The NBA is about to get better
Because that’s what happens after you hit rock bottom
I like to write these types of posts in the morning when it’s quiet and I’ve had time away from the computer to think. The obvious and simple question is where do we go from here? The NBA had a “rogue isolated criminal” factoring into the fairness of games. The one-time face of the NFL is being asked not to bother showing up for training camp because of his alleged savageness. The most sacred record in the baseball record book is about to be broken by a player who is the scapegoated face of one of untold thousands of players who took a shortcut to beef up their stats. Everything is so negative. Being a sports fan these days makes you feel kind of dirty.
On top of all that, I hung out with a die hard Yankee fan friend of mine at a bar last night. We started to talk about the mid 80’s Yankees of Mattingly, Rickey, Winfield, Willie, Pags, and so on. For the first time in my life I really felt like an old timer lamenting about how the game was better back in my day and how all these young whippersnappers with their hundred million dollar contracts don’t respect nothing. I tells ya they don’t respect nothing!
And then, right on cue, the token old man bus driver getting off his shift started talking to us about how he just watched the recent HBO documentary about the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers leaving Brooklyn was something that happened waaaaaay before I was born, but I can tell you that it truly was a dealbreaker for some of the most loyal sports fans there ever were. Some remained loyal to the Dodgers name, such as your editor in chief Ben Osborne’s dad, but I have memories of my own father telling me the story of the move to L.A. and how many people considered it “The worst thing to happen since Pearl Harbor.”
This has been a long-winded way of saying that bad stuff happens but the game will go on with or without you as a fan. I find myself numb to all the negativity. It seems like every day something comes out that is the most scandalous story ever. The NFL has the inmates running the asylum more than the NBA ever did, with a commish who is attempting to rule with an iron fist moreso than David Stern ever has, and you know what’s going to happen? The NFL is going to set records for attendance, profit, TV viewing, merchandise sales, people playing fantasy, all of that. Major League Baseball is the dirtiest game out. And yet every team is making money, the fans are watching in record numbers, attendance is through the roof, beautiful new ballparks are being built, it’s all good.
So now we come to the NBA. Ratings have been in a free fall for years. There is no player other than Kobe that has any appeal to the non-sports fan who only wants to star gaze. You could go on and on listing all of things that people hate about the NBA, from the perceived selfish style of play, the whining, and oh yeah the terrible officiating.
But there is good news. If everything was “bad”, and now they are forced to face their darkest demons and change things, then once that change takes place, things should become “good” again. Let’s really hope so. It’s still going to exist without you.
70 Responses to “The NBA is about to get better”
Jul.25 at 9:05 am
Keith says:
Good piece Sam.
Jul.25 at 9:12 am
Cheryl says:
You’re on a roll here lately, Sam. Well said. If transparency of the scrutiny of officiating is all that comes out of this, I’d be satisfied. The notion that officials are beyond reproach was probably the worst of the league’s policies. I hope they get it right, because I do “love this game”. –ASPOV
Jul.25 at 9:14 am
Keith says:
Sir Stern-a-lot should put Gilbert Arenas in charge of public relations. He’d be awesome.
“Gilbert, should the fans worry about the level of officiating now?”
“They should be more worried about the NASA rocket I’ve bought which I will shuttle to and from games in. It’s gonna give me more time to prepare for games and more time for dropping 50 on their team”.
Jul.25 at 9:18 am
The Big Cheese says:
First?!
Jul.25 at 9:19 am
The Big Cheese says:
Ha! Guess not. Nice piece, Sam. Humbling, but nice.
One ref won’t change the way I watch the game. I’ve always been sceptical anyway. Did Donaghy happen to referee any of Duke’s Final Four games in the last decade? Because that would really put my mind at ease.
