OT: NBA = fail
After reading the recent stuff about Dwight Howard lobbying for a trade, and Chris Paul demanding to go to the Knicks, Lakers or Clippers, I have to credit the NBA for its new deal and how it makes professional basketball even less interesting.
For the next deal, they should simply eliminate all but six teams, since it seems no one wants to play for any teams other than Miami, the L.A.s, New York New Jersey and Boston.
[ED:BISB: Much like the Tebow discussion, this one has gotten out of hand. No OT anyway, but this one devolved into a race-baiting MLive discussion in record time.
In the words of Erik_in_Dayton, this is why we can't have nice things.]
December 12th, 2011 at 2:43 PM ^
won't go over well
December 12th, 2011 at 2:44 PM ^
Paul's deal just got nixed again by Stern asking too much from the Clippers
December 12th, 2011 at 2:44 PM ^
Its a joke.
December 12th, 2011 at 2:45 PM ^
I am FFFFUUUUing over here.
December 12th, 2011 at 2:47 PM ^
Quit hating on the NBA...
It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy it. I don't see a need to start threads trashing the league.
December 12th, 2011 at 2:55 PM ^
You just see a need to read them and comment in them??
December 12th, 2011 at 3:03 PM ^
What did I say that was so incendiary? flamebait?
December 12th, 2011 at 3:07 PM ^
to convert some haterz
December 12th, 2011 at 3:07 PM ^
For some reason, whenever NBA is discussed here, people need to trash it. Probably because they are either 1) racist 2) insecure hockey fans 3) white 4) over 40 5) a combination of those
December 12th, 2011 at 3:17 PM ^
Yes. I've thought for a few years that the NBA draws ire because it has fewer of the earnest, scrappy white guys that we see in NCAAB, all levels of hockey or NASCAR. I'm not going to defend every aspect of the NBA, but its style of play has interested me much more than college - particularly the playoffs.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:25 PM ^
I understand that the NBA is and has long been perceived by some as being a "black" league, whatever you want that to mean. Hasn't the influx of European players changed that some, though?
December 12th, 2011 at 3:49 PM ^
The percentage of black players hasn't changed; it's still 75-80% of the league (and quite a few foreign players are black themselves). What has dropped is the proportion of white American players.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:51 PM ^
Thanks for the info (no sarcasm). I don't follow the league well enough to know.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:20 PM ^
I get that you like the NBA. It is wrong to generalize those that don't agree with you.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:21 PM ^
I didn't post anything prior to this, but I don't like the NBA (or pro hockey, for that matter). I don't like the NBA because its marketing focuses so much on stars and because its officiating is so absurdly tilted toward stars.
I do like college basketball a lot. Is college basketball somehow whiter?
December 12th, 2011 at 3:23 PM ^
given your disdain for hockey and your tone throughout the thread, this seems like it will be futile, but i will still try...
did you ever consider than maybe people are bitter/angry about the nba not because they are racist (which is an insane thing to say) or are hockey fans, but rather because the nba has devolved into a multi-billion dollar farce over the past 15 months?
do you realize that starting with The Decision, continuing with melo being able to hold the nuggets hostage, the following lockout, and now the current cp3 fiasco, fans just might be fed up with both the players AND the administration?
do you also understand that, in light of your completely unsubstantiated racism claims, that people are complaining not as much about the players (who are primarily african american), but rather the fat cat owners and nba administration (i.e. david stern) who are trying to strong arm their way out of their own incompetence/going on insane power trips?
and lastly, do you realize that a fan's love for hockey has little to do with their opinions of basketball? the two are not mutually exclusive. personally, i am a huge hockey fan. i also happened to win my fantasy basketball league last year.
and don't you dare try and bring race back into this again. that's a ridiculous generalization and a completely insane conclusion to try and get to. i find such a statement grossly insulting - as a hockey fan, a basketball fan, and a person of color - and im sure there are many others who feel similarly.
so grow the fuck up and stop being an idiot.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:22 PM ^
Why does being white make make me more likely to trash the NBA? Are you saying white people don't like baskeball? Who's the racist one here?
December 12th, 2011 at 3:26 PM ^
I'm a bunch of those things, but thats not why I hate the NBA. I think the league is a joke because of the officiaiting, no drug policy, and star driven league. It is not entertaining at all. This also comes from a big college basketball fan.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:31 PM ^
What do you mean "no drug policy"?
Are you talking PEDs or addictive drugs? I can't remember a person that was busted for 'roids but Chris Andersen aka Birdman was kicked out of the league for a while because of cocaine use.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:42 PM ^
We all know that's what the post was speaking about. People think it is ridiculous that the CBA turns a blind eye to the issue by banning testing.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:51 PM ^
The stupidity of this comment...I can't even begin to describe it. I happen to dislike the NBA, and for that I'm racist? What an ignorant (and dare I say, racist) point of view.
For future reference, if a) white people b) people over forty and c) hockey fans don't like a sport, it probably isn't a very popular sport. White people make up 66% of the US as of 2008, and people over 40 accounted for about 46% of the US (and make up one of its largest growing demographics) in the 2000 Census.
