Defending the NBA

There’s a scar forming on the NBA right now, and Ron Artest isn’t the only one responsible for… There’s a scar forming on the NBA right now, and Ron Artest isn’t the only one responsible for it.

The infamous Nov. 19 brawl between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons has undoubtedly marred this season and dealt a blow to the league’s credibility. When coupled with Latrell Sprewell’s commenting that “14.6 million dollars is insulting; I have a family to feed,” earlier this season and the never-ending saga of Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, everything else going on in the league has been overshadowed.

And that is a shame, because there are some nice things going on in the league, accomplishments that seem to have been tossed into the back seat. Odds are that average sports fan wouldn’t know which team has the league’s best record if asked.

The Phoenix Suns, led by point guard Steve Nash, have compiled an astounding NBA-best 30-4 record to start the season, a record fueled by winning streaks of 11 and nine games. Nash has helped bring back the lost art of passing in the NBA, averaging 11.0 assists a night, the majority of which find young talent Amare Stoudemire, who leads the team in scoring with 25.9 points per game.

Behind the Suns sit another, equally surprising team, the Seattle Sonics. The tandem of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis has propelled the team to its best start since 1996, going 17-3 out of the gates on their way to a 24-8 record.

Dwayne Wade has turned into a young superstar, complementing off-season acquisition Shaquille O’Neal nicely in leading the Heat to an Eastern Conference-best 27-9 record. LeBron James has shown he is even better than you thought he could be, averaging an impressive 24.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists a night in his efforts to bring Cleveland back to the playoffs.

Sadly, mostly the negatives have grabbed the headlines this season, making it tough to get excited about the league. Not many fans want to watch players for whom they don’t have respect, which players like Sprewell and Artest must not want, based on their actions.

But for every outburst by a spoiled NBA star, there is a triple-double by a surprising player. Or, a starter who hasn’t scored more than 15 points in two weeks goes off for 43. The level of talent in the NBA is as high as it is in any sport, and for good reason. With over 300 NCAA Division I teams and only 450 some-odd roster spots in the NBA, well, you do the math.

Also, take into consideration the brevity of the draft. There are only two rounds, so players not selected in the first round know they are in trouble. With more and more young players sadly skipping out on college eligibility each year, the concentration of talent is as evident as it has been in a while.

Unfortunately, the good guys and great performances usually play second fiddle to the latest fine or record suspension. What is even more troubling is that commissioner David Stern is having a difficult time controlling the league when the players’ union undercuts his authority, seen recently when the suspension of Pacers’ forward Jermaine O’Neil issued after the melee was reduced.

It’s hard to blame fans who ridicule the NBA and have given up on it, because that will happen when its players go into the stands and hit fans. But the league’s bad rep comes at the expense of players like Nash, who, if you look around, are more common than you might expect.

So, even if you have vowed never to watch another NBA game as long as you live, give it one more try, but pick your game carefully. Teams like the Suns, Sonics, Spurs and Mavericks may be exactly what the league needs to promote if it wants to stop the bleeding.

Geoff Dutelle is the assistant sports editor of The Pitt News and had given up on the NBA until this season. E-mail him at gdutes_pittnews@hotmail.com