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What To Do About NBA Basketball
I'm going to change it up a little bit this
week; no politics for me tonight (take my silence as a sign of respect for our new
President elect). So let's talk about something far more important. NBA
Basketball.
I'm a huge fan, always have been, probably always will be. I
love to play, if I was 4 inches taller and just a few steps faster, this name
would be more than just a WVBR legacy! But more than that, I grew up on NBA
basketball. My uncle had season tickets to the New York Knicks, I know, I know - but
back in the day when they were still watchable. In fact, looking back now, I saw
some of the most fantastic games at MSG over the last decade - naturally, a result
of me being there - LJ four point play, Reggie Miller, 7 points in 20 seconds, the
Heat-Knicks playoff brawls, I was there, sitting right behind Marv Albert and Walt
"Clyde-the-Glide" Frazier. I get all tingly just thinking about it right now: The
pump up player introductions, that crazed starting lineup, with the likes of
Charles Oakley, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, or my personal favorite - just because
he was an absolute NUT, Anthony Mason, ahhh, I miss it.
So...What the heck
happened? I'll always love the Knicks, I always watch NBA basketball, but I don't
think I'll ever love it as much. Here's the reason. Players just don't care as
much as they used too. Listen, there are clearly the exceptions. Kevin Garnett,
Kobe Byrant, just to name two: These players would rather torture themselves then
lose game. That Hawks-Celtics game from a few days ago, where Paul Pierce hit a
buzzer beater to win the game, was phenomenal. So much passion, so much intensity.
But, too often, and maybe I'm just a beatdown Knicks fan here, there just isn't
all that much passion shown. What's so hard about going out there for 48 minutes
and kicking your butt! As if it's such a hard job! Not that I don't understand it.
At times I put very little effort into my academic work, for example. But I think
there's a bigger problem in pro-basketball today; let me use the example of one of
my all-time favorite Knicks, Jerome "big snacks" James, (can you believe big
snacks is his middle name! Then again, I think he came to training camp last year,
about 40 pounds overweight). In his three season with the Knicks he has almost
averaged as many turnovers and fouls as he has points, rebounds, and blocks. Quite
a career for a player making over 6 millions dollars a year, in the 3rd year of a
5 year-30 million dollar contract. My God! Jerome James played two minutes last
year, has yet to play a minute this year, and in general - is a pathetic loser.
But it doesn't have to be this way. Just look at what the Oakland Raiders
did last week with Deangelo Hall, a cornerback who had been signed to a seven
year, 72 million contract before the start of the season. He wasn't playing with
energy, focus; he wasn't living up to his contract, AT ALL, so Al David and
Oakland Raiders management cut him. That's it. They still have to pay him his
signing bonus of 7 million dollars, but they are not responsible for any of the
remaining money. Now that's what I'm talking about. Why not hold NBA athletes, or
for that matter, all athletes, to the same stature. Shouldn't they have to earn
their obnoxiously high paychecks? Shouldn't they have to work hard for their
millions? No one in the real world gets 5, 6 year contracts, with no option to
buyout. Just look at Stephon Marbury right now, a cancer who used to play for the
Knicks - he's not even on their roster anymore. He's making 21.9 million dollars
this year, and he won't even play a minute. But they can't just cut him, they have
to pay him his entire contract.
Listen, in concept it's a great idea: play
for the game. Play hard because you care so deeply about winning. But to many NBA
players especially I think, it's become something of a business. It's time to hold
players accountable. Its time to renegotiate the way contracts are done, and base
it off of the NFL model. It's time to light a fire under these players butts. But,
alas, back to reality, back to the real world Sam.
week; no politics for me tonight (take my silence as a sign of respect for our new
President elect). So let's talk about something far more important. NBA
Basketball.
I'm a huge fan, always have been, probably always will be. I
love to play, if I was 4 inches taller and just a few steps faster, this name
would be more than just a WVBR legacy! But more than that, I grew up on NBA
basketball. My uncle had season tickets to the New York Knicks, I know, I know - but
back in the day when they were still watchable. In fact, looking back now, I saw
some of the most fantastic games at MSG over the last decade - naturally, a result
of me being there - LJ four point play, Reggie Miller, 7 points in 20 seconds, the
Heat-Knicks playoff brawls, I was there, sitting right behind Marv Albert and Walt
"Clyde-the-Glide" Frazier. I get all tingly just thinking about it right now: The
pump up player introductions, that crazed starting lineup, with the likes of
Charles Oakley, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, or my personal favorite - just because
he was an absolute NUT, Anthony Mason, ahhh, I miss it.
So...What the heck
happened? I'll always love the Knicks, I always watch NBA basketball, but I don't
think I'll ever love it as much. Here's the reason. Players just don't care as
much as they used too. Listen, there are clearly the exceptions. Kevin Garnett,
Kobe Byrant, just to name two: These players would rather torture themselves then
lose game. That Hawks-Celtics game from a few days ago, where Paul Pierce hit a
buzzer beater to win the game, was phenomenal. So much passion, so much intensity.
But, too often, and maybe I'm just a beatdown Knicks fan here, there just isn't
all that much passion shown. What's so hard about going out there for 48 minutes
and kicking your butt! As if it's such a hard job! Not that I don't understand it.
At times I put very little effort into my academic work, for example. But I think
there's a bigger problem in pro-basketball today; let me use the example of one of
my all-time favorite Knicks, Jerome "big snacks" James, (can you believe big
snacks is his middle name! Then again, I think he came to training camp last year,
about 40 pounds overweight). In his three season with the Knicks he has almost
averaged as many turnovers and fouls as he has points, rebounds, and blocks. Quite
a career for a player making over 6 millions dollars a year, in the 3rd year of a
5 year-30 million dollar contract. My God! Jerome James played two minutes last
year, has yet to play a minute this year, and in general - is a pathetic loser.
