If many of you have followed me in the past most of you know by now who I am. I am a die hard Phoenix Suns fan. Although for the better part of the 2000s the days of being a Suns fan were very sunny, those days are a faded memory. Mostly because of my disinterest in the NBA dwindling.
And no not entirely because my Suns missed a golden opportunity to win not one, but multiple championships. Not because Phoenix is so horribly managed they gave away players like Rajon Rondo, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Luol Deng and others for virtually no return. That’s a whole other Rant.
My reasoning for not having any interest this NBA Playoff season actually came from watching the NFL Draft. Yep. The NFL Draft. It came at the moment Roger Goodell stepped to the podium and boos rained down upon him that almost muted his voice. For those boos towards Goodell (in my opinion) aren’t warranted. But one Commissioner they are warranted for is NBA Commissioner David Stern.
Don’t worry Ranterz, I supported my arguments with some key points:
1.) Officiating –
In no sport is officiated more out of whack than the NBA. Players like Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and others considered Superstars get preferential treatment from the refs. So essentially, the better your stats are the more you get away with?
So basketball is one of the best examples of a team game but the NBA rewards players who selfishly hog the ball and use a clear advantage to benefit.
You certainly do not see Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and other NFL stars get away with intentional grounding calls, false starts or throwing to ineligible receivers on a regular basis. Not the way Lebron James gets away with charges. Not the way Kobe Bryant gets away with numerous calls. Not the way Shaq got away with bulldozing opposing players into the court for his entire career.
In the NBA, David Stern allows the convicts to run the asylum. Because to him the integrity of the game is easy whored out if we can find a 30 point scorer who can boost ratings. Just allow this scorer to bend the rules to make more highlight reels and CHA CHING.
2.) Most Valuable Player Award
Let me preface this by saying Derrick Rose played one hell of a season. I’m not exactly arguing his MVP award. I am just saying that if you take Rose off the Bulls they are STILL a potential Playoff team. Maybe even a 7 seed. You still have Boozer, Noah, Deng who are All-Stars and a solid bench.
But if you take Dwight Howard off the Magic that team is atrocious.
Year after year we choose Players that have the best stats on the best teams, not the Most Valuable. If you want to keep to that pattern don’t call it the MVP award, call it Offensive Player of the Year.
3.) Coach of the Year
I can make the same argument in regards to the Coach of the Year. It just never makes sense to me. Want more evidence of this? Did you know Phil Jackson (11 NBA Titles) has only ONE Coach of the Year to his credit?!?? Enough said.
4.) Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs (Playoffs 2006)
This was one of the most ridiculous outcomes to a Playoff series. David Stern saw his beloved San Antonio Spurs franchise lose a series. He stole the series from Phoenix and gave it to San Antonio. For those of you who aren’t aware of what I am talking about here Google some articles about how that series went.
5.) Seattle Supersonics
David Stern was so greedy he pissed all over the faithful city of Seattle which had a rich history with the SuperSonics, only to move to Oklahoma City and never mention the Sonics franchise again. It’s rare to find Kevin Durant pix with his SuperSonics jersey on. He would have saved that franchise and built one hell of a story. Thanks David Stern
So while I may casually watch my Suns from year to year I have to be honest and say the amount of NBA games I watch each year dwindles more and more.
The league has nobody to blame but itself. David Stern is one of the most egotistical, arrogant, boneheaded Commissioners in sports.
Until he is gone I don’t believe I will restore my faith in the NBA product. It will always be a mix between Professional Basketball and Professional Wrestling. It’s all show and spectacle and you’re convinced the outcome has already been determined.
Hopefully, the rise of new sports leagues will provide an alternative, and give us even more platforms to watch it. The NBA, for example has one of the Twitch channels, and hopefully more leagues follow suit.
Until next time Ranterz.
