The NBA sucks

[mshafer71]

What the hell has happened to this league...1/2 (15) of the teams are below .500....6-7 are right at .500...there are only 3-4 legitimate teams (Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas, and maybe Phoenix)....the play and execution on most nights is god aweful...I used to love this league, but now find it hard to watch

[lavuuk153]

The Nba is just like hockey in that the regular season is boring. The playoffs on the other hand are fun to watch and in regards to the lack of execution, I think that proves the common misconception that NBA players don't play defense to be false.

[RabidBillsFan]

Get into NBA Fantasy Basketball, then you'll find it a bit more palatable.

I'm with you.

[thegame]

Its not even worth arguing this point anymore. So many people have a completely warped view of this league. The NBA has some of the deepest talent ever and the competition is getting tougher every year.

[dogginbox]

the 3 things that ruined the nba:

1) highschool players - kids coming into a man's game with one thing on their mind... money. skipping college while not learning fundamentals, they changed the rules because of this.

2) guys like jon koncack recieving big outrageous contracts - koncack was a poormans' bill laimbeer, he had a 1/3 of the talent, smarts, heart, and skills and got paid like it was his image on the nba logo. now every 7' gets paid big money just because he's 7' regardless if he has talent. dont believe me, watch some team this summer will pay through the nose for michael olawakandi.

3) michael jordan - when he left, the nba went with him. as outrageous as it may sound michael jordan killed this league...two words - like mike.

after mike, every player that saw jordan & could dribble, jump, & dunk wanted to be like mike, not his fault but these players forgot that jordan also made all-defensive team numerous times.

personally i feel reasons 1, & 2 really did the most damage, esp. the highschool kids.

[thegame]

How can the NBA be "killed" if it still draws better ratings than all other professional sports save for the NFL? That puts it ahead of #3 Baseball and #4 NASCAR.

Watch the Bucks play, or the Hornets, Mavs, Spurs, Pistons, Suns, Cavs, Clippers, Grizzlies or Jazz. There are very exciting and fundamentally sound teams out there.

[Blue_Bandana]

The NBA sucks, if you are a Knicks fan.

[mighty peace warrior]

blue bandana you took the words out of my mouth.

the nba doesnt suck, but my knicks sure do.

[Bellowing4DaBills]

What the hell has happened to this league...1/2 (15) of the teams are below .500....6-7 are right at .500...there are only 3-4 legitimate teams (Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas, and maybe Phoenix)....the play and execution on most nights is god aweful...I used to love this league, but now find it hard to watch

I'm with you. The skipping of college play has hurt the league.

And the Knicks do suck. The Raps just beat them and you guys get the pleasure of paying Jalen Rose's 17 million dollar contract next year. Yea!

[mighty peace warrior]

the skipping of college has only really hurt the draft, and the hope you used to be able to have in it. there was a time where getting a top five pick meant an impact player, now its a "potential pick". the overall quality of play is as good as it has been in a long time though

[thegame]

^Agreed. Look at the Lakers right now, they have perhaps the League's biggest High School bust on their team in Kwame Brown but also Andrew Bynam, a rookie this year from High School who seems to have a chance to be a good player. The draft is such a mystery now and any pick beyond perhaps the first 3 or 4 guys is a shot in the dark.

[dogginbox]

How can the NBA be "killed" if it still draws better ratings than all other professional sports save for the NFL? That puts it ahead of #3 Baseball and #4 NASCAR.

Watch the Bucks play, or the Hornets, Mavs, Spurs, Pistons, Suns, Cavs, Clippers, Grizzlies or Jazz. There are very exciting and fundamentally sound teams out there.

just because the NBA markets their teams and players more than they had in the past doesn't mean it's a better game.

most teams today, even the ones you mentioned struggle when ever the opposition uses a zone defense because the players dont have enough experience playing against it.

then the NBA goes and changes the rule where a defender cant even put their hand on a player on the perimiter.

imagine michael jordan playing with this rule.

