What's Going on in the NBA... and NFL Mid-Season Thoughts

As the days creep on into mid-October the NBA's future is still yet to be determined.  Coverage of the negotiations has been sparse, but it doesn't seem as if either side will budge on their views.  I remember back when the NFL lockout had just been resolved, I heard that the NBA lockout was a more serious matter. I thought at the time it was just an advertising strategy just as with the NFL lockout,but now that the lockout is months old that claim seems to have been a viable one.  The players and owners are just hurting themselves by continuing this lockout as we are seeing support for the NBA diminish due to anger over the two rich parties arguing about how much money each side will get.  Looking back the lockout has been brewing for a couple of years now because the NBA has been slowly pampering its players with bigger contracts and more freedom.  Who would have guessed that when this went to far for the owners to handle that the players would be reluctant to give up that power?  With rumors that an NBA season is in jeopardy of being cancelled I have chosen to ignore this rich soap opera and focus on the NFL season already in progress.

The NFL season so far has had its surprises, tragedies, and upsets.  The San Francisco 49ers have a record of 4-1 and the Oakland Raiders are sitting at 3-2.  Being both a 49er fan and a Stanford fan I came into the season ecstatic at the decision to hire Jim Harbaugh and he has proved his worth in the first 5 games.  I'm especially excited to see what he has done with QB Alex Smith and the revamped offensive attack.  He has simplified Alex Smiths role so that he can utilize his talents and take much of the pressure off of him that has built up over the years.  Although some of the wins haven't been pretty so far they have gotten the job done with the assets they have, using their tight-ends effectively and putting an emphasis on their power run game.  A major concern I have is the season-ending injury to wide-receiver Josh Morgan.  Josh Morgan was the leading wide-receiver on the team 15 catches for 220 yards and 1 touchdown.  This blow to an already struggling passing attack doesn't bode well for their chances against the 5-0 Detroit Lions in their upcoming game.  Nevertheless the 49ers are leading a struggling division and seem to be the favorite to win their division if they continue their outstanding performance throughout the rest of the season.