*Phew* , I thought we'd never make it.

Before I get to the really good news though, I would like to go though a couple of events that led up tot e end.

From Tuesday, US Time, players were arriving for the big meeting of the Players Union (consisting of over 400 players) to have a general membership meeting. The topic of this meeting was to vote on whether to accept the Union's negotiating committee's decision to not accept the Owners last proposal. NBA Commissioner, David "I Wanna Be A Tough Guy" Stern, had been calling for a players vote for over a week now, which prompted some players to speak out and publicly demand a secret ballot to be taken among the NBA Players.

My first clue to this lockout being over was the NBA's latest No. 1 Pick, Michael Olowokandi, signing a contract with Italian Euro-League Team Kinder Bologna. Money was most probably the deciding factor, as Olowokandi was quoted as saying "I can't wait as a whole bunch of people who already have millions in their bank accounts discuss my fate for what I'm supposed to do in the future". That's fair enough. People forget that the small number at the negotiating table have over 400 players futures in their hands, the majority of which aren't the players that are getting US$12 Million a season, however, the average salary for NBA players is the highest average salary in professional sports, at US$2.6 million.

My second clue that this lockout was coming to an end was from the same situation. When I saw that a spokesman for the Italian team, Kinder Bologna, said, "We're betting the NBA season won't start". How much trouble is he going to b in with his bosses? The contract that Olowokandi has signed with Kinder Bologna has an escape clause in it, which allows him to return to The U.S. if the lockout ended by Feb. 15. The earliest the NBA shortened season can commence is the first week of February, so it looks like Michael will be missing training camp and maybe the first week with the Clippers, who hold his rights. Ololwokandi's first professional game will be a playoff game, for a contender for the Championship. He'd better take a lot of photo's, because he has to go back to the Clippers. Also, Olowokandi's first professional game will be a different style of basketball than he will be playing in the NBA, an after playing basketball for three years anyway, I think his first handful of games in the NBA will be awkward. Michael will have to jump straight into a team where he will have to carry it on his shoulders and be the man straight away, not like in Italy, where, even though he will be depended on to do a lot of work, he will be accompanied by former Miami Heat player, Sasha Danilovic.

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