Hey, did you hear the news? ABC and ESPN just signed a lucrative contract to air NBA games for the next six seasons.
Now they’re only one step away from completing their masterpiece. All they have left to do is sign a deal with the devil making the games fun to watch.
Aside from a legend returning to the league he dominated for so long, the biggest news story out of the NBA this year is Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban working at Dairy Queen for a day.
That’s just sad.
Michael Jordan’s comeback was an attempt to save the league from the pile of manure it has become. What he’s done so far has helped, but there are too many disagreeable thugs in the league these days for anyone to care.
Who enjoys watching Shaq the behemoth pick on a league full of people who look like midgets next to him? That’s like asking who enjoys watching a 500-pound bull pick on a herd of sheep.
Actually that last one sounds kind of cool, but the point is Shaq is not fun to watch, even when he’s throwing fake punches at big, oafish white guys.
Is there an answer to the NBA’s problems? It’s certainly not The Answer himself, who is about as likeable as a mix between Osama bin Laden and a poisonous snake.
Certain players like Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter are trying to do their share to get people to like the league, but it’s not working. You can’t sympathize with guys like that because so much of what they have is God-given ability. They make millions and millions of dollars by playing a game they were born to play.
They’re too talented to be fun.
And aside from the players, the actual quality of play has some serious issues as well. The newly-allowed zone should help, but offensive players have gotten too good.
As little fun as it is to watch Shaq charge his way close to the basket, it’s even less fun watching him shoot 30 free throws in a playoff game (although I do get amusement watching him squirm everytime he toes the line).
The game needs to become more like the college game, where coaches actually mean something. It needs to be a place where ego’s exist, but so do other personality traits.
Until that happens, the NBA should opt to change its technical name, the National Basketball Association, to something much more descriptive – Not Basketball Anymore.
Justin Powell, a junior is journalism, is the sports editor of The Lantern. E-mail him at [email protected] with any comments.
