Negative attention dragging NBA down

Wednesday, February 11, 1998

Negative attention dragging NBA down

COLUMN: League looks doomed as Jordan prepares for departure

By Tim Yun

The JBA (Jordan Basketball Association) is in a lot of
trouble.

With more of the big-name players getting their names on the
police blotters instead of the highlight reels, the league must
brace itself for the eminent departure of His Airness, designated
bastion of all that is good about basketball.

The All-Star game provided a brief, albeit controversy marred,
break from a tumultuous first half of the season. Professional
basketball certainly faces an uncertain future to say the
least.

As if the fundamental game of basketball hasn’t deteriorated
enough, a lot of the players have decided to mar the off-the-court
image of basketball.

In case you haven’t heard, Washington Wizard forward Chris
Webber was arrested for possession of marijuana, Charlotte Hornet
forward Anthony Mason has been charged with statutory rape for
having sex with a couple of teen-agers, and you know about Latrell.
(Whew! Try to say that three times fast.)

What is amazing is that all of these events took place during
the first half of the season. If the games were actually exciting,
you might be able to overlook these indiscretions and enjoy the
games, but to tell you the truth, the NBA has become stale and
boring. Gone are the days of the great Lakers-Celtics battles.
Instead of "Showtime," now you have the Cleveland Cavaliers’ death
march.

There are centers who are more interested in making second-rate
B-movies than improving free throw shooting, and others who would
rather throw a midget through a plate-glass window than win his
first championship. The quality of play has considerably
deteriorated, but the salaries are higher than ever before. Go
figure that one out.

Even the All-Star game, which was supposed to bring the biggest
and brightest stars of the NBA together, became the Kobe Bryant vs.
Michael Jordan pay-per-view extravaganza. Since when has the NBA
adopted a make-believe torch to be passed on like a baton on a long
distance relay?

Actually, a torch-passing competition during All-Star weekend
would be a helluva lot better than the two-ball fiasco they’ve got
going now. The NBA seems to have finally realized that old players
retire and new players take their places. So why is the NBA
scrambling around trying to find the Air-apparent?

Answer: To draw attention away from the Iversons, the Masons and
the Webbers of the world. Granted, this may be Jordan’s last
season, and Bryant might be the most explosive young player out
there, but it is quite apparent that this fiasco is one giant PR
move worthy of the president.

But there is promise in the new crop of players. Grant Hill is
one of the league’s most exciting players. I don’t think there is
anyone who can guard Allen Iverson’s killer cross-over dribble. All
of you Laker fans know about Bryant. Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and
Eddie Jones also comprise a good core group of young players who
have the talent to make the game respectable again.

So, depending on your views and opinions, you can formulate your
own answer to this question:

The NBA. It’s:

(a) FAN-tastic!

(b) all about the Benjamins

(c) going to suck after MJ retires

(d) better than the WNBA.

Yun can be reached at [email protected].