NBA, You Call This a Sport?

The time has finally come where I will explain my disdain of the NBA. I say over and over again how the NBA is a waste of time and the world would be a better place if it just disappeared, but that's a lie (the better place thing). If the NBA didn't exist, then college players would have nothing to aspire to. Even so, the negatives that exist in the NBA, or Not Basketball Anymore as my father so aptly put it, far outweigh the positives.

The first place where the NBA is all out of whack is the salaries. Now, there's no need to rip on players like Shaq, Kevin Garnett, and Allen Iverson, who are centerpieces for their teams' success day in and day out. There's also no need to get started on the astronomical costs of these athletes because salaries and signing bonuses in other professional leagues are just as high — let's work on the ridiculous, first.

For example, one player in the top five in the salary rankings this year is Michael Finley. Finley is slated to make $18,612,500 this season alone, which is the highest salary of anyone on the San Antonio Spurs. He's slated to make $2,767,344 more than Tim Duncan. Now, tell me, how many MVPs has Michael Finley won? How many games has he played in this season for the Spurs? In fact, how many games has he started this season for the Spurs? The answers to those questions are zero, nine, and zero. He's actually fourth in scoring on the Spurs this season, though, with 8.7 points per game, and to his credit, he's been selected to the All-Star Game twice in his career.

Now, I can understand that he's on the downward slope of his career (see Kevin Brown, Mike Piazza, etc.), but let's be realistic. How can a player whose career scoring average is below 19 points per game make that much money? If you go by his career average for minutes per season, he makes approximately $384,309.53 per hour. Are you willing to tell me that under 19 ppg is worth that much for a sixth man?

Then there's my favorite. Answer quickly, who is the highest-paid player on the Phoenix Suns? Shawn Marion? Steve Nash? How about Raja Bell? If you guessed any of those players you'd be wrong. The highest-paid player on the Phoenix Suns happens to be Brian Grant. This season Grant has also started zero games, but he's only played eight total, unlike Finley. His scoring average this season just happens to be 3.8 points per game.

Okay, so he's become a role-player, and maybe that justifies his $16,128,438 contract. You know, maybe he is in the twilight of his career and his career numbers will show that he was a great player in the past. Well, let's take a look at them. Ironically, two of his three highest point averages were in his first and second years, which were 13.2 and 14.4, respectively. His career points average is 10.6 and since the 1999-2000 season, he has scored more than 10 points per game twice. Well, maybe he's a rebounding force like Dennis Rodman and that justifies it. Nope, sorry, he averages 7.5 rebounds per game. His per-hour salary works out to be $412,632.73. That's a lot of money for a "role player."

Next, we'll work on the attitudes and the perceptions of NBA players. To start, we'll work on Allen Iverson, since he's a model of excellence in the NBA. Remember a few years ago when he publicly downplayed the importance of practice when he skipped one? That's a great thing for aspiring ball-players and kids to look up to. Why practice, it's not the important part? Good job with that one, Allen. Then there were some Latrell Sprewell issues.

First, remember when he choked his coach back when he was out West? Now he's sitting at home this season because he's refusing to play for $1,000,000 a year. Oh, that's right, he has his kids to feed and his family to take care of. I hate T.O., but at least when it came time to play and he wasn't happy with his contract, he went and played instead of sitting home all season. I hope this is the end for Latrell, I've been tired of him for a while now.

Then there's Marcus Camby, who apparently thought he needed a clothing stipend when the new dress code was announced, because he can't afford a couple nice suits or even a nice pair of jeans. Also, what is with the league's impression that players are more important to a team than coaches? Before the Lakers were to sign a coach last season, they almost had to run it by Kobe Bryant. The 76ers were fine with letting Larry Brown go to another team, but God forbid they lose "The Answer." Well, since Larry left, has the so-called Answer taken them back to the NBA Finals? I don't think so.

People say that the reason that the 2004 Olympic basketball team lost three games and only managed to finish with a Bronze Medal is because the rest of the world is catching up to the U.S. in basketball skill. That may be true, but the only reason they're catching up so quickly is because the quality of basketball is rapidly diminishing here. Go watch a game that doesn't include the Spurs or the Pistons, and look to see how many players actually play defense as opposed to standing around watching an opposing player drive to the basket. Try standing in the lane and taking a charge. How many players actually run up the floor unless there's a chance that someone's going to lay up a pass for an alley-oop?

Now, I'm not saying that the NBA is this horrible thing and it should be banned from existence (although it would be nice). My problem is with people still calling that thing basketball. It has not been basketball for years; it is entertainment, just like professional wrestling. Keep it going, though, guys, because without you, the college game would start to see a decline, and I like watching them play basketball every once in a while.

Other Notes

* Barry Bonds apparently wants to play for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic next March, and he also says he's planning on trying to lose 40 pounds because of his knees. Good excuse for the rapid weight-loss now that you can't use the juice, Barry.

* Alex Smith has had his career death sentence signed by hearing that the 49ers are going to start him for the rest of the season. Does anyone remember what happened last time he started against the Colts and went 9-for-23 for 74 yards and four interceptions? He's better than Cody Pickett, but pick up the Cardinals' defense this week on your fantasy football teams, readers.