Jul.25 at 9:29 am
white hot eboy says:
Sam, good work. I think one of the big differences between sports today and the “heyday” years of the 70’s, 80’s & early 90’s (for the NBA at least) is the fact that todays game is more geared to showcase the individual star and not the team. It’s no longer Bulls/Pistons, Lakers/Celtics, Bulls/Knicks even Heat/Knicks (when Riley left NY). Now today’s games are advertised as Lebron vs. Kobe, Shaq vs. Yao, D-Wade vs. Lebron, Kobe vs. Shaq, Nash vs Nowitski, etc, etc. The teams are secondary and that’s part of the reason so many people think the Spurs are boring because their biggest star is quiet, reserved on the court, we know the drill. Is there ONE great rivalry in the league right now? (Well,except for the league vs. the Gambinos.) One can’t miss game each year? Name one. You can’t. There’s so much parody that they’ve become non-existent. And part of that problem stemmed from the league changing the rules of the game to promote more free-flowing play and less contact on the perimiter. This has made the game a guard-oriented league and that takes away from the essence of basketball. The big man game is just about gone. Dwight Howard, Greg Oden, they’ll carry on the big man legacy, but where are all the other great centers besides Yao and and aged Shaq? Michael’s Bulls were different because no other team had a matchup for him, ever. Does anyone ever remember thinking back to when Mike played and asking who was the best player in the league. There was never a question. Today, there is a list of 5-7 guys who you can make arguments for. Nash, Lebron, Kobe, Timmy etc. If the game can return to a more team oriented sport, and can be promoted as such, the league can return to greatness, something it’s helplessly hoping for right now.
Jul.25 at 9:30 am
dez says:
Its depressing bc its true. At least the WNBA is still thriving!
Jul.25 at 9:33 am
Keith says:
eboy, I gotta argue against the ‘name one rivalry in the nba’ point. Last season Dallas vs Phoenix was unmissable. Maybe some of the credibility to that rivalry was ruined in the playoffs last year with Dallas sinking without trace but that’s still got the making of a year in-year out rivalry.
Jul.25 at 9:39 am
white hot eboy says:
Keith, that was the problem last year. Everyone was so hyped-up over a regular season game (the double overtime one) that when the Mavs couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain, all the fans who live off of ESPN highlights thought the playoffs were ruined and there was nothing left to watch. And honestly, I thought most people were more exicted to see the Mavs catch another playoff ass-whipping and there was plenty of happiness to go around when the Heat got swept so really was everyone really looking for the Mavs/Suns matchup?
Jul.25 at 9:40 am
white hot eboy says:
And Keith, you only brought up one example.
Jul.25 at 9:47 am
Ryan Jones says:
Exactly. All the idiot columnists (BS, among others) spouting about how this guy be the end of the league are just that. There are few things worse than a sportswriter with an opinion. Trust me on that.
Jul.25 at 9:48 am
Ryan Jones says:
I meant “exactly, Sam.” God forbid eboy thinks I’m agreeing with him.
Jul.25 at 9:48 am
Ryan Jones says:
I also meant “how this WILL be the end…” I’m gonna go back to bed now.
Jul.25 at 9:52 am
white hot eboy says:
Ryan, I would never give you credit for agreeing with someone other than yourself.
Jul.25 at 9:57 am
Rome says:
MAN I HAVE WAITED FOR THIS DAY FOR A LONG TIME!!! I’M LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT TOO. STERN ON THE HOT SEAT!!!
If Stern wiggles his way out of this one, it confirms my theory that he is somehow genetically linked to Emp. Palpatine, AntiChrist, Mum-Ra, Serpentor, and any other maniacal dictator you can think of.
He has backed these hot shot, anti hip hop, “look at me I’m a ref”, mean spirited pricks for too long, now it’s coming back to haunt him. For this reason, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is justice in America every now and then.
Jul.25 at 10:00 am
Keith says:
Also eboy (I’m not just going on a witch hunt of you here), is the league not better for having 5-7 guys who could possibly be deemed the best in the league? Surely that makes it more competitive?