But it doesn't have to be this way. Just look at what the Oakland Raiders
did last week with Deangelo Hall, a cornerback who had been signed to a seven
year, 72 million contract before the start of the season. He wasn't playing with
energy, focus; he wasn't living up to his contract, AT ALL, so Al David and
Oakland Raiders management cut him. That's it. They still have to pay him his
signing bonus of 7 million dollars, but they are not responsible for any of the
remaining money. Now that's what I'm talking about. Why not hold NBA athletes, or
for that matter, all athletes, to the same stature. Shouldn't they have to earn
their obnoxiously high paychecks? Shouldn't they have to work hard for their
millions? No one in the real world gets 5, 6 year contracts, with no option to
buyout. Just look at Stephon Marbury right now, a cancer who used to play for the
Knicks - he's not even on their roster anymore. He's making 21.9 million dollars
this year, and he won't even play a minute. But they can't just cut him, they have
to pay him his entire contract.
Listen, in concept it's a great idea: play
for the game. Play hard because you care so deeply about winning. But to many NBA
players especially I think, it's become something of a business. It's time to hold
players accountable. Its time to renegotiate the way contracts are done, and base
it off of the NFL model. It's time to light a fire under these players butts. But,
alas, back to reality, back to the real world Sam.
Sam Levine - Friday, November 14, 2008
WVBR SOAPBOX ARCHIVE
~Burgergate: the media food-fight (Fri 11/13)
~WVBR News Presents: The Student Trustees (Sun 4/12)
~Student Trustee Candidates Speak Out in Forum (Tue 4/7)
~WVBR Interviews Slope Day's Pat Maloney (Fri 3/27)
~Dragon Day Disappointment (Tue 3/24)
~WVBR News Endorses Chris Basil and Nikki Junewicz For S... (Mon 3/2)
~Why We Endorsed a Candidate (Mon 3/2)
~Marijuana Legalization (Wed 2/11) 1 Comment
~The Media Aids Terrorists (Tue 2/10)
~No Mo' Gitmo, Oh-Oh (Tue 1/27) 1 Comment
~Skorton's Murky Tenure (Thu 12/4)
~State of the Republican Party? A-OK! (Tue 11/18) 1 Comment
~What To Do About NBA Basketball (Fri 11/14)
~Marijuana Mandate in Massachusetts (Tue 10/28)
~Teunure Denied Based on Political Viewpoint or
Someth... (Tue 10/21)
~No Honorary Degrees, Says Faculty
Senate (Mon 10/20)
~Sam Levine, Once Again, On the Presdiential Election (Fri 10/17)
~GM foods soapbox (Wed 10/15)
~Stem Cell Soapbox (Wed 10/15)
~Education Soapbox (Wed 10/8)
~Sarah Palin Soapbox (Wed 10/8)
~Sam Levine on The VP Debate (Fri 10/3)
~BBC's Blatant Bias Rebuffs Climate Change Challengers (Tue 9/30)
~Sam Levine on Sarah Palin (Fri 9/26)
~McCain is Able (Tue 9/23)
~The Cornell Review's Response to the
SA (Tue 9/16)
~Sam Levine on Racism (Fri 9/12)
~A Legacy of Political Hunters (Tue 9/9)
~Sam Levine on Palin/McCain (Fri 9/5)
~Sam Levine on His Senior Thesis (Fri 9/5)
~WVBR News Presents: The Student Trustees (Sun 4/12)
~Student Trustee Candidates Speak Out in Forum (Tue 4/7)
~WVBR Interviews Slope Day's Pat Maloney (Fri 3/27)
~Dragon Day Disappointment (Tue 3/24)
~WVBR News Endorses Chris Basil and Nikki Junewicz For S... (Mon 3/2)
~Why We Endorsed a Candidate (Mon 3/2)
~Marijuana Legalization (Wed 2/11) 1 Comment
~The Media Aids Terrorists (Tue 2/10)
~No Mo' Gitmo, Oh-Oh (Tue 1/27) 1 Comment
~Skorton's Murky Tenure (Thu 12/4)
~State of the Republican Party? A-OK! (Tue 11/18) 1 Comment
~What To Do About NBA Basketball (Fri 11/14)
~Marijuana Mandate in Massachusetts (Tue 10/28)
~Teunure Denied Based on Political Viewpoint or
Someth... (Tue 10/21)
~No Honorary Degrees, Says Faculty
Senate (Mon 10/20)
~Sam Levine, Once Again, On the Presdiential Election (Fri 10/17)
~GM foods soapbox (Wed 10/15)
~Stem Cell Soapbox (Wed 10/15)
~Education Soapbox (Wed 10/8)
~Sarah Palin Soapbox (Wed 10/8)
~Sam Levine on The VP Debate (Fri 10/3)
~BBC's Blatant Bias Rebuffs Climate Change Challengers (Tue 9/30)
~Sam Levine on Sarah Palin (Fri 9/26)
~McCain is Able (Tue 9/23)
~The Cornell Review's Response to the
SA (Tue 9/16)
~Sam Levine on Racism (Fri 9/12)
~A Legacy of Political Hunters (Tue 9/9)
~Sam Levine on Palin/McCain (Fri 9/5)
~Sam Levine on His Senior Thesis (Fri 9/5)
