Great excerpt from Bill Simmons...

Dr. Giganto

Sports Moderator

If you love the league, if you care about it at all, then you're more excited about these next four months than you've been about anything since Michael, Larry and Magic were playing. Forget about the fact the West is so impossibly wide-open, or the juicy possibility of a Lakers-Celtics Finals (imagine seeing those uniforms on the same court in June again???), or the risky trades that lifted the "No Balls Association" tag and had everyone buzzing. Have you noticed what the new generation of All-Stars has in common?



These are all likable guys.


What's not to like about LeBron James? Dwyane Wade? Chris Bosh? Chris Paul? Deron Williams? Brandon Roy? Dwight Howard? Throw in Kevin Durant, Greg Oden, Gilbert Arenas, Monta Ellis and Al Horford, and you're talking about an entire team of likable and gifted stars under the age of 25. There isn't a bad apple in the bunch. From a historical standpoint, LeBron has a chance to be one of the best 10 players ever. Howard has a chance to be one of the best big men ever. And Paul has a chance to surpass Isiah Thomas as the greatest 6-footer ever.

Think about what a boost this has been for the NBA. Following MJ's first retirement in 1993, the ensuing 12 years were a gnarly stretch of wasted talent and wasted time. There were too many unlikable stars, too much crotch grabbing and chest thumping, too much sneering and posturing, too many rookies who weren't ready, too much expansion, too many "superstars" mailing it in for $15-20 million a year, too many injuries, too little scoring and too much defense. Many of the league's greatest players just didn't resonate with casual fans, personified by the fact so many fans were turned off by Allen Iverson, only one of the fiercest competitors in sports. You need luck with this stuff, and the NBA definitely had some luck lately, peaking with LeBron's progress as a competitor and person -- unquestionably the most important thing that happened to the league since Jordan's ascent. He's a killer now. He gets it. He plays hard on both ends. He doesn't take nights off. He takes over at the right times. He has a flair for the moment, as we saw with that game-changing dunk Sunday night.

As one NBA higher-up whispered to me last weekend, "People still think we have an image problem, I just don't get it. Do they even watch us? Do they see the caliber of the guys we have now?"

That's the issue gnawing at everyone working for the league right now. The NFL has considerably more thugs, Major League Baseball has a steroids scandal that basically has tainted the past 15 years of games, yet somehow the NBA is still perceived as the league with an image problem? For god's sake, if the NBA can't put that tag to rest this year, of all years, then it's never happening, and we'll have to accept there are deeper issues at work here.

(Well, one deeper issue. And you know what it is.)

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He's right...after a decade of annoying, arrogant, selfish thugs, we now have a league of mostly great guys, led by Lebron, who looks like an absolute class act.

So, do you guys think racism is to blame? Or did the last 10-15 years ruin the NBA for so many fans that it's going to take some time for it to come back

chops

I don't think racism is the culprit because MJ was the biggest star in the world, Also the league was mostly black in the eighties. I think fans were sick of AI and his practice quotes, along with Kobe and his adultry case. These were two of the biggest stars in the NBA and they acted like jackasses. Another problem this fan has with the league is that it is all for show. Ever since MJ they stopped calling traveling and palming the ball, it seems the players are more about dunking and getting on sportcenter then they are about playing good fundemental b-ball. This has shown up recently when the US loses to teams with considerably less talent in the world championships. The NBA may have had great atheletes but they were not playing great b-ball. I do like the young crop of talent the NBA has but one season can't make up for a decade of shit.

Blitzkrieg

Administrator

I love Bill Simmons' stuff. I'm really liking the NBA right now with the Celtics back in the mix and the Western Conference being absolute Armageddon. Really stoked for the playoffs.

chops

So, do you agree with his premise, that if people still trash the NBA they must be racist? I love how he dosen't have the balls to call them racist, just skirts around the issue.

Dr. Giganto

Sports Moderator

I think racism definitely plays a part. I dont mean blatant KKK-style racism. But I think deep down inside, many white people are "afraid" of large black men. It doesnt matter how many black friends they have, or how much they loved the Cosby Show, or whatever.

