NBA

As the NBA lockout continues, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) has determined that it will not accept any NBA players still under contract. The International Basketball Association, or FIBA, mandated that NBA players still under contract who sign abroad during the lockout must have an opt-out clause that will allow those players to return to the NBA once the lockout is over. While European teams have signed players, such as Deron Williams, to one-year deals that contain an opt-out clause, the CBA does not want to follow suit. Professional basketball leagues in Europe often boast about having more competitive leagues, but are often not financially stable like the CBA is.

A major concern for some NBA superstars is whether they will be receiving comparable salaries to what a player would receive in the NBA. European leagues have been known to not fully compensate their players and are taking a big hit right now due to the recession. The CBA, however, can offer bigger contracts to the likes of Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, all of which have mentioned some interest in playing in the CBA if the lockout continues into the regular NBA season. ESPN.com reported earlier this month that the CBA “want[s] no part of a ‘circus’ that sees a wave of NBA stars swooping in during an Olympic year to divert the focus of the league away from China’s own players, then leave at once if the lockout is lifted.”

Only free agents will be able to sign with a Chinese team. However, only free agents willing to take the risk—having to play in China if the lockout ends—will actually end up playing in China. So far, free agents Wilson Chandler and Earl Clark have both signed with the Zheijang Lions of the CBA. Contracted NBA players, however, will have to find other avenues. Numerous mid- to low-level players have already signed with professional teams abroad with an opt-out clause to return to the NBA. Even some free agents have signed one to two-year deals with no opt-out clause. While some contracted players have found a temporary home on European teams, other players have found ways to keep busy during the lockout. LeBron James participated in a Nike event in Taiwan during the lockout. Kevin Durant and a few other NBA players played against each other in a Goodman League-Drew League matchup.

Labor talks started to pick up late this summer. The NBA and representatives for the player’s union met in New York City on August 31, to attempt to resolve their dispute. This meeting was only the second time the two sides have met since the lockout began on July 1. However, after a 6-hour meeting, both sides realized that time is short and both parties need to start making decisions. Training camps are scheduled to begin the first week of October, giving both sides some time to work out a deal. Another meeting is scheduled for September 7, with the possibility of follow-up meetings the same week.

Both sides are still deeply divided on how to redistribute revenue. The owners want the players to receive a lower share and want to create a hard salary cap, which will lower the amount of money a team can pay a player. Although willing to lower their share, the players do not agree with the owners’ proposal, believing that the owners are asking for too much. The activity between the owners and players is a sign that the two sides are trying to resolve their labor dispute. While training camps start the first week of October, the regular season starts November 1. The distance between the NBA and its players may prove too much to save training camp given the time constraints. However, according to NBA commissioner David Stern, there is “clearly enough time” to create a new collective bargaining agreement before the scheduled start of the regular season.

I’m what the tech-blogs and forums have dubbed an “Apple fanboy”. When Apple unveiled the iPad on January 27th, 2010, I wanted one instantaneously. I had no use for one back then, but still I had a desire to acquire. The common criticism of the iPad is that it is simply a “bigger iPod touch”. Yes, superficially that is true. But the iPad is a “bigger iPod touch” in the same way a 60-inch HDTV is a bigger 32-inch HDTV. If you own an iPhone or iPod touch and then play around with the iPad, you’ll immediately notice that they are not the same in terms of functionality. The bigger screen changes everything. Every single application that has an iPhone counterpart feels different and gives you a different experience than what you may expect.

So how was I going to justify getting one? By telling myself that I needed it for law school, duh! The iPad is the king of convenience. Most of the time, it is the only thing I bring to class. I purchased a stylus from Amazon that lets me annotate directly on my briefs. I can highlight points the professor covered in class, cross-out the insignificant facts, and write any supplemental notes at the bottom. Everyone has their own method of studying and being engaged in class, but I find annotating on my briefs more effective than typing out notes in class. The app I use for annotating is called iAnnotate PDF and costs $10 in the App store. After I annotate, I can email the briefs (along with the annotation) to myself or transfer them to another application called GoodReader. GoodReader is a document storing, managing, and reading application that gives the iPad a classic “file management” system that you would expect from a traditional computer. GoodReader also lets you annotate on documents, but I find the experience is not as smooth as the iAnnotate PDF application. GoodReader costs $5 in the App store.

While I’ve only touched upon a couple of applications, there are many other productivity-boosting apps in the iPad’s catalogue. But I must confess, I don’t just use the iPad for school. I use the iPad to check Facebook, check my email, check what’s going on in the NBA, check what the weather is, read a book, watch Netflix, listen to music, and well, you get the picture. I know what you’re thinking at this point: “Oh Karan, but you don’t need an iPad to do all those things”. Yeah you’re definitely right about that, and that’s the crazy part! At first glance, the iPad is the device that appears to serve no purpose if you own a laptop and a smartphone. After all, it’s not replacing your laptop and it’s not replacing your smartphone.

But Apple did not design the iPad to replace your smartphone or laptop. The iPad was designed to bridge the gap. That’s part of the reason netbooks got as big as they did. But you’ll notice that you hear very little about netbooks since the iPad’s release. We are now in the age of tablets, with the iPad leading the way. It’s hard to define the purpose of the iPad, or the modern tablet for that matter. For example; when you buy a smartphone, you know that you’re going to use it to make phone calls. When you buy an iPad, you can use it for whatever you like. It can be your toy, your tool, or your guide to becoming a lawyer. For me, it’s all three.