An Educated View

My dream has always been to own a professional basketball team. I grew up playing the sport and to this day, the NBA is by far my favorite sport to watch. With that in mind, monitoring the status of the NBA has always been something I've enjoyed analyzing.

The days of Jordan, Bird and Magic are gone. The game has changed. For the most part, the game has gone from a team game to one of individual highlights. Boston and San Antonio are the exception to this thought. What was once a game of teamwork, discipline and family entertainment has shifted into flash, youth, greed and selfishness. This change isn’t necessarily bad and I still believe the core concepts of the game are still there. The passion of the game still resides in many players, however, instead of trying to build the image of the game; I think more players are trying to build their image and status. Times have changed and so have people. Some may argue that this is just the NBA trying to remain relevant and keep up with the times. The hottest topic of the game is what LeBron James is going to do in 2010. You never heard this when Jordan and Bird were paying. The “I gotta get mine” era is here, unfortunately.

Despite the image being tarnished, in my opinion, the one bright spot is the increase in the audience. The NBA is global thanks to the likes of Yao Ming, among others. The NBA is just as popular in China and European countries as it is here in the United States. So while the NBA has gone global, I also think the NBA has appealed to a lot younger audience. In the 90’s, the majority of players were a lot older than they are now. In today’s game you have Kobe, CP3, Dwight Howard, LeBron -- all young stars just reaching their peak. As the number of young stars increase, I think the NBA can continue to increase its audience and reach.

Will we see more games being played in China and other countries? Probably not. Based on logistics and the cost involved, I think it’s simply impossible to have NBA teams outside of North America. Mexico? Possible, however, that’s probably as far as you can go. However, I think that the game overseas will continue to build which will result in growth in the NBA as well. With more potential NBA players going overseas to play and with the increase in international talent and competition, it will make the NBA step its game up in order to remain competitive.

While there are a few things I dislike about the NBA, it’s clear that its brand is slowly becoming more and more relevant. Kobe and LBJ are two of the world’s biggest stars and there are a few other players that I feel can become international stars. Clearly the NBA isn’t at NFL and MLB levels, however, I think the NBA can pass MLB if current trends continue. NASCAR is no longer the dominate force it was and soccer will never reach great popularity in the U.S. The NBA is a great position and if managed effectively, has the potential to become more relevant and popular.

Labels: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, NBA

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I plan a later post dedicated to the current status of the NBA where I will look at image, audience and growth potential; but this weekend marks the 58th NBA All-Star game. By all measures, the NBA is by far my favorite sport. I grew up playing the game (I peaked in 6th grade) and one of the most rewarding things I've done was when I coached 7th grade girls, back in 1999. So let's talk NBA. All though the hoopla has died down a bit when it comes to All-Star weekend, the nuts and bolts are still in tact and it still provides an enjoyable Saturday night.

Rookie/Sophomore Game:
Friday night we saw Kevin Durant put up 46 in the Rookie/Sophomore game. It marked the seventh straight win for the Sophomores, which makes sense. They've had an extra year in the NBA. They probably played the previous year's R/S game. Nothing new in this game.

Haier Shooting Stars:
Will the San Antonio Spurs defend their title? Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Becky Hammon posted a time of 35.8 seconds last year. San Antonio also won in 2006, albeit with a different team, where they set the event record of 25.1 seconds.

I think this is one of the more enjoyable events. It's nice to see the NBA partner with the WNBA and also bring in a legend/hall of fame player. Despite the fact that I love watching Bill Laimbeer shoot, I think I will have to go with the home team this year, the Phoenix Suns. Leandro Barbosa, Tangela Smith and "Thunder Dan," Dan Majerle make up a great team. Both Barbosa and Majerle can shoot, Smith is a solid contributor as well. I'm going Phoenix.

2009 Playstation Skills Competition:
Last year's winner, Deron Williams, isn't participating and Jameer Nelson (my original pick) is out due to injury.
Devin Harris, Tony Parker, Derek Rose & Mo Williams make up this year's roster. This event, while the premise is great, doesn't seem to live up to the hype that it should. You're showcasing the fundamentals of basketball - dribbling, passing and shooting. What's not to love? It was fun to watch when Steve Nash, Chris Paul and Jason Kidd were doing it, but none of these participants excite me. I'll go Tony Parker, simply because he's the best PG out of the group. No rationale behind it. Wouldn't you have liked to see Magic, Bird, Stockton, Mark Price partake in this event? Fundamentals at their core!

Foot Locker 3-Point Shootout:
Not a big fan of this either. It's based a lot of who's hot at the current moment. Jason Kapono has won the past two years. I'm going upset and taking Roger Mason. Mike Bibby and Rashard Lewis pose no threat, Daequan Cook doesn't do anything for me. Danny Granger, while a stud, could be the surprise champion, but Mason is on fire this year. Although he's a .399% 3pt shooter, he's shooting .450% this year. Let's go with him.

H-O-R-S-E:
I love this idea. Glad they implemented it. Let's hope it lives up to its potential. O.J. Mayo, Joe Johnson and Durant are the three participants. Mayo can't shoot, so it should be between Durant and Johnson. I think Johnson dominates and puts on a clinic. He's the best shooter and since dunking is out, Durant and Mayo don't have a chance. Johnson wins and doesn't get more than a "H". Let's hope the NBA brings this back next year.

Sprite Slam Dunk Contest:
The reason we watch. It's the home run of the NBA. What every young NBA fan wishes they could do. "Can you dunk?" is the measure of a kid growing up.

Last year Dwight Howard put on a dominant performance. I think his "sticker" dunk was the most impressive, despite the judges not giving him the proper scores. He'll win again mainly because this year's crop is rather weak.

Nate Robinson - Anyone else tired of watching him? Great, you're 5-9 and can dunk. Not taking anything away from that, but you have no chance of winning. You're no Spud, so quit trying. You shouldn't have won in 2006. Because of you, if you miss more than 1 attempt, your turn should be up. Don't participate next year.

JR Smith and Rudy Fernandez make up the final two competitors. Smith is alright, nothing fancy. If anyone upsets Howard, I think it's Smith. Fernandez is the "sexy" pick, but I don't know if he has the creativity and power that's needed. You won't win with alley oops, you just won't. Not when Howard is bring the thunder.

Howard repeats, although it won't be as impressive as last year.

Sunday night's 58th NBA All-Star Game:
It'll be a defensive struggle, probably 64-59! Kidding, no one plays defense, the game is rather boring. I'll go with the West because of CP3, Kobe and Duncan. Throw in Amare and Yao and you have a nice lineup. But it's the All-Star game, so who knows. I'll go with Kobe as MVP.

All in all, I think this year's schedule provides a lot of entertainment. While the festivities have lost some of their luster over the years, I still Love the Game.

Labels: Dwight Howard, Kobe, NBA, NBA All-Star, Slam Dunk Contest

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