I believe the 2011-12 NBA season should not happen. At all.

It’s not as if the NBA is missed, which is probably pretty damning.

Do you know anyone — anyone — who is talking about how the lack of NBA games is tearing them up? Or even vaguely disturbing them?

That, then, is a league that may as well take off 2011-12 and see what things look like from the backside of a canceled season.

Another odd aspect of the NBA lockout has been this: Not even the biggest sources of news seem to be paying much attention to it. Somebody says this, someone says that, they’re meeting late into the night, Heat owner Micky Arison fined $500,000, David Stern this, Billy Hunter that … blah, blah, blah … and did you see Tim Tebow and that crazy World Series and how ’bout the NHL?

The NBA is “surplus to requirements,” as the Brits would say. It’s nice having it around on, say, Christmas Day, and in May-June, when the playoffs are reaching the final stages.

I am a fan, of sorts; I play in an NBA fantasy league. I’m interested. But I’m not crazy interested. I’m not pining for the Lakers or Bulls or Celtics or anyone else. I’m not in mourning.

That the first two weeks of “no NBA games” have gone pretty much unnoticed is damning.

Let’s make a list of reasons why that might be so.

1. Nobody ever paid much attention to the NBA in November. At 82 games, the season is too long and started too early.

2. The NFL.

3. College football.

4. College basketball. (I have watched portions of a half-dozen games this week, on ESPNAmerica, and I know, and can see, that they don’t have NBA skills. But it certainly looks a lot like serious basketball, and the kids seem to play hard all the time. Hmm.)

5. Soccer. (MLS championship game coming up, world’s big leagues all getting into the meat of their schedule.)

Anyway, we don’t need the NBA. Not like a baseball fan needs baseball. And not like all of America apparently needs the NFL. (If the NFL season had started even one week late, Congress would have conducted hearings. No. Really.)

So, if we don’t need the NBA, just kill the whole season — to bring some clarity to the situation. It seemed to work for baseball, after the 1994 World Series was lost. (If you can cancel a World Series, well, nothing could be a bigger shock to serious sports fans in the U.S.; not even World Wars stopped the World Series.) It seemed to work for hockey, when the whole of the 2004-05 season was lost.

A shock that brings clarity

Let’s see how much NBA owners care about no games. Let’s see how much players care. And let’s see if the fans ever get around to caring.

I think this will make more sense in, say, June of 2012 than it does now. (And with the players union decertifying, and players filing an anti-trust suit and going to federal court, June may be about  when we get a ruling.) Are the owners killing their own business with their arrogance? Are the players insane for blowing a season of what are always fairly short careers? Both?

Fans will come back. I’m sure of it. So take your time, NBA people. Get an agreement that makes sense — or have the feds declare the NBA illegal. Whatever, we need to straighten this out, see what’s what, and a season off will help the process.

Just send up a flare when you’re back. We may not have noticed.