I only needed one point eboy to make you wrong
Jul.25 at 10:01 am
Keith says:
Sh*t…smileys. My apologies to all who read the comments boards. I will never again include a smiley.
Jul.25 at 10:05 am
white hot eboy says:
Keith, no, the league is not better at this time. The competition level is weak (ie: the ENTIRE Eastern Conference), last years champion and this years champions both have “asterics” around their titles from perceived bias. And now the biggest scandal, maybe of all-time in sports, is eating away at the league and this is a great time for the NBA? Explain that if you can?
Jul.25 at 10:14 am
Keith says:
You misunderstand…I’m not saying the league is in a good way at all. Far from it. In fact, it’s in dissaray right now. It’s overtaken Barry Bonds and his drugged up body *alleged* beating Hank Arrons record for news time. But my point was that the number of genuine superstars in the league is a huge plus and as a result, makes the league more bearable and makes it infinitely easier to watch multiple teams play.
Before Lebron was in this league, I never would have enjoyed watching the Cavs (that’s right…even WITH Shawn Kemp). Same goes for the Spurs (although they are still nasty on the eye, respect has to out for to them for their efficiency). Overall, the league is in a bad way but there are a lot of bright lights which keep the fans interested.
Jul.25 at 10:16 am
Froggiestyle says:
eff that. If I have to be old and crotchety so be it. There has to be something fundamentally wrong if you can’t get people hyped for the “finals” - and that’s no rocket science either. This was the first time EVER that I did not see one finals game live nor care to. Worse than that, after it was over I didn’t even try and see ANY of the finals games on tape or replay. Even the when the (oft perceived) “lackluster” pistons played you wanted to see the games. Granted having bad, crappy, horrible, and now crooked refs is not good, I think it’s not a stretch to say that when a previous finals “champion” the Heat (I’m still not sold, they’re like Bush when he stole the election) can’t even make the playoffs the next year and the other finals team gets swept badly (Bron or no Bron) something has to be rethunk. I know I’m not the first nor the last, but I’ve always thought they should do a round robin version win or go home including D-league and what have you - like football is in Europe (incidentally, they have both the A league champ and the national champ including divisions 1, 2 and 3 - where Cinderella stories happen just like in college hoops in the states but it means more since its for a small town). A lopsided 7 game series that only goes 4 cuz the other team is stinking up the joint - what’s the point? Better they get crushed and we can move on. At the very least please stop saying “world champs” since we’ve proven very well that that’s not the case. Since international play will not be doing 7 game series anytime soon, better to get our heads straight on win or go home - unless we really like fishing.
Jul.25 at 10:16 am
Jake says:
I know people like talking about how to “fix” the NBA a lot, but everyone seems to have a differnt definition. Changing the attitudes (real or precieved) of the players seems to be highest of many people’s priorities (like Simmons) but that is, in my opinion, where the problem lies isn the first place. Like you said Sam, the ratings are down, etc. I say the NBA should EMBRACE the low ratings. The NBA is mistaken in trying to make basketball a mass-market sport, like baseball is. Why can’t the NBA flourish as a niche market? Why can’t it be the indie-rock/hyphy of major league sports? Let’s allow these players’ personalities to shine out, and stop pretending. Let’s play a Knicks game at the Rucker. Let’s bring the contact back. Let’s get these stadiums half-filled with crazy fans. Sure, it’s great when a stadium is packed, but when it’s packed with guys in suits who didn’t pay for their tickets and don’t cheer, then who cares?
Jul.25 at 10:21 am
white hot eboy says:
Jake, that’s kind of what NHL hockey has become. Except for going to the Rucker.
Jul.25 at 10:22 am
Keith says:
Is this the most rational and well educated comments board in Slam history?
Jul.25 at 10:24 am
Cheryl says:
All of professional sports seems to be taking a hit right now. There’s no way ever to separate the money from the game, or the gambling. Personal legacies are less important these days than the dollars that can be made. That’s the sad part for fans of the three major sports in the U.S.
