The formal Letters…

Just a specific thought I have been having that is shared by my readers:

fL: J Paul, for many reasons, the NBA saw a resurgance of interest this season.  How do you think the lock-out will affect the future of the sport? – Bryan Brown, Boston, MA.

JP: I fully expect the NBA to cancel the 2012 season.  That being said, in the end, the owners will win out and the new NBA will have a much better foundation.  However, much like the NHL discovered, winning the fans back will be tough.  I give it three years to recover and the NBA being “Fantastic” again in 2015.

The real issue facing the NBA is one of perception.  It is a speculative league spending millions on unproven and raw talent.  It is a star driven league with teams asssembling only pockets of fans loyal to any given team.  They live on headlines generated off of projected free agent movement opposed to the “now” of real action.

The NBA also produces the least “professional” of the professional athletes.  Each year the NFL, MLB and NHL are infused with talent that in the majority of cases can make an instant impact because of rigorous training and preparation over time.  This year, the Top  pick made by the Cavs played 11 regular season college games!  Their 2nd pick played only 1 full college season.  How can they be expected to play professional level basketball? 

The NBA needs a drastic change to its current model, and I hope they don’t play again until that happens.  The league needs to develop “team” oriented fan bases, make player development more of a priority, and become fiscally responsible.

…they should also fine LeBron James for playing so horrible during playoff games. 

 

 

~ by jpaulnorton on July 6, 2011.