Imagine, if you will, this nightmare scenario:

Your favorite team, after spending years trying to clear up a salary-cap mess, signs one of this summer's marquee free agents. Led by the new guy and some developing youngsters, they put a real scare into one of the top teams in the conference in the 2011 playoffs and seem primed for a title run in 2011-12.

And then that 2011-12 season never happens.

Scary? You bet. Thing is, that scenario is a lot more likely than the chills you'll get from the average Stephen King novel. If the opening salvos are any indication, the upcoming discussions between NBA management and the players union will be less "negotiation" than "war of attrition."

Some of the items reportedly on the owners' wish list include:

• A greater percentage of "basketball related income." The players have been getting around 57 percent of "BRI" for the last several years. The owners want that number under 50.
• "Max" contracts that are shorter in years and smaller in dollars.
• A "hard" cap without dozens of exceptions.

For the union, those will be some bitter pills to swallow. But as Yahoo's Adrian Wojnaroswsi points out, the players most likely to be hurt by the new deal will be the LeBrons and Kobes and Dwyane Wades and Chris Pauls... and there aren't enough "max" players to constitute a strong voting bloc. The owners are banking on the idea that the union rank-and-file won't be willing to sacrifice paychecks so King James can pocket a few extra millions.

Expansion of the NCAA Tournament has gone from the "kicking the tires" stage to what some are calling a "done deal" in a matter of months. But voices that matter are starting to speak out in favor of the present system -- and raising hope that the much-loved status quo will remain in place.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany -- one of the most powerful voices in college sports -- told the Sporting News that expansion hasn't been discussed in any detail as of yet, and raised quite a few questions that have yet to be answered.

Delany's biggest concern is the impact an expanded tournament would have on college basketball's regular season and conference tournaments. As he told TSN:

I do think the tournament is elegant in the way that it's structured, but I'm more concerned about, "What does this mean for the sport of basketball from November through March?"

Make no mistake -- his is a voice that matters. Delany is generally seen as one of the biggest voices of opposition to a playoff system in college football.

Ever wanted to own an NBA team? It's easier than you think. As of today, you can buy shares of Madison Square Garden -- parent company of the Knicks, the NHL's New York Rangers and the WNBA's New York Liberty.

MSG's corporate parent, Cablevision, just completed a spin-off of those sports and entertainment properties, which will trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol MSGNV. The new company includes the three teams and their home arena as well as several regional sports networks, Radio City Music Hall and other performance spaces.

The performance of the sports and entertainment properties has been -- to be kind -- a bit spotty for the last several years. Cablevision's television and Internet businesses are highly profitable.

The split should make it easier to sell the teams if and when Charles Dolan and his son James decide to cash out. For now, both companies will continue to be controlled by the Dolan family; they'll reportedly own approximately 70 percent of the voting stock -- much to the disappointment of fans who regularly name the junior Dolan one of the NBA's worst owners.

Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman has been named to the Western Conference All-Star team, replacing Portland's Brandon Roy. Roy will miss this weekend's festivities due to a hamstring injury.

Kaman is the second replacment on Team West. Last week, Denver's Chauncey Billups was named in Chris Paul's stead. Paul recently had surgery to correct a torn meniscus and will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks.

They may not be the only replacements in Dallas -- several other all-stars, including Kobe Bryant (broken finger, ankle), Kevin Garnett (knee), Paul Pierce (foot) and Allen Iverson (knee) are nursing injuries and would probably be best served taking the weekend off.