Don’t Get Me Wrong, Kobe Bryant’s Still a Boob: Thoughts on the NBA

In recent weeks we’ve all read articles ad nauseam by basketball analysts, pundits, bloggers, personalities (all self-proclaimed “experts”) on the resurgence of the NBA, due in large part to the unpredictably of the Western Conference playoff push. Sports writers have latched onto the punny potential of the western theme with stories titled “The Wild Wild West” and “How the West Was Won.” Casual fans have jumped on the bandwagon, donning replica jerseys and foam figures as their home teams battle for a spot amongst the elite. And, I must admit, after going through several years of finding the prospect of watching a televised, regular season game completely unpalatable, I have been drawn into the excitement. That’s right, I’m once again a fan of the NBA.

It’s unfortunate that this is the first season in my NBA memory in which star players are giving their top efforts on a daily basis, but I’m thankful for the show. The offseason trades by the Celtics for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, which essentially restructured the league by establishing a legitimate powerhouse in the East, has spurred a veritable arms race by competitive teams to acquire top-flight talent.

In the East this has resulted in a magnificent class separation between the haves (Celtics, Pistons) and the have nots (pretty much everyone else). The top two teams are also the top teams in the entire NBA (the Celtics and Pistons currently have the best records), while at least two teams below .500 will make the playoffs. The lowly Hawks, hopeless underachievers and perennial losers, have earned themselves the noble task of being manhandled by KG and the Irish in the first round. The Pacers are 11 games below being OK, and consider the season a success. To summarize, the good teams are very good, and the bad teams are just gross.

But in the West we have ourselves a dogfight (don’t tell Michael Vick). The migration of superstars (Pao Gasol, Shaq, Jason Kidd*, Kyle Korver…fine, not a superstar, but look at the numbers and you’ll see he pushed the Jazz from good to great), coupled with the maturation of up-and-comers (Chris Paul, Deron Williams, David West) has created an atmosphere of super-competitive superstars.

Every playoff team is a likely 50 game winner. The Warriors, last year’s Cinderellas, won’t even make the big show despite a record that would put them ahead of King James and the Cavs for the fourth seed in the East. Every game is war. One win or one loss completely redefines the playoff picture.

Pay attention, because never again will you see a rejuvenated Shaq diving into the stands for a loose ball. Never again will you hear both Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony talk about the game in terms of “we” instead of the preferred “I.” And take advantage now, because never again will you see Tracy McGrady play defense.

This is a season ripe with bewilderments. How did the ragtag Rockets win 22 straight games AFTER losing superstar Yao Ming to a season ending injury? How did the Hornets jump from an obscurity with literally no fan base to the force that will save New Orleans? How are the Heat so bad? (OK, so this one’s easy: they’re purposely tanking to secure the number one draft pick. A middle lineup of Wade at shooting guard, Marion at small forward, and Michael Beasley at power forward will be fierce, and B-Eazy will look good in black and red.)

Or perhaps the greatest mystery of all: How did Kobe Bryant morph from disgruntled child demanding a trade to messiah demanding MVP consideration? It fills me with an indescribable sadness that he’s my favorite player to watch, for both his athletic skill and his competitive nature, and yet he’s such a jackass. It’s a dichotomy: the Lakers have a real shot at becoming NBA champions, and Kobe has led them there. This makes him the MVP. On the other hand: he nearly destroyed the team in the offseason, ridiculed his teammates on a national stage, and put his heart into the game only after the Lakers started winning. Not behavior you’d expect, or would want, out of an MVP.

This year four players have a legit claim to the award. Chris Paul is a floor general solely responsible for the success of the Hornets (and is indisputably the best PG in the league). Lebron James has an improbable stat line (impossible for mere mortals) and will once again carry a team of bottom-feeders into the playoffs. Kevin Garnett (though this is not his best year statistically) has managed to convince Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and the rest of the Celts that defense IS important. Whatever the results, the battle has been a pleasure to watch.

On a side note, I’ve also enjoyed watching the sinking of the SS Timberwolves. They’ve finally escaped the clutches of mediocrity and find themselves in a hard fought contest for the toilet bowl. It’s refreshing.

* A disclaimer about Jason Kidd: I hated everything about this trade. It was a huge downgrade for the Mavs, who gave up a young playmaker that could create for himself and score in the lane (a rare skill in Dallas) in exchange for an egomaniac that shoots 30% from the field, averages about four turnovers a game, and is expecting his first social security check in the mail any day. On the other hand, it fills me with great joy when I look at the Dallas boxscore and see this stat line: 7 points on 2-11 shooting, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers. Ha.

Thanks for reading.

PS I’m sure many of you were expecting a reaction to the Barack Obama “bitter” explosion. To be perfectly honest, I’m not yet certain what to say. Give me some time to percolate, and I’m sure I’ll devise a perfectly reasonable deconstruction of Obama’s comments. He’s come too far to commit political suicide just as a Hillary comeback seemed impossible. Gulp…

PPS A “reaction” post has gone from likely to pending to imminent, and it may (or may not) be a doozy. Just call me the spin doctor and sign me up for a think tank.