By Frank Luna

Say what you will about the NBA owners and players squandering away the first two weeks of the season. The real losers in this high-priced chess match are the NBA cities faced with lost revenue from hotels, restaurants and entertainment. Of course that means much needed jobs for scores of seasonal and part-time workers disappear quicker than last weeks paycheck. Tax revenue will be down and small businesses will also take a hit. All because some millionaires and billionaires can’t decide how to fairly divide the billion dollar pie that is the NBA. Earlier today on CBS13, Mayor Kevin Johnson inferred that the owners and players really aren’t thinking about these wider ramifications of a delayed or cancelled season. Like it or not, that’s their right, but it doesn’t make it any easier to endure the lost revenue that will surely squeeze an already hurting economy. The big unknown here isn’t whether an agreement will be reached, a deal will get done eventually. The bitter pill to swallow is how deep will the collateral damage be? Sometimes I wish the principles involved could jump in a time machine and see where this will be settled and return to the present and sign the deal now. Because the journey to a final NBA deal is sure to be a painful one.