When / What was the downfall of the NBA ?

[chi ill]

As we all know , the NBA isn't as popular as it once was (or so it seems) .

In the 90s , something about the NBA was so fun , it was a dream .

Nowadays , it seems that to the players , the NBA is one big job .

They have to go to work , do what they have to do ... go home .

I never saw basketball like this , these dudes really used to love to play the game , they just got a little money for doing it .

I watch old clips of 90s basketball & everything seemed so delightful , fun , competitive (in a good way) ...

When do you think NBA players (as a whole) started to take themselves too seriously ?

Everybody is trying to be the next _________________ .

Do you think the NBA in pop culture died with the state of Hip Hop ?

How about the Artest fight ? Did that make things more tense ?

How about the uniform rule ? Or the "no stockings" rule ?

Did David Stern say that NBA players can't be in music videos (they used to be everywhere) .

Was it because of the higher salaries players are given each year ?

The NBA just seems like one big JOB now .

Discuss ?

 

[kb8sandiego]

David Stern and money.

 

[al3xis]

I kinda feel like..

you know how people older than our generation always talks about the 80's and how great that ball was?

The 90's are our 80's.


Everything is better in your childhood.


but, more so...Jordan not being around. And the euro and HS guys all coming in kinda hurt the level of play for a few years and I think that rut that wascreated, the league is finally getting out of

 

[i nasmatic i]

A lot of things should be taken into account...the lock out year, departure of MJ, players casual fans couldn't connect with, inconsistencies, etc.

 

[youngtriz]

Originally Posted by KB8sandiego

David Stern and money.

pretty much... i can probably only name a few that look like they just love to play... but the rest just do it for a paycheck...

 

[pr0phecy718]

the lockout of '99

 

[RyGuy45]

Front and center is the money.

Just look at how out of control it got in such a short time. One "generation" ago in the Jordan/Magic/Barkley era the HOF superstar players madeabout 40 mil or so in their entire careers. Less than 10 years later you got below-average players making 100 million before they are 32. The money gotcompletely out of whack and so did the priorities.

Another huge thing was the age factor. College used to be where players developed before coming into the NBA. Then it suddenly became 18 year olds hitting theL having to be developed in the NBA. Sooner or later that starts to take a toll.

Also I would throw in today's media. With the blogging as well as the constant, "we are going to tell you who to like before they prove itthemselves" mentality that ESPN displays you have fans just start hating on players as well as every single incident getting force fed down your throat 24hours a day. If MJ came into the league now you can best believe he would not be the darling he has been considered. Half the L would love him and half wouldhate him.

 

[doyung9]

Lack of a marketable superstar.

The NBA is back on the upturn, thanks to LeBron James and America's ability to forgive and forget.

A BIGGGGG part of NBA's downturn can be attributed to the Kobe Bryant rape scandal. I mean, MJ gambled and stuff, but I definitely believe America viewsgambling and rape in two different lights.

It's been a few years now and it's kind of been pushed far far back.... that and the emergence of King James have brought the NBA back to theforefront.

I mean, honestly let's face it, as dominant as Shaq was, he was never on that MJ level as far as superstardom. Kobe and Lebron are the only two guyscapable of achieving that.

 

[23mcpizzle23]

the NFL

 

[trillipinotrapstar]

David $tern
departure of MJ - NBA hasn't been perceived well after he retired.

 

[joesarge]

I think the retirement of MJ is the cause of losing lots of non 'die-hard' fans.

 

[CP1708]

The NBA is in GREAT shape, people just expect so much more nowadays.

Bron, Kobe, Wade, CP3, Melo, Howard, Dirk, Rose, D-Will, Amare, Durant, all got years to do work.

KG, Duncan, Allen, PP, Shaq, AI, Kidd, puttin in the finishing touches on hall of fame type careers.

The league just needs to get some of those rivalries back in the spotlight to really catch fans attention.

