The Hypocritical NBA

The "Basketball for Thought" is a commentary by Kris Gardner.

May 2000

I may upset some people for saying this (it wouldn't be the first time nor will it be the last): but the NBA is very hypocritical. Making that observation should not come as a great shock because most people act hypocritical at some point and time in their lives; however, there are some people who are hypocrites their entire lives.

First, the league ostracizes Latrell Sprewell after the "choking incident". Now, the league is prepared to feature Sprewell in promos in order to capitalize on his fast rising popularity.

Next, league personnel continue to spew out statements like "We'd prefer the young men to attend college for all 4 years." or "We'd rather not have as many high school or underclassmen in the Draft." On and on the rhetoric goes; however, NBA scouts are attending more and more high school games so they "can keep all their bases covered in case a kid decides to go pro". Plus, it amazes me how many underclassmen and high school seniors who say they were told they would be a first round pick if they entered the Draft. At least 40 players have said they'll be taken in the first round this year which is quite surprising considering the first round only has 29 picks. These kids have to be getting this advice from somewhere which means a lot of people are spinning quite a few tall tales.

I'm not going to debate the merits of underclassmen or high school kids declaring themselves for the Draft because I've discussed my opinions on that issue ad nauseum. However, the league is supposed to have a Draft Advisory Board whose main purpose is to provide good information about a player's draft status. Are these kids using the information from the Board at all or have the members of the Board lost all sense of reality?

May 13, in game 4 of the Philadelphia - Indiana playoff series, Philly's Matt Geiger fouled Indy's Reggie Miller hard twice. Reggie took exception to the second foul and retaliated by pushing Geiger in the face. Both players were ejected from the game. The league announced a one-game suspension for Miller plus a $5,000 fine; a two-game suspension for Geiger plus a $20,000 fine; and a $50,000 fine against the 76ers organization.

Fifty thousand dollars against the organization?! For what?! Ultimately, a player has to be responsible for his own actions regardless of what anyone else tells him.

In a statement announcing the penalties, NBA executive vice president Rod Thorn said, "Teams and coaches will be held accountable for the reckless actions of their players." Give me a break, Rod. The league has set a ridiculous precedent. Where will the league draw the line? Why not fine teams when their players get arrested for breaking the law, too? Commissioner David Stern, said part of the punishment had resulted from Geiger's telling NBC at halftime that he was trying to be physical and keep Miller from driving to the basket.

The truly hypocritical part of all this is the league seems to have a jaundiced view on hard fouls because the New York Knicks and Miami Heat are beating each other up almost every minute they face each other instead of trying to actually put the ball in the basket.

Clearly, the NBA has "sissified" the game like Charlotte's Anthony Mason stated in the past which is quite funny once you remember the league's marketing department came up with the "Bad Boys" name for the Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s. The league was quite happy collecting all the revenue generated from the merchandise sold with the Bad Boys name.

I believe many people still blame those Pistons squads for the "thug ball" that is still being played by some teams and for the ugliness that has permeated throughout the way the game is played today. The game of basketball is in enough trouble as it is. The NBA doesn't have to continue making the problems worse. But, they will.

Why doesn't the league do something about the dwindling number of players who can actually play the game the right way instead of fining a team for something a player did on his own?