NBA On Hold Until 2010

Oh, LeBron would change all that, trust me. The A-list celebs would be courtside again, there would be meaningful games and people would forget that Jimmy Dolan and Isiah ever existed.

But the bottom line on LeBron is it's just too early to get a handle on what he's likely to do. There are too many variables that can change dramatically before the time comes for him to make a decision. Will he have any rings? Will the Knicks be a playoff team by then? Will the Cavs be in the salary cap position to go after someone like Bosh themselves? But anyone who says they don't see why he'd leave just because the Cavs are much better than the Knicks at the moment just isn't seeing the big picture. And the fact that Cleveland is his hometown is, I think, a very small factor.

 

Let the oldtimers have their misguided memories.

Far from the truth, but that's besides the point.

 

And hence much of the NBA is on hold until Lebron decides what he is going to do.

 

I know this may border on heresy because we are all supposed to love the NFL unconditionally, but I find it way harder to watch.

 

Don't find it harder to watch but do think the NFL has gotten pretty bland. Most of coaches are cut from the same cloth and run the same low risk playbook . I found the Cardinals and the Dolphins a breath of fresh air because to the different things they did on offense.

At this point I'll be much more entertained by almost any college football game than an NFL game.

 

I was making a larger point about the overall talent in the league. There's just more of it.

But if you want to talk stars of today vs. stars of the '80s: Tom Chambers made four All-Star teams.

Here's another: Kelly Tripucka, who made two All-Star teams in the early '80s, couldn't even crack the rotation for most teams today. He'd get blown off the floor.

Yeah, I said it.

 

Brian Scalabrine begs to differ.

 

He'd have fit right in with the other non-jumping white guys that populated the bench in the 80s and early 90s ... although he's still light years better than Jack Haley.

 

One problem with this argument: Players vs. Teams.

Even if players are better, teams might not be.

Oh, and the Kelly Tripucka choice is ironic, considering this year's no-name superstar.

Troy Murphy.

 

Troy Murphy is niether a no name nor a superstar... simply a solid NBA player...not as good as Kelly Tripucka was in his best years.

Murphy and Tripucka also were both All-Americans at Notre Dame and both are from New Jersey.

 

Stephon Marbury is being paid 20 mil per year as a "max star" - nuff said .

 

Technically, Marbury is now making the veteran minimum.