Adena Andrews.com

The lights are out at American Airlines Center in Dallas on what would have been opening night of the 2011-12 NBA season. Instead of watching the Mavericks receive oversized championship rings, NBA fans — in Texas and around the world — are sitting at home with an oversized feeling of emptiness caused by the lockout.

Fans yearn for the sound of sneakers squeaking on the hardwood, for the superstitious antics of players at the free throw line and for giants seemingly defying gravity as they soar. Now, there is nothing but silence.

If the lockout doesn’t end, there will be no NBA playoffs. Players will find jobs overseas, and we’ll have to tune into the BBC to watch Deron Williams drive to the basket.

If the players and owners reach an agreement soon, the playoffs likely will feature uncompetitive games with poorly conditioned athletes. Who wants to watch a playoff series with guys who’ve been playing defense-free 135-120 charity games for six months?

For those who aren’t moved by NBA greatness, the economic impact of the lockout provides a different reason to be alarmed.

Thousands of blue-collar workers, such as hotel employees, parking lot attendants, sports bar servers, arena security guards, concession workers and even team mascots face losing their jobs because of the shortened season.

In Cleveland, bars like Harry Buffalo, which is still recovering from LeBron James leaving the Cavaliers, must contemplate cutting staff because NBA games aren’t being played.

“It’s rough,” Harry Buffalo’s operations manager, John Adams, recently told The Associated Press. “I’ve got three single moms on my wait staff and two single dads in the kitchen. I’ve got their 11 children to think about. It’s painful when it’s out of my control, when I have to put the business first and say I can’t have 15 servers on staff because we don’t have the business.”

On a larger scale, entire cities are also set to suffer. Oklahoma City, which acquired its first NBA team, the Thunder, three years ago, will lose an estimated $1.28 million indirect spending per canceled game, according to the city manager’s office. The city of Memphis is taking it a step further by exploring the option of suing the NBA over lost revenue. If the season is canceled, Memphis taxpayers could be on the hook for $18 million in payments on the bonds used to finance the team’s arena.

NBA players and owners may be the faces of this lockout, but millions of lost dollars and miserable fans tell another story of thousands of people affected by the lockout. We should all hope the NBA hits a clutch shot in negotiations and comes through with a win.

I live in Atlanta, which means I spend most of my time snarled in traffic. No chance for a speeding ticket. In fact, the most reckless thing I do in my car is sip a hot latte in stop-and-go traffic on Peachtree Street. So when espnW asked if I’d like to attend the Ford Octane Academy in Romeo, Mich.– where extreme sports fans go head to head against world-class drivers Ken Block, Brian Deegan, Tanner Foust and Vaughn Gittin Jr. — I jumped at the chance to drive at tremendous speeds with little regard for my life.

During my one-day academy experience, I learned about “drifting,” a technique in which the driver intentionally loses traction in the rear wheels of the car and spins out while maintaining control of the vehicle. The pros also introduced me to rally car racing, which is similar to arcade games in which you drive around a gravel track, dodging obstacles. And, lastly, I got schooled on how to go off-roading downhill, backward, in a pickup truck while using only the rear navigation camera. All of this helped me realize that racing takes serious athleticism, and a lot of attitude and nerve. Just ask Brian Deegan, who has 12 medals from the X Games.

I was feeling capable of annihilating every challenge the day presented. That is, until I got behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang with drifting champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. He instructed me to “floor it” to about 80 mph, let go of the wheel and watch the world go topsy-turvy as we did 360-degree spins on the track. I was tentative during my first attempt. I just kept remembering the injury waiver I signed and wondering who would tell my family I was in a speed-induced coma if things went wrong. However, after a couple of girlie blood-curdling screams, an adrenaline junkie was born.

The rest of the day I was the first person in my group to volunteer for every activity. I kicked butt in the rally car competition with the best time, and then with the most accurate off-roading skills. And I’m damn proud.

For one day, speed limits, road rules and, most important, brakes didn’t exist. Returning to Peachtree Street as a Ford Octane Academy graduate was tough. But I like to think that even as I sip my latte, suppressing my bumper-to-bumper road rage, I have a little more street cred.

With the season in question, money is tight

The popular VH1 show Basketball Wiveswould have you believe that spouses of NBA players occupy their time with petty arguments, excessive drinking, partying and shopping sprees. However, a peek into the lives of current NBA wives laboring through the NBA lockout will reveal a different point of view.

With the first two weeks of the regular season canceled, no positive outcome on the horizon and no steady income in the household, wives of current players must make decisions on how their families will survive this financial drought. Here are a few examples of how real basketball wives Samantha Telfair, wife of seven-year NBA veteran Sebastian Telfair (pictured with their children above) and Danielle Gomes, wife of Ryan Gomes (Los Angeles Clippers, Forward) cope and make ends meet during the NBA lockout.

Take Control

When drafted into the NBA, Sebastian Telfair and his family, a product of the Coney Island projects in New York, received more money than they could ever imagine. Telfair also had a team of financial advisors who handled his finances and paid all his bills. However, with the looming lockout the Telfair’s decided it was time to control their financial destiny.

“One day Sebastian woke up and said ‘You know what, we are going to start paying all our bills.’ We started paying all our bills against our financial advisors advice,” says wife Samantha Telfair. “Now we can see what’s going in and out.  We were able to cut out a lot of unnecessary costs that way. Oprah said she pays her own bills, so we can do the same.”