 

[dman14]

$tern and greed

lockout yr

mj retiring

a bunch of kids jumping to the league and not able to handle the on and off court lifestyle of the nba

salaries. players getting paid a lot, very early, making it harder for coaches to coach, and organizations to cut ties with certain players

forgot to mention the product on the court is a joke. guys/teams simply cant play

 

[shabooyah1124]

Rick Kamla.

 

[Lizakers]

charging/blocking calls

excessive flagrant/technicals

not calling travelling (players travel and carry the ball on every possession)

EDIT: players trying to draw too many fouls, always trying to persuade the refs into making a call

I think this has diminished the quality of basketball that the NBA presents

 

[extraordinary swag]

Originally Posted by Lizaker4Lizife

charging/blocking calls

excessive flagrant/techicals

not calling travelling (players travel and carry the ball on ever possession)

I think this has dimished the quality of basketball that the NBA presents

Co-sign everything you said. All the players nowadays just whine and complain, the whole league is too soft. I think the integration of ESPN andthe NBA has hurt the league big time. It's not about highlights no more, they try too hard to entertain instead of focusing on the action on the court. Ifthe NBA was exclusively on NBC and TNT it would be much better from a fans standpoint.

I also think they could make the season a little shorter too.

 

[39478]

Originally Posted by ExtRaOrDinaRy SwAg

Originally Posted by Lizaker4Lizife

charging/blocking calls

excessive flagrant/techicals

not calling travelling (players travel and carry the ball on ever possession)

I think this has dimished the quality of basketball that the NBA presents

Co-sign everything you said. All the players nowadays just whine and complain, the whole league is too soft. I think the integration of ESPN and the NBA has hurt the league big time. It's not about highlights no more, they try too hard to entertain instead of focusing on the action on the court. If the NBA was exclusively on NBC and TNT it would be much better from a fans standpoint.

I also think they could make the season a little shorter too.

 

[chi ill]

CP1708 , I don't agree .

It may be on its way to going back upwards , but I really think these players get paid way too much , hence the bigger egos .

In the 90s , it seems like the players were playing for the team on front of the jersey more than the name on the back .

& I don't care what nobody says about him , Kobe LOVES the game of basketball . He loved the game of basketball before he was getting paid to play .

The NBA is such a business nowadays .

David Stern saying that Wade couldn't wear the tape on his face . -_-

TNT & ABC & NBC .

 

[JD617]

TNT & ABC & NBC .

ABC is the same damn thing as ESPN. They're both garbage.

 

[chi ill]

Originally Posted by JD617

TNT & ABC & NBC .

ABC is the same damn thing as ESPN. They're both garbage.
Not in the 90s .

 

[japanair21]

Originally Posted by JD617

TNT & ABC & NBC .

ABC is the same damn thing as ESPN. They're both garbage.
I hate ABC/ESPN's post-game crew. I love JVG and Marc Jackson
I hate TNT's commentators, they're just not very good. But their post-game is unmatched.

 

[arrjae]

Originally Posted by shabooyah1124

Rick Kamla.

but most of the things posted are correct..

 

[JD617]

Originally Posted by Chi ILL

Originally Posted by JD617

TNT & ABC & NBC .

ABC is the same damn thing as ESPN. They're both garbage.

Not in the 90s .

There was no NBA on ABC in the '90s. ABC had games in the '60s and early '70s and then nothing until this decade. Maybe you're thinking of CBSin the '80s? In the '90s the NBA was only on NBC and TNT/TBS.

 

[RyGuy45]

This shows a little bit how the money was so quickly pushed to the extremes.


Take Chuck Barkley and Kevin Garnett. Both HOF forwards from back to back eras. And their career years in a way even intersected each other.

Charles played from 1984-2000. He made $43.5 million in career salary.

KG played from 1995-2012 when his current contract runs out. He will have made $292 million in career salary.

 

[Lizakers]

another thing I hate is the lame courtside commentators

Nancy Lieberman and her stupid questions of players gets me pissed