.

That can't happen in the NBA. Teams won't be able to sign any new free agents because the lockout will begin before teams can sign them. If Wright and Dorsey aren't given qualifying offers, the Raptors would only have 8 players under contract after July 1st.

One thing the lockout means, however, is that players may opt not to come out for fear of not playing next season. Players might decide staying in school another year is better since they might not end up getting paid if they come out anyway.

[pesterm1]

I personally dont think the big names will skip the draft. If I was put in that sittuation Id keep my name in the draft. If a lockout takes place then ya you loose out on some palying time but what if u go back to NCAA for a year and you get injured or have a horrible year. I think its to risky for most players and any will choose to remain in the staff. Plus if you get drafted into the NBA and the lockout lasts a few months then many of the rookies will be better for it because they will be given more time to adjust to the NBA