Prior to July 1st, it was impossible not to see me everywhere on this site. Ryan and I were pounding out podcasts, I was begging for the Hornets to take the immortal Charles Jenkins in nearly every pre-draft article I wrote, and I was just as guilty as anyone in the free agent/trade speculation department. When the owners decided to lock out the players, however, I had this fear that we were looking at a minimum of 16 months without NBA basketball. So I did the only thing I could think of; I locked myself out from caring.

Since the lockout has began, I have gotten married to the woman of my dreams in beautiful Lake Tahoe, I have started my own small business, reconnected with old friends, found an amazing fantasy football site that takes up 92% of my free time, and gotten nine credits closer to completing my Masters degree. What I have not done is write about basketball, tweet about basketball, or even read about basketball. I even denied myself the pleasure of buying NBA 2K12 because I could not stand to see a virtual Chris Paul instead of a real one on the court, although I almost caved when I heard that the ’92-’93 Hornets were in the game (the team that started my love affair with the Teal and Purple).

I look at all that I have done since July 1st and I tell myself that I have moved on, that I can enjoy a full life without the NBA, but deep down inside I know that this just isn’t true. I miss the game, and I’m not just talking about the good ones. I miss the bad games as well. I went to the Christmas game in Orlando a couple of years ago and watched the Hornets embarress themselves in front of a national audience. I watched Game 3 of this years playoffs in the Hive as the Lakers punished us down low. Still, I’ll take 82 of these agonizing body blows over the eternal nothingness that is the labor negotiations.

I miss the Hornets community, the friends I have made since I came to Hornets247, and the hundreds of you whom I never met but loved to hear from. I even miss James Online. I miss my weekly podcasts with Schwany Boy. Remember how excited he was about getting David Anderson as part of the Peja trade? Do you? I do, and it is bringing a tear to my eye.

Full disclosure, I haven’t checked my Hornets247 email in months. There can be an email sitting there that guarantees me 10 million dollars from a Prime Minister in Lesotho and I wouldn’t know it. When I say that I locked myself out from everything, I mean everything. But no more! I have spent the last 48 hours pouring over dozens of articles on this labor mess. I have listened to 6 podcasts today that included everyone from David Stern to the godfather Henry Abbott, and I see exactly what is going on here. I’ve also ordered NBA 2K12 from Amazon, expected delivery date Saturday October 15th. All that is left is to check those emails tonight. Oh yeah, and solve that whole labor mess.

That is coming tomorrow. Stay tuned.