As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, it began to seem unlikely that NBA basketball would occur in 2011, or perhaps even 2012.

Thankfully, our summer of discontent is over.

Now that the league is about to officially resume business as usual, the media has initiated its continuous buzz of trade rumors.

And the new season, under a new collective bargaining agreement, is looking a lot like last season.

For those that need a refresher, the 2010-2011 NBA campaign afforded fans the luxury of seeing the formation of two ‘mega-teams:’ the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks.

Of course, tension erupted even before the season commenced with the departure of a certain two-time MVP from his native area. It appeared that LeBron James’ declaration to do whatever it takes to win a championship – meaning surround himself with comparable All-Star talent – struck a chord with other superstars across the league. So, after Chris Bosh announced his decision to join forces with Dwyane Wade in South Beach, it was clear that James was trying to do just that.

And while some may say that neither James nor Bosh forced their way out of town, others can argue that their play exemplified their eagerness to skip out of town.

But that was hardly the end of the trend.

From day one of the season, drama in Denver captivated the attention of even the most casual fan – as the Nuggets went through the gut-wrenching process of figuring out what to do with its franchise star, Carmelo Anthony. It was Anthony’s refusal to agree to a contract extension that clearly stated his intentions to entertain other potential destinations. And the end result: ‘Melo is now playing hoops alongside his former teammate Chauncey Billups and power forward stud Amare Stoudemire in his hometown of the Big Apple.

As the year wore on, there were sudden reports coming out of Utah of a rift between Jerry Sloan and perennial All-Star Deron Williams. The bottom line was that Williams wasn’t happy, and the Jazz management knew it. Rather than let him drag out his trade negotiations in a public fashion, Utah hastily shipped him to New Jersey for some fresh, young talent.

Paul has his sights set on bigger NBA markets.

With the scenario of players demanding their way out of organization lingering in mind, Chris Paul is at it once again.

It was about a year ago that the rumor mill began churning regarding Paul’s desire to play elsewhere, preferably New York. Almost predictably, his desire was to team with Anthony and Stoudemire to form another ‘big three’ with about as much star power as the one in Miami. Paul, attempting to massage his image a bit, backed off of his pressing and recoiled his request, stating that he was content in the Big Easy.

But, it was easy to see that a line had been drawn in the sand. CP3 was merely giving the front office time to get to work, and come up with a way to get him out of town.

What’s startling to me is the list of teams who have been mentioned as suitors for Paul – the Knicks, the Celtics and the Lakers. The fact that these three teams are first in line illustrates that last year’s trend is still alive and well. It also illustrates that a major factor in NBA labor negotiations – big-market versus small-market competitiveness – will remain an issue for the indefinite future.

In labor meetings, the owners reported that 22 of the league’s team were losing money, signifying a gap in the NBA’s teams based on their market and location. And with teams such as New York, Boston and Los Angeles being noted for their success and/or superstars on the hardwood, the prospect of adding another player that caliber of Chris Paul only figures to widen the gap that already exists.

Can New Orleans, Denver and Cleveland really compete with the likes of New York and Miami?

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

T Lamont is the owner, administrator and author of all content for Ball or Nuthin\'. Feel free to contact T Lamont with a question or comment at ballornuthin@gmail.com.  All created Ball or Nuthin' content is the sole property of T Lamont. Read more from this author