People steretype other types of people, and the steretype of black people is that they are angry, violent, and dangerous. Maybe that's a result of the media, rap music, actual crime statistics, or something else altogether. Whatever the cause, there are people who are inherently scared of black people.

However, I dont think this is the major reason for the long time it's taking to regain popularity. The decline in the quality of play from the mid-90's to about 2004 or 2005 was the major reason why. One or two good seasons won't change people's minds. The NBA needs a sustained era of high-quality play.

But, I think subconscious racism is also a factor.

As for Simmons, I used to love him, but I'm growing to dislike him more and more. The best explanation I ever heard was that he stopped being the "everyday guy", and when he became more of an "insider" he lost his touch.

He's also in denial about entering middle-age territory, as evidenced by his recent mailbag where he was asked to form a "Mt. Rushmore" for rappers, and he had to convince himself to include Biggie. I'm willing to bet hip-hop is not Mr. Simmons's forte...he shouldnt try to write like he really knows about it simply because it's "cool" and it's what his readership enjoys

He still has flashes of brilliance though, and this article was an example of that

Twist of Lemon

I think Tom probably hit it on the head, Its not out and out racism, just something thats there for some people and isn't for other. Thankfully I think the newer generations coming up now are more accepting to the idea of not really having a divide in races. Whats funny about that artical though is the Superstar that chest bumps, and just shows up 15 mil fits Vince Carter to a T.

That being said, I'm really starting to like the NBA this season, Lakers/Celtics finals would certainly be something even though I have Pistons/Jazz .

Dr. Giganto

Sports Moderator

I think the NBA is on a definite upswing, and a major part of it is the high-quality guys that have been coming into the league.

I LOVE the fact that LeBron trusts his teammates, even though they suck. Despite them missing wide open shots many times when he sets them up nicely, he still keeps feeding them the ball over and over again.

I remember his rookie year people started criticizing him for passing the ball at the end of games insteadof just chucking up shots over double teams, and he said something like "Well, I think Damon Jones taking a wide open shot gives us a better chance of winning than me chucking up a shot over two defenders", or something along those lines.

Dwight Howard is also should be a megastar...he is an incredible player, and seems like a great guy too.

If the NBA can keep developing talent like this, they'll be back to where they once were in a few years

chops

If it was racism how do you explain the success of the NFL, they have tons of big black men the nation embraces. Maybe its because NFL players don't run in the stands and punch their fans in the face. The race card gets way to much play, and this is another case of it. Again I point out that MJ is a big Black dude, same with Magic, Dr. J, all of these players were embraced by the "unknowingly racist public". How could your theory of racism not apply to these big Black Men!!

Dr. Giganto

Sports Moderator

Well, as far as Magic and MJ and stars of the '80's are concerned, they didnt have tattoos and cornrows, they didn't appear in "Stop Snitching" DVDs (like Carmelo Anthony), they didnt try to put out rap albums with violent and misogynistic lyrics, etc.

NBA players these days tend to embrace the things and the image that make white people scared of black people.

As for football players, I cant think of much of a reason, except for maybe it's because there's less opportunity for football players to show off their individuality.

Plus, as opposed to the NBA, the quality of play has been rising, instead of declining. That's the biggest factor in all of this. I just think racism/stereotyping makes it worse for the NBA.

Twist of Lemon

Quality of play is going back up thankfully, the East just has to catch up by coaching there younger players the right way and making them in to players. Booby Gibson is basicly everything the Cavs need to help LeBron but he really isn't a good point guard yet and probably hinders LeBron come playoff time, Bargnani is the big man that fits the Raps mold perfectly but can't play a lick of defense to help bosh. Theres tons of teams that are just one or two players away from being contenders, most of which have those one or two guys on the bench.

The West is the gold standard of good basketball right now though, Lakers/Suns tonight has me more excited for a game that isn't involving the Raps then I have been in a long time.