With the NFL, you kind of had the feeling that everything was going to be fine. They got the deal done in time, and the teams had just enough time to still have a crazy quick off season. I even heard some fans call in sports talk radio shows to say they preferred it this way, instead of having the trade and free agency season drag out all summer, all the moves happened one after another in about two weeks. The NBA has already cancelled two weeks of the regular season, and there are players saying they are fully prepared to sit out the whole season.
The NBA players have a huge negotiating chip that the NFL players did not have. The NBA players have other options. Dozens of players have already signed contracts to play overseas if the NBA lockout doesn't end. These are no contracts to laugh at either, some of these guys are getting paid a million bucks to play for a month. Another option that has come up recently is a group of NBA stars going on a 4-city international exhibition tour. I think this would be pretty interesting. You get the NBA superstars, presumably big ticket sales, everyone wins, except the NBA. Football players couldn't have just decided they'd play a season for NFL Europe, it's not quite the same. Also, you don't really have the risk of injury in the NBA like you do in the NFL.
I don't have the numbers to prove this last point, but I think the NBA just isn't as popular as the NFL. The NFL could have handled some games being cancelled I think. The NBA really can't. Like other sports with long seasons, the middle of the regular season can drag on. The NFL is so short and sweet, that every week is a big deal, and the fans would come back through just about anything. I just don't think the NBA has the fan base to support an extended lockout. Plus, more basketball fans might take up watching college basketball during the lockout, and come to the conclusion that many sports fans already have: The NBA doesn't come close to the entertainment of college basketball.
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