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Why the NBA is Not What it used to Be

Think back to all the great rivalries of the NBA in recent years, and you'll think less about competition and the battle of skill, and more about egos and the battle of fists.

There was the Knicks vs. the Nuggets on December 16, 2006, starring Carmelo Anthony and Mardy Collins. Who could forget the Lakers vs. Bulls, January 12, 2002, featuring Shaquille O'Neal and Brad Miller? How about the Knicks vs. the Spurs on January 15, 2001, highlighting Marcus Camby and Danny Ferry?

Players aren't just brawling with each other, they're brawling with their own fans, the folks who buy the tickets and the jerseys and eat overpriced hotdogs for dinner on game night. Remember November 19, 2004, Pacers vs. Pistons vs. the fans? Or December 20, 2002, Blazers vs. Warriors vs. angry fans who threw beer bottles on the court? Even coaches aren't immune from this bad boy behavior. Jeff Van Gundy, from the Nicks, and PJ Carlesimo from the Warriors have both been victims of physical assault from the men they were paid to coach.

It doesn't end there. In February 2006, the NBA's Referees Association cited 27 incidents over the last two seasons involving players harassing referees, who should be untouchable. At this rate, players will soon be brawling with their own teammates. According to reports at USC last October, they already are. Witnesses reported O.J. Mayo intentionally punched teammate Daniel Hackett in the face, shattering his jaw, while coach Tim Floyd claims it was an accident. The culture of violence emerges and expands.

Professional sports, even college athletics and intramural games are no stranger to strange behavior. But the fans are finally beginning to feel fed up.Call it a culture of violence, a thug mentality, or an environment of hostility, it all means the same thing - -today's players are more concerned with protecting a street smart, tough-guy, artistically gifted reputation than they are about sweating it out on the courts. If the coach rides a player too hard when it's only practice, if the referee isn't "fair" in a call, if fed up fans boo bad behavior, or fellow teammates are holding you back by not passing you the ball, it has become acceptable and encouraged to fight back, with a fist. Even when the Commissioner comes down hard on bad boy behavior, there's always an appeal. There is always a coach claiming it was an accident. There is always a sports columnist writing about penalties that are way too harsh.

The bling, the Bentleys, the rap careers on the side, the commercials, the television guest spots, the designer suits, the gun possessions, the arrests, the violence, the tough-guy image all say the same thing - -basketball is just another pastime in a lifetime of entrepreneurial achievements.

The dads who play hoops in the driveway with their teenage sons, who buy the t-shirts and eat the nachos need more than some overpaid bad boys whining about what the world owes them. They need to feel that today's pros can and will achieve something the average schoolyard player never could. They need to feel that a player's heart and soul are about winning the game, the series, the championship. When the game matters to the players, it will matter to the fans.

Learn more about this author, Rubee Kola.
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