Jul.25 at 10:25 am
Russ Bengtson says:
I hate to say it, but we may not have reached the bottom yet. Let’s wait and see what Donaghy’s testimony is.
Jul.25 at 10:28 am
white hot eboy says:
And Keith, if Karl Malone, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Hakeem “the Dream”, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Dominique Wilkins, Reggie Miller & Isiah Thomas, (all hall of famers, BTW) who played in the 80’s & 90’s, weren’t looked upon as exciting or capable of making the league vibrant and entertaining than we must have been watching different sports.
Jul.25 at 10:28 am
Keith says:
Guys, we’ve stil got a great league here. Alright, it’s going through something major right now, but the fans are real. As long as the fans know they will once again get to watch great games with fair outcomes, the game will go on for longer than any of us.
Peaks and troughs in viewing have been going on for the longest. Things will once again pick up and things will once again take a turn for the worse. It’s the way of sport.
Jul.25 at 10:28 am
Adrian says:
Nice work Sam, good article.
Jul.25 at 10:29 am
white hot eboy says:
And yeah, it is nice to have a discussion without the random moron throwing website references around. Ryan, I know you’re waiting to pounce.
Jul.25 at 10:35 am
BETCATS says:
Rickey Henderson was my Hero when i was little
Jul.25 at 10:36 am
Keith says:
Eboy, fair point man. Maybe I misunderstood what your initial comment was about.
Jul.25 at 10:43 am
white hot eboy says:
Keith, it’s kind of nice to talk about basketball on the best basketball site in the world for a change.
Jul.25 at 10:51 am
BETCATS says:
Eboy!
Jul.25 at 10:51 am
Keith says:
Too true eboy. Normally it degenrates into single line abusive comments.
Anybody know when the caption comp and the naming of Mr Ping-Ping results are available to look at?
Jul.25 at 10:53 am
BETCATS says:
and eboy if i am the random moron, sorry i was just predending to be defending D-Wade even though i dont like the heat.
Jul.25 at 10:53 am
white hot eboy says:
BETCATS, you keep forgetting your link.
Jul.25 at 10:54 am
BETCATS says:
i know, but they banned me for an hour for reasons that are unknown
Jul.25 at 10:55 am
Ben Osborne says:
Lotta good points on here, with Sam leading off with his typically on-point analysis. I’m intrigued by the thought of Stern stepping down, but I feel like the obvious replacement–Adam Silver–will be, for better or worse, a David Stern Jr. The only way to really shake things up would be to bring in someone from outside the NBA Management family (struggling to even come up with a name: an ex-player? an NFL person? a politician?), and I can’t imagine the largely conservative owners would go for that. There’s a story in today’s Star-Ledger (http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/1185337745294500.xml&coll=1) by top beat writer Dave D’Alessandro where Mike Mathis talks about how the NBA is all about people getting jobs from cronyism, not performance. And from what we at SLAM have seen of the League’s various departments, we’d probably have to agree with that. Given that, the League’s ability to radically change things is hindered, because there are too many people that work there that will only survive as long as a “status-quo” mentality is maintained. I’m rambling now, but I guess my point is that I think we’re stuck with a stubborn NBA that will make us very happy on the nights that great players are performing to their capabilities but will utterly depress us any time its management shortcomings are exposed by an offcourt disturbance. Lastly, to clarify Sam’s mention of my Dodger past: my grandfather moved to Chicago years BEFORE the Dodgers left Brooklyn. By the time the Dodgers moved, he was a Dodger fan, not a Brooklyn fan. That made my father a Dodger fan, and he made me a Dodger fan. As in, the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jul.25 at 10:57 am
BETCATS says:
Ben, you writting all that just made me into a bigger Angels Fan
Jul.25 at 10:58 am
white hot eboy says:
BETCATS, your not a random moron, your here every day! BTW,that’s a joke. You know who were the morons the last week here.
