This is a lockout, not a strike, so replacement players are not an option. The only way they could use replacement players would be if the union decertified (and even then, I am not positive they could).
This is true when the NBA and NBPA have an active agreement in place. But since their agreement has expired I believe the NBA can use replacements if it chooses to. If you recall back in 1998-99, Stern threated the use of replacement players near the deadline for saving the season, and shortly after the players voted to approve the owner's proposal at the time.
I am not sure about 1998-99, but from what I understand, the whole idea of a lockout is that they shut down the league. They can't then just open up the doors to those who are not part of the union, while they are in a labor dispute with the union.
Maybe it is possible, but I am sure they will have to jump through some major legal hoops to do it.
More importantly though, I don't think it would make sense financially. My guess is it would cost them more money to get things up and running with the Scabs, than they would bring in.
They'd also open themselves up to a much strong decertification and legal argument.
Plus if the argument is that the NBA can't make money with the curretn stars, I can't imagine they'd make any money at all with replacements. The TV networks wouldn't want ot pay them anything for those games. Sports anchors would just make fun of the highlights and then move on to football after 30 seconds.
I know none of this is going to happen. Unless the players union get some brilliant suggestion to decertify. But I don't see how the teams wouldn't be profitable. They wouldn't have the enormous overhead of the salaries hanging over their head and they wouldn't be sharing revenues. Their overhead would be literally a smidgen of what it is now. I think a lot of fans would be there for the uniform. If the garden was selling out when we were shamelessly overtly tanking....It's hard for me to fathom that replacement games would produce an empty arena.
I have seen a lot of NBDL games. A substantial part of the talent dropoff is made up for by the day-in day-out intensity that you don't see in NBA games. With equal numbers on the rosters, the best NBDL team could beat the worst NBA team on a given night.
Actually, you are probably right for one reason...season tickets. At least for teams like the C's, who had a lot of season ticket holders renew for this year, those tickets are already paid for. If the games are not played, then they have to give refunds, however, there is nothing in there that allows season ticket holders to get refunds if there are replacement players.
So, even if no one shows up, with the lower player salaries, they likely would make a profit, even if its just from the season ticket holders, who have already paid for their tickets.
Of course, that would never happen, but if it did, you are right, they could make a profit in the short-term.
