One of the common feelings among the average sports fan about the NBA is how they dislike it comparative to college basketball or other major sports. The reasoning: because NBA players are lazy and dont try as hard. I bought this argument pretty much from the days after Michael Jordan up until the last couple years. My reason for the switch: I actually started watching it.
These guys really do give a ton of effort night in and night out for their teams. You dont put up the numbers of a Lebron James or a Kobe Bryant unless you do bust your ass all of the time. Now I know I singled out the two best guys post-Jordan, but even the "scrubs" give it everything they've got. They HAVE to. They are playing for their future, and have worked too hard to get where they are to just give it up.
The turnaround in the league for players is almost as much as the carousel of the coaches. What other league only has *two* draft rounds? More often than not only about 15 of these guys really pan out, so youve got 15-20 guys in the entire world who make an NBA squad every year. This is not the same for the other major sports out there that sport 25 or 60 team rosters.
Lets face it. They are the best athletes on the planet. 82 games of pure, all-out sprinting and hustle, jumping through the roof and pinpoint accuracy from 25 feet away. To be seven feet tall and to be able to lumber up and down the court night in and night out is astounding.
If anything, it's we, the fans, who make the game seem less exciting than college basketball. Now I guess much of the reasoning for this is because each game in college is more important due to a shorter schedule, and rivalries tend to run deeper in college sports. That has alot to do with the stagnant fans you often see at NBA games. Theres always another night to bounce back when you have 80 games to work with.
Image is an important thing to consider too. I was hugely turned off from the NBA due to the "thuggish ruggish" antics of most players in this league. But you actually have to hand it to Commissioner David Stern. He has done a remarkable job of pointing them in the right direction.
To be continued.....but watch the playoffs. Youll be pleasantly suprised. Its Amazing (ouch)
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