From Bad to Worse

The 2012 NBA season has been a disaster.

It almost didn’t even happen.  The lockout stretched much further than anyone anticipated.  This left many, including myself, wishing for a cancelled season so the league could just start over from scratch.   Then after a long and very ugly battle between the players and the owners, the sides finally settled and the season was scheduled to begin. 

But, before the season can even get underway, more controversy rears its head.  The Los Angeles Lakers look as if they have completed a deal with the New Orleans Hornets that would bring dynamic point guard, Chris Paul, to the Lakers to pair up with Kobe Bryant, the NBA’s reigning best player.  Suddenly, Commissioner David Stern steps in and says “no” and everyone is angry.  Paul eventually ends up in Los Angeles, but not with the Lakers, instead he joins the Clippers, the punch line to every NBA joke. 

Since the lockout lasted so long, the games need to be bunched into a shorter time frame.  Teams are playing several nights a week, with many games occurring on consecutive nights.  The players are not getting proper rest, which leads to many injuries and lackluster play. 

The biggest problem has been injuries to marquee players.  Bryant has missed several games due to various injuries.  His age and decrease in rest has limited his ability to be a superstar.  Dwyane Wade, another of the NBA’s top 5 players, has also been injured most of the season.  Add to that list: Paul, Derrick Rose, Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd to name a few.

Lebron James, who was branded as the next Michael Jordan, is still suffering from the image crisis that occurred when he left Cleveland and took his talents to South Beach.  So Lebron couldn’t be looked at as the rallying point for the NBA.  Especially, when he makes comments that he has thought about returning to Cleveland.  The man just doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.

Then a spark appeared.  A nobody named Jeremy Lin emerged on to the big stage in New York City.  Lin went from sitting on the bench to being the biggest name in sports in a span of two weeks.  A couple of high scoring games and a big shot here and there and the Knocks and the NBA were flying high.  Never mind the fact that Lin had 8 or more turnovers in 4 of his 11 games as a starter.

Then it happened. 

Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, it was time for the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend.  The NBA flocked to Orlando to flaunt its best players, though many were hurt and unable to participate in the festivities.  The weekend started harmless enough with the celebrity game and the Rookie/Sophomore  game.  Though did anyone actually watch either one? 

The main highlight in the past has been the slam dunk competition, with amazing memories such as little Spud Webb, Jordan vs. Wilkins, and Dwight Howard playing Superman.  Last year’s competition saw phenom Blake Griffin easily walk away with the competition.  So what happens this year is a complete joke.  The competition is between 4 players no one has ever heard of in the NBA.  I would bet some of their own home team fans don’t know them.  Look at this stellar lineup: Paul George, Chase Budinger, Derrick Williams and Jeremy Evans.  Seriously.  No Griffin, no Lebron, no Howard, no body worth watching.

As for the competition itself, it was even worse.  Williams was 1-for-8 on dunks!  How can someone shoot below 20% when trying to dunk a basketball?  Shaquille O’Neal makes free throws at a higher percentage.  Every competitor used props in the events, since various props seem to be the new theme.  If you remember the great performances, the only prop was the ball.  Jordan, Wilkins and Carter didn’t need props to wow the crowd.  The winner, Evans, wasn’t overly impressive.  He had the best dunk of the night, but probably the worst as well.  Oh and the winner is chosen by the crowd.  The NBA should just put the dunk contest out of its misery.

And then there was the All-Star Game.  Did you happen to see the final score?  For those who didn’t the game ended 151-149, when Lebron decided to throw the ball away instead of taking the last shot.  That’s 300 total points.  Did any of these players even think about playing some defense?  Granted the dunks in the game were much better than the dunk contest.  Yes, the score was close, but I find it hard to say that it is a good game when a major part of the game is missing.  Yes, it is an exhibition game and players want to show off, and did they ever with the disgraceful player introductions, but is this really the product the NBA wants to show the world?

This is not what the NBA needed to save their season.  I’m not sure what that solution is and I don’t think the NBA does either. 

~Brad