Martin Daily Blog: Thursday, May 24th - KMAland

Martin Daily Blog: Thursday, May 24th

Derek Martin - Thu, 24 May 2012 09:35:08 CDT

(KMAland) -- On June 2nd, 1991 a young seven-year-old boy in Denison, Iowa fell in love.

On that day, Magic Johnson completed his 29th career and final playoff triple-double and led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 93-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. More importantly, he showed a young boy that sport could be entertaining even when it didn’t involve a football helmet or a baseball bat. From that day forward, even through a lockout in 1998 and the A.J. (After Jordan) years, that young boy loved the National Basketball Association.

As some of you may know, that love affair died earlier this year. People that know me will tell you they didn’t think it was possible. How could a fanatic like me possibly just give up on a league I spent so many years of my life loving - even while most of the population did not. How could that possibly be? Well, today I tell the story of hypocrisy and corruption that led to the alienation of one of the NBA’s longest tenured and biggest fans….

Really, the story begins two summers ago with the forming of the Miami Heat “super team.” The 2009-2010 season ended like most of them do for LeBron James - with a loss and with him looking like and sounding like a complete imbecile. James’ Cleveland Cavaliers lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals in six games to the Boston Celtics. Of course, the biggest story was how James stood in the corner throughout game five and refused to shoot. Afterwards he said something to the effect of, “I’ve only had one or two bad games in my life.” Oooook, LeBron. Of course, LeBron can say whatever he wants and his minions will somehow defend him. But…did you see his sweet slam dunk?!

That’s all secondary, though, to the unbelievable NBA Finals that went down that year. Ron Artest, of all people, made the biggest shot of the series in Game 7 to lift the Los Angeles Lakers over the Boston Celtics. It was