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PrintBling Blam, Thank You Ma'am - The Sorry State of Today's NBA
News Type: Opinion — Mon Dec 3, 2007 3:25 AM EST
Bird and Jordan
Photo Credit: Erik Charlton (Creative Commons License)
Will professional basketball end up like this in twenty years?
Photo: Toasty Ken (Creative Commons License)
Don't get me wrong. There are still millions of NBA fans out there, but the game is rapidly going into the toilet. It's no longer about solid play, defense, and winning championships. It's about BMW's, gold chains, fat contracts, big shiny rocks in your earlobes, and video bites on ESPN. Over the last decade the game has morphed into a flashy shadow of its former self.
Winning has become a secondary goal. Looking good on the court is the primary goal these days. Team play is out. Running up your numbers is in. Slamming the ball so hard into the rim that the glass shatters is cool. Taking a twenty-foot jumper with the game on the line and sinking it in the face of an opponent is passe. Practicing free throws until you can hit them consistently is even more passe.
The logic being: You may have won the game, but you didn't look good doing it, and that is definitely second-class play in the NBA.
Coaches still make calls from the sidelines, but they don't really control the players. They are unable to instill hunger and motivation into their charges. Most of the coaches in the NBA today play more the role of rodeo clowns, trying somehow to direct games and show players how to WIN, but with limited success. The average NBA player doesn't need a coach anymore. He already knows what to do. You have to look good on the court and make sure you hire a tough agent to represent you. Nothing else really matters.
Well, except maybe that new swimming pool.
Winning is nice, but it's no longer in first place on the to-do list. Even if you lose, it's not so bad driving home after the game. That BMW has bluetooth and a voice activated stereo.
Players like Johnson, Jordan, and Bird would have made short work of today's NBA players.
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A harsh assessment of the current state of basketball, I know. But I think there is a lot of truth in it.
Robert, i hear you mate! I was a HUGE fan of the NBA during the 90's and I feel that, like yourself, it really isnt the game it used to be. I find it really hard to watch a full game anymore.
Your hyperbole is a bit unfounded.
Tracy McGrady cried at the press conference after losing the first round playoff series last year. Check the YouTube video of Lebron James hugging Zydrunus Ilgauskus after making the finals last spring.
When's the last time Kobe Bryant made it out of the first round? Most of the top teams last year (the Spurs, the Suns, the Bulls, the Nets, the Warriors, the Mavs) thrive only because they don't rely on one or two people to do everything.
Eric says, in part:
This particular statement in the article is satire. I still believe much of the teamwork concept has gone out of the NBA.
It's generational. The dunks, the flash, the bling, the tats...that's what today's young fans of the NBA are into.
I try to stay away from comparing one era to the next in terms of who would hand who their lunch. Though today's athletes are way stronger and faster than yesterday's athletes, I will put my money on the Bird, Jordan and Magic era. Just because you're stronger physically, doesn't mean a sound fundamental team couldn't kick your a**. Witness the Olympic team of a few years ago that got thumped by Puerto Rico.
I don't agree ... look at the recent MVPs of the league: Nowitzki, Nash, Garnett, Duncan, all very well-rounded players (well, except for maybe Nash, who's just a great passer and force on offense), none are particularly flashy.
All the recent champs (particularly San Antonio and Detroit) are unselfish teams that execute well together as teams.
The image of the league is skewed by ESPN and other highlight shows because it's so much easier and entertaining to show an alley-oop or monster blocked shot than a perfectly executed screen and roll or great help defense that leads to a 24-second clock violation.
And of course drama, conflict, and villains always "sell," so fights, arguments, feuds, boorish behavior, Dennis Rodman, etc, will get plenty of air time, more so than the "lunch pail" guys. But they're out there ... in particular, be sure to watch Luol Deng play a game. He's certainly not the most gifted athlete but he has a great sense of the game, where he needs to be, etc, and has a deadly mid-range jumper ... again, not likely to make the highlight reel over a dunk or even a 3-pointer.
I do agree with you. What I really meant by my comment on today's athletes is that they are a lot of flash and style with little substance. That's what sells merchandise, makes the league profitable and gets the attention of the young fans. It's usually reflected in the top jersey sales. People like us can appreciate the fundamentals. I would rather see great teamwork of the Laker and Celtic eras than the me-me-me spotlight of today.
The NBA does sell drama, focusing. That's why (and it's pointless to have it now) the Kobe-Shaq fued got top billing on Xmas day or how Jordan had a hard time overcoming the Piston Bad Boys or Jordan vs. the physical Knicks, Celtics vs. Lakers, etc. There needs to be a storyline.
I like Deng and he's more gifted athletically than you give him credit for. It's just that his fundamentals overshadow his athleticism. I thought he was nuts to come out so early but he has proven to have adapted really well.
I dunno, some of the biggest stars in the NBA are Lebron James, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, etc. I don't really see Vince Carter or Stephon Marbury merch selling all that much.
I forgot who the big sellers were, I forgot about LeBron. I don't think Nash and Dirk were in the top ten. It was some players like AI, Melo, Kobe and some others. I have to look it up.
Good points all ... I agree with you that the perception, if not the actual game itself, is more focused on glitz and style. bling and tats, trash talk and thuggery. I guess it looks good on television.