In all honesty, I could care less about the NBA right now. In all honesty, I'd rather be writing about football. But the NBA season started so... Listen, I know the season is a marathon and what happens in October isn't close to the level of play exhibited in January going forward, but that's the problem. Same with baseball. These sports have their little nostalgia inducing moments early in the season where you say to yourself, "hey, I remember this, baseball/basketball is awesome!" But those things fade after the first week and you realize that teams are just getting their legs back.
That's my beef with baseball and basketball. I just don't get excited by games that really don't have a significant impact when you consider the playoffs don't start until Spring. Granted, basketball is a fundamentally more exciting sport than baseball, but only when played at a high level. Do I really care about the Cavs playing the Atlanta Hawks or Sacramento Kings, two teams that play such an atrociously ugly brand of basketball that it literally hurts my brain just to look in the TV's direction when they play? The answer is an unequivocal FUCK NO. There are just too many despicable teams strewn throughout the NBA for me to legitimately get riled up over.
I'll always hate the Pistons, Bulls and Heat and the Celtics look like they'll be exciting. But aside from those teams, and a handful of Western Conference teams, I don't like the NBA product. The Playoffs are the best part of any season because the level of play is at such a high point that the games capture your attention like a fly is attracted to light. This is especially true with the NBA due to the ability of one player to verily impact a game on his own accord such as LeBron in his Game 5 performance last year against the Pistons. I'd argue that when something like that happens, basketball is by FAR and away the most exciting sport to watch, but the problem lies that the league is too large to realisitcally provide a suitable level of talent on each team.
I mentioned the Hawks and Kings earlier. Those teams are painful to watch because they either have inept coaching or players who aspire for flash yet have the basketball acumen of Razor Ramon (that's right, I went there). The problem is, the league is full of crap teams like this, making the regular season product, especially when coupled with the relatively meaningless October, November and Smarch (lousy Smarch weather) schedule, almost a chore to watch.
Even if these shitty teams have great stars (hmm...like the...oh yea, the Cavs suck, but they have LeBron, they DEFINITELY count as a shitty team with one good star) are just a bear to watch. Do I really want to see a bunch of scrubs like Jameer Nelson try and pound the ball into Dwight Howard when I know there are going to be 3 guys on Dwight's back the instant he touches leather? Yea, that's riveting. Almost as riveting as seeing Chris Paul have his passes dropped by David West or Andrew Bynum accidentally pick Kobe. The problem isn't a lack of top-end talent, it's the NBA Bourgeois, the middle class, that is dropping the proverbial ball.
Nobody wants to watch a bunch of athletic dudes try and make Sportscenter every night, that's fucking the lamest shit ever. What sports fans want to see is good execution. Listen you egotistical fuckers, you're really not that good. Don't try and take over games and shoot 25 times for your 15 points. If your opponent does that, great, but don't try to get into a shootout where there are maybe 5 passes in a half of basketball. Jamal Crawford, I'm looking at you...
The athletes that inhibit the NBA are among the finest on the planet, yet they're about as mentally capable as a short-bus riding 16 year old 7th grader. Both literally and in terms of basketball smarts. I blame this on Darius Miles. I don't know why, but it's probably his fault. I don't have answers about how to make the game better, I'm not Bill Simmons after all, but just ask yourself this; would you really miss the Hawks, Kings, Hornets, 76ers, Sonics, Pacers, and Clippers? Contract them immediately, have a draft to distribute the quality players from those teams, eliminate the first round of the playoffs so that 4 teams from each conference make it, and THEN you'd have an awesome product. I guess I do have a solution.
This is why I'm against the capitalism of sports. It's a necessary evil, but it's an evil that has significantly impacted the level of play across all sports other than in the NFL. It literally destroyed the NHL, much to my dismay, and it's handicapping the NBA and hurting the MLB because there just aren't enough TRULY good players to fill up rosters, meaning that teams have to rely on guys like Ira Newble and Eric Snow despite the fact that they have little, if no, actual basketball value. We don't need these teams that serve as nothing other than business models and another income stream for billionaires. There are numerous teams in the NBA and MLB that have no interest in winning, only in making it out of the red. You think the Clippers are committed to winning, putting a good product on the court while wisely using your resources? FUCK NO, and it hurts the ability of a team like the Cavs, a team who wants to win and succeed, to fill their roster with good players leaving us relying on the same shit group that got us swept in the Finals.
So, what do I see happening this year? Ask me again in January because right now, it's all about football.
PS: It's Halloween today...one question. Why the fuck do people still hand out Candy Corn and Smarties? Do you like eating two different forms of chalk? Why encourage the people who make Smarties to contiune making Smarties? STOP BUYING THEM NOW.
2 comments:
The Hawks are nothing if not entertaining...I gotta disagree with you there. You can say they suck if you want, but they're entertaining. When your GM drafts 17 consecutive 6-6 swingmen, there has to be excitement somewhere...Oh, and they make the playoffs this year. Watch.
ill give you the moments of excitement smith's dunks, blah blah...but really, watching josh childress play is torture.
i actually like the hawks this year...acie law doesnt suck thats fo sho and horford is a sure thing. it is the east, i wouldnt be surprised. plus i just drafted JJ and horford in my fantasy draft so ill be rooting.
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