Jul.25 at 10:59 am
BETCATS says:
yeah but starting next week i will only come at night because my hours go back to normanl
Jul.25 at 11:05 am
Kaz says:
I think we can all agree that David Stern is the worst thing to happen to professional sport since FOX.
Jul.25 at 11:08 am
notaziz says:
gawd
Jul.25 at 11:09 am
BETCATS says:
..
Jul.25 at 11:11 am
Ben Osborne says:
F the Angels.
Jul.25 at 11:13 am
BETCATS says:
then why did Vlad win that home run derby? When we get A-Rod this off season and Garret Anderson can stay healthy we have the best team in baseball
Jul.25 at 11:14 am
BETCATS says:
o and F the dodgers, including Artful Dodger clothing.
Jul.25 at 11:30 am
Ben Osborne says:
All these BETCATS are making me dizzy. Mess around and Lang will make one of y’all disappear.
Jul.25 at 11:31 am
Russ Bengtson says:
I’d wholly endorse Dave D’Alessandro for Commissioner. And not just because I’d get better seats.
Jul.25 at 11:34 am
H to the izzo says:
I’m mad that I missed an actual basketball discussion.Damn work making me work
Jul.25 at 11:37 am
BETCATS says:
alright izzo, here is one for you, do you think that if this nba ref thing happened in the golden age of the nba (1980’s) it would have affected the game today?
Jul.25 at 11:44 am
Brian says:
I have never been the type that longed for the good old days reagrding the L. I’ve been able to appreciate the new blood along with the old. That being said, I watched G3 of the ‘91 finals (Bulls v Lakers or Michael v Magic depending on where you sit) the other night and was stunned by how much higher the quality of play was by the teams and the stars. The stars part shouldn’t come as a surpise. MJ was at the top of his game and Magic is one of a kind top 5 of all time. How they compare current players to these guys is beyond me. MJ could dominate without shooting. Remember those days? Magic was posting and getting to the rim, right or left, in about .5 seconds. LeBron James he is not. Both could move without the ball. The Bulls were trapping Magic when he brought the ball up and when tey did, the Lakers could move the ball. There were no retarded big men out there that were afraid of the ball. The Virgin, Divac and a end of the road Big Game James actaully helped their teams. The announcers weren’t screaming. There weren’t 35 TV timeouts per quarter. The sideline reporters talked about the teams strategy coming out of timeouts instead of talking about who called Magic after loosing G2 or who MJ was banging while he was in LA. They showed stats and had the audacity to question calls being made on the floor. A charge wasn’t called every other time down the floor. No one, not even Valde, floped. You could foul someone wihout having a huddle to see if the fouling player was going to be ejected and/or suspended. Does that sound enjoyable?
Jul.25 at 11:53 am
Ben Osborne says:
Good stuff, Brian. Albeit depressing. And Russ, Davey D would be a phenomenal commish. Sadly, I think he’s got about as good a chance as you or I.
Jul.25 at 11:57 am
white hot eboy says:
Brian, it’s funny, I was watching that same game the other night on NBATV as well. My video tape of those 91 series games have long been worn out. And yeah, although Michael was struggling to score in the 4th quarter, he found plenty of space and got to the the basket at will (per usual). Plus, even an afterthought-type player like Cliff Levingston looked like he could gobble rebounds in todays game like it was nobody’s business. And Magic just made everything look easy. Yeah, it did suck back then, huh?
Jul.25 at 12:14 pm
Brian says:
No doubt. That Bulls team was the king of the non-descript big man. MJ could realize his shot was off and he played like a 6′6″ PG. He was setting his bigs up for hella shots. Every once in a while he’d decide to shoot and the ease with he could go over anyone was sick. It has really shaken my belief in the current L though. To me it is expansion + rules that has killed this friend of ours. You could maul these guys and somehow they manged to score.
