USA Today NBA preview cover?

Uh, anyone besides me think the cutouts were a total hack job.
Not that I think of the McLean Machine as the bastion of creativity and hold it in some high regard, but what the hell was that? I completely was dumbfounded when I saw the gorilla on 1A, thinking that someone just got lazy, but then to flip through to the special section and scene the whole, sloppy scene repeated? With apologies to Arsenio, it was a thing that made me go hmmmmmmmmmmm.
Some colleagues and I were wondering if they were trying to keep with the cardboard box theme and the Big 3 were supposed to be cardboard cutouts, but I think that's a stretch. I just believe somebody effed up. If someone has a more rational thought, I'd love to hear an explanation.

 

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/48873/

 

My bad. Thought I did my due diligence looking for any previous threads. Guess my investigative reporting skills still need a little work.