So, will the NBA actually start on the date that casual fans - or at least the national media - starts to pay attention annually? Yes, I'm thinking of the annual Christmas Day double- or triple-header.

According to reports, the players and owners have agreed to a deal that will allow for a 66-game season this year, starting on 12.25.11.

Good for them, though I haven't missed the NBA at all. Don't have time for it. I may have missed it, say, come June. Some of the playoff matchups are fun to watch.

But the league was smart enough to avoid labor trouble at the end of the year, forcing fans to miss a playoff, as both baseball and hockey did. The damage to both leagues was incredible, though baseball rebounded strongly with steroid-driven home run derbies.

Many fans turned their backs, though, and it seems impossible for a league's history to include DNP (labor) just like some leagues took time off for something truly monumental, such as World War II.

I think the true NBA fans will be quick to forgive and casual fans will not have noticed, so the negative feedback from fans will be minimal. There's going to be a champion and there's going to be a playoff, meaning all is just about as it should be.