Jul.25 at 12:30 pm
Jake says:
Had to actually work for the past couple hours, so I just want to jump back for a sec…people make fun of the NHL because nobody but die-hard hockey fans watch it…but what’s so bad about that? I think that on some sort of psychological level, the more shared the experience is the more important and exciting it seems (world cup, last episode of sopranos), but what if the NBA lets itself become less of a spectacle and more of a pure, dare i say “underground” sport.
Jul.25 at 12:36 pm
white hot eboy says:
Jake, I’m a huge hockey fan also, and to see a game that was at it’s peak in the early 90’s to know become an afterthought in America, just sucks and I would hate to see the NBA go that same route. If that’s the case we already have the CBA.
Jul.25 at 12:37 pm
white hot eboy says:
know = now
Jul.25 at 12:44 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
The NBA simply can’t afford to sink to an “underground” level, not with guys making $20 million a year. Or are you proposing drastic league-wide salary cuts? HA. Yeah, that’ll happen.
Jul.25 at 12:56 pm
Douce says:
brian colangelo for the new comish
Jul.25 at 1:07 pm
BETCATS says:
^^^ His ties are too big, Sam as new commish
Jul.25 at 1:22 pm
tike says:
Hate to say it but this a big black-eye for the NBA kinda feel bad for David Stern…
Jul.25 at 1:28 pm
Ben Osborne says:
I’m too busy to search for the link but didn’t Bethlehem Shoals write something about the potentially positive impact of the League becoming more “underground.”? I think it’s appealing in a way, but as Russ says, it’s too late with these salaries.
Jul.25 at 1:48 pm
Ghost of Johnnie Cochran says:
so what would/should be changed?
Jul.25 at 1:54 pm
Jake says:
Maybe Steve Francis will give some of his money back, for the cause.
Jul.25 at 2:59 pm
lcleftwrite says:
Every time they scan the crowd at a baseball game and you see the kid with the baseball glove hoping to catch a fly ball or when you sit beside a family at a basketball game (and think how lousy it is that you get stuck next to a kid) but that kid is ecstatic when the team runs out on the hardwood - that is really what pro sports are all about. The adults can lose thier shirts betting or berating players endlessly. As long as there is a kid with a hot dog and a soda, with a ball cap on his or her head - it will be okay.
Jul.25 at 5:59 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
It would be cool if the NBA could get less corporate again, but good luck with that. I was happy to provide some optimism today, and here’s some more: the NBA is in better shape than the Tour de France. What is going on over there?
Jul.25 at 8:19 pm
bootlace says:
I think theres a way to fix the ref situation AND get more popular aka entertaining. Rate and review refs after games and let their performance dictate their future. It would be fun following whos hot and whos not, and it would make sure everyones at the top of their game.
Jul.26 at 1:19 am
Chukaz says:
You know what? I’m lookin’ forward to next season because it will be a good year. The Lakers will get better if Kobe can regain those 19lbs he lost and the fat kid can lose some weight. Greg Oden and Kevin Durant will improve their teams. Josh Smith will become one of the better SFs in the L. The Heat will be healthy after DWade comes back. Kevin Garnett will carry the T’Wolves back to the playoffs and will win a first round series, the Suns will no longer be good, the Mavericks will got back to what they normally are (that’s an average team, in case you didn’t know). T-Mac will get out of the first round and Carmelo and AI will take the place of the Jazz on top of their division. Oh, and I forgot to mention that KG will take it upon himself to make sure he gets his ring and will put up number that Wilt Chamberlain would envy. I know that this will probably no happen, but the league needs something similar. Go Lakers.
Jul.26 at 1:25 am
Chukaz says:
Shaq should take over as Comish and fix this f*ckin’ league before it turns in to the NHL or the MLS. Beckham can’t same the MLS, but Shaq could same the f*cki’ world if he felt like it.