[thegame]

Detroit and Dallas crush zone D!

Denver is getting very good at it as well.

[original6]

How can the NBA be "killed" if it still draws better ratings than all other professional sports save for the NFL? That puts it ahead of #3 Baseball and #4 NASCAR.

Watch the Bucks play, or the Hornets, Mavs, Spurs, Pistons, Suns, Cavs, Clippers, Grizzlies or Jazz. There are very exciting and fundamentally sound teams out there.

Actually Nascar outdraws the NBA now. Sad huh?

[thegame]

You have to be careful with the ratings. NASCAR's races draw solid ratings, better actually when on FOX then when on NBC but as far as advertising and TV contract money it still is #4, but I heard on ESPN Radio about a month ago that they are getting very close to MLB, which is #3.

[original6]

MLB is not 3, it is right behind Football. I don't know where you get your facts.

Either way I could care less about ratings because judging a competition on how many people watch it is absurd. Sports is not a popularity contest and measuring them by ratings which only take a sample (1/10) of the population at anytime is pointless.

[BillyT92679]

I adored the NBA back in the 1980's... outstanding skills (predominantly on offense, if anything, players are better defensively today than back then).
Remember the Alex English led Nuggets? 130 points a game all the time!

Today's NBA is excruciating to watch. Basketball can be the most beautiful, smoothest sport around when plays are executed properly. Guys today cannot even hit midrange jump shots, or get out of the short corner.

The college game is much, much more enjoyable.

[BillyT92679]

At least my Clippers are doing well!

[GrapeDRINK]

The Nba is just like hockey in that the regular season is boring. The playoffs on the other hand are fun to watch and in regards to the lack of execution, I think that proves the common misconception that NBA players don't play defense to be false.
The NHL is 100x the sport the NBA is, please don't compare the two.

[BillyT92679]

The NHL is 100x the sport the NBA is, please don't compare the two.
I'd invert those numbers, but I love basketball and hate hockey.

But, then again, I think college hoops are 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000x
better than the NBA

[D-Rocafella]

The NBA has more then just a few teams. True that Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas, and the Heat are the only 'elite' teams in the leauge, but just a step below are teams like the Suns, Nets, Caviliers, Clippers, and Grizzles.

Watch out for the Nets, there big three are all healthy and when they are on there nearly unstoppable. I like them to take out the Heat in the 2nd round, and give the Pistons all they can handle.

[original6]

I support the Raptors and everything, but THIS LEAGUE IS DAMN HORRIBLE. I don't know what the hell the powers to be are doing, but they need to fix things up. I think the players open mouths are more entertaining than the product. These guys are a bunch of bad actors. The players are jerks, the fans are a bunch of 16 year olds, the dunks are so lame now, they don't play like a team (except for detroit and san antonio, but the stupid ex-nba player analyst call them boring).

[swami jr]

In order to draw interest, you need to either have
A) Parody
or
B) Clashing of the Titans
and of course, drawing and losing interest happens over a span of years, not one season.

1) The NBA was grew very popular in the Bird/Magic to Jordan era because they created perennial rivalries. Bulls vs. Knicks, Knicks vs. Heat, Bulls vs. Cavs, Bulls vs. Pistons or Lakers vs. Celtics or Pistons vs. Celtics etc.

2) Spurs, Lakers, Pistons, Bulls, Celtics, Rockets own all the NBA Titles for the past 20-25 years or so. That leaves 20+ teams with long title droughts, where fans may lose interest.

3) The Spurs have beaten 3 different teams in their 3 championships. The Lakers have faded, and the Pistons have recently become a force in the league, and more recently Phoenix has as well. Looking in the past few years the annual matchups of powerhouses hasn't been there. People have slowly lost interest. Perhaps consistent dominance of Detroit, San Antonio, Phoenix, Miami etc. could create momentum for the league in years to come. The bottom line is that the games need to seem important, and there are two ways of accomplishing that.