According to a Sports Illustrated report, 60% of NBA players are broke five years after they retire. Having financial handlers and not knowing where their money is going is part of the problem.  Former NBA player Mark Jackson had a business manager who embezzled $2.6 million from him. The same report stated, according to the NFL Players Association, at least 78 players lost a total of more than $42 million between 1999 and 2002 because they trusted money to financial advisers with questionable backgrounds.

Ball on a Budget

Contrary to what basketball wives on television display, most wives are not splurging on Rodeo Drive for the latest handbags. While they aren’t coupon cutting just yet, they must think in more frugal terms especially under the current NBA lockout.

“Life is not a fashion show for me anymore,” says Danielle Gomes (pictured above with her husband). “I love nice stuff. I love shoes and I love purses but my husband does not play those games. I am not ballin’ out with his money. We normally [give away] a lot of money and buy a lot of things for people. We are generous with family and friends. Like we might help someone out with a utility bill. However, in preparation for the lockout we had to cut back on that. If we’re not getting the checks, we can’t keep giving them out.”

The key to limiting expenses isn’t just cutting down on splurges. It’s cutting down on credit debt. “We have no credit cards and eliminated all credit card debt. If we don’t have it in cash, we aren’t getting it,” says Samantha Telfair. “We also decided to fly coach if a trip is under three hours and we also pay close attention to our sky miles programs for free flights.”

Be Educated

The National Basketball Association Player’s Association, the nation’s oldest player union, protects every player in the NBA but oddly enough some players do not take advantage of it. During the lockout, the players association provides important updates on negotiations and most importantly healthcare.  No job means no or more expensive healthcare coverage for all players.

“For healthcare costs, we use the NBA Flex plan, which is where we stashed almost $10,000, just for healthcare costs, over Sebastian’s seven year career,” says Telfair. “This plan is available to all NBA players but if you don’t pay attention to updates from the NBAPA or go to meetings you would never know.”

The Gomes family received all physicals and medical prescriptions before their NBA healthcare plan ceased and decided to pay for their health expenses out of pocket. Unfortunately, their three-year old daughter, Ryelle, woke up with pink eye one day last month and her doctor’s visit hit the family’s wallet. Danielle also recently learned that she is with child.

According to salary listings on HoopsHype.com, the Gomes family is predicated to lose approximately $48,780 per game canceled. However, thorough planning and heeding the advice of the NBAPA has put them in a safe place. So while the NBA lockout is a shock to many NBA fans, NBA families like the Telfair’s and Gomes’ are well-prepared for the lockout and feel their family’s will come out on top.
Adena is a contributor for espnW.com who has worked for ESPN the Magazine, Nike and NBA.com. You can follow her on Twitter@adena_andrews.

The last time we may see Amar’e dunk, for a long time. *No, I’m not gon cry, I’m not gon cry…(Mary J. Blige sway)

I promise this will explain the NBA Lockout to those of you who are confused.

SHAPE MAGAZINE nominated AdenaAndrews.com as one of the BEST BLOGS FOR SPORTS NUTS. Vote for me and make me a Winner! 

ATLANTA – It was a nearly impossible choice for Dream starting center Erika de Souza: play in the WNBA Eastern Conference finals, or go home to play for the Brazilian national team in an Olympic qualification tournament.

De Souza made her decision, withdrawing from Games 2 and 3 of the conference finals to play for Brazil in the FIBA Americas Championship. She is expected to return if the Dream reach the WNBA Finals.

The Dream pulled out Game 2 as de Souza’s starting replacement, Iziane Castro Marques, scored a season-high 30 points in a 94-77 win over the Indiana Fever.

The series-deciding Game 3 is Tuesday at at Indiana (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET). The Minnesota Lynx captured the Western Conference and will await the winner of the Fever-Dream game.

Dream head coach Marynell Meadors had been in discussions with the Brazilian national team since January about de Souza possibly staying with the Dream. The final decision was announced one day before Sunday’s Game 2.

“We tried to comprise with the Brazilian national group and they issued a lot of threats saying [if she didn't compete] she would not be able to participate in the Olympics, should they qualify,” said Meadors.

The FIBA Americas Championship is a single-elimination Olympic qualifying tournament that ends Oct. 1. De Souza is expected to return to the Dream immediately following play, with the WNBA Finals starting Oct. 2.

Castro Marques is also from Brazil but decided not to play for her national team.

“I tried not to pull [de Souza] to either side and let her make her own decision,” said Castro Marques. When Meadors discovered de Souza would miss Games 2 and 3, she had each coach on the staff decide tell her whom they would start. A smaller lineup with Castro Marques replacing de Souza was born from the discussions.

“We were very positive about doing that because we had great success with a smaller lineup last year,” said Meadors.

Meadors joked that Atlanta needed de Souza more than Brazil as the national team easily handled Paraguay in a 117-34 win in the preliminary round on Sept. 24. De Souza scored 18 points.

This isn’t the first time Atlanta has lost a player due to national team duties.

In June, forward Sancho Lyttle missed six games due to obligations to the Spanish national team.

“We have been challenged with a lot of adversity,” Meadors said, “and we just work through it.”