Putting aside the ignorance you displayed here, if you told Stern that he was losing the white, over forty and hockey fan demographics, he'd probably quit his job tomorrow because he'd almost certainly be fired immediately.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:59 PM ^
Wow. That's certainly a bold statement you make. Of course, people might not be NBA fans for a million reasons including the fact that they think the NBA has become far too WWF like and, therefore, built for children and not very enjoyable.
As a white, under-40, non-racist, hockey hater, I've got to say that your post is ruhtarded. The NBA jumped the shark when the Pistons put on the teal uniforms with flaming horse heads. Some folks just prefer college basketball. That's just the way it is.
December 12th, 2011 at 4:03 PM ^
Perhaps they are just fans of small market teams and hate seeing all their star players poached by the big city teams creating a complete lack of parity. Either that or white, racist, 40+ year old hockey fans.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:00 PM ^
This seems downright reasonable
December 12th, 2011 at 2:46 PM ^
If the two (or however many teams are involved) teams want to make a trade, and agree on it, why can't they make the trade?
Not that I care. I kind of wished the whole season was gone.
December 12th, 2011 at 2:48 PM ^
Because while trades are concocted by general managers they need the signature approval of owners. David Stern is functioning as the owner of the New Orleans Hornets and wants to either keep Paul with NOH or pull off a highway robber in the Hornets' favor. He wants to sell the team and no buyers will take it on without Paul or >= talent on the roster.
December 12th, 2011 at 2:52 PM ^
That just doesn't make sense to me. If I were an owner, I'd rather have Kaman, Gordon and a draft pick who I could probably keep on my team than Chris Paul who has bad knees and will be leaving after the season anyway.
December 12th, 2011 at 2:58 PM ^
Only he already had highway robbery in Odom, Martin, Scola and picks for CP3 and said "oh no, that's not fair." that would have made the Hornet's a playoff team, easily. Actually, this is a less favorable deal...They likely won't even keep Kaman because they don't need him.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:20 PM ^
Both of these rejections made zero sense. And now no GM in his right mind will try and make a deal with New Orleans.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:47 PM ^
Was for the Rockets. I thought NO and LAL got good enough and even enough deals. But the Rockets were getting screwed IMO.
December 12th, 2011 at 2:46 PM ^
Time for a franchise tag.
December 12th, 2011 at 2:49 PM ^
the NBA would fail. Even then, I wouldn't notice. Not unless the homies started wearing Red Wings jerseys I might pause to question things, it's so far off my radar.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:05 PM ^
In the real world nobody outside of the midwest cares about hockey
December 12th, 2011 at 3:10 PM ^
the Midwest is not the real world?
December 12th, 2011 at 3:20 PM ^
For sure. Definitely nobody in cities like NYC, Boston, Philly, Pittsburgh or Canada care about hockey.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:28 PM ^
Please stop talking about hockey. You have no clue what you are talking about.
That being said, I think the NHL needs to get out of Florida, Phoenix, and Carolina.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:22 PM ^
Wow.
I don't think anything more needs to be said.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:27 PM ^
You are now the king of stupid fucking comments.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:55 PM ^
This is why we can't have nice things.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:55 PM ^
in a perfect world the NBA would fail
You know that if the NBA failed, the big loser wouldn't be the players or owners, right? The players could go overseas and the owners are already wealthy. The big loser would be the tens of thousands of people who work at the arenas and put the show on the road. Where would these people find work in your perfect world?
December 12th, 2011 at 4:01 PM ^
It's bad if the NBA itself fails for most of us and for sure America. Any new American league would end up like the MLS because the world has fallen in love with basketball so much. Most will agree the NBA needs to be fixed, but a failing NBA hurts not only American's livelihood and many people's enjoyment, but it would also probably hurt the college game as Euro leagues don't have the same age requirements and have many, many more teams, meaning more players would go straight pro (not the few that did it without the NBA age restriction).
December 12th, 2011 at 2:50 PM ^
I just like how NBA games are only 5 minutes long, it's great to be able to tune in with 5 minutes left of a 110-108 game to see the teams start playing defense after the scrima... I mean first three quarters.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:09 PM ^
You obviously don't watch any NBA basketball, or are too stupid to realize what's happening when you are watching NBA basketball.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:27 PM ^
December 12th, 2011 at 3:26 PM ^
You've obviously never played or understood basketball
December 12th, 2011 at 3:34 PM ^
Is it really crazy to think that NBA regular season games involve the players going at about 80% until the second half of the fourth quarter (not quite what he said, I realize)? It sure looks that way to me.
I'm not trying to bash the players here too much. I understand that the season is way too long.
December 12th, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^
Stern is a commie that refuses to allow the invisible hand of the free market do it's job.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:01 PM ^
Not sure if serious...
A sports league with a cartel-like management structure who bargains with an incredibly powerful union (as unions go) is hardly the place to look for adherence to free market principles.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:27 PM ^
If "commie" is short for commissioner then I agree with you 100%.
December 12th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^
In about the last twenty years, teams from Detroit, Houston (twice), San Antonio (four times), Chicago (six times), and Dallas have won NBA Championships.
Who cares if the marquee players want to play in L.A., New York, or Boston? That doesn't guarantee they'll win. The Knicks have sucked for several years, the Clippers were something like 32-50 last year, and the Nets are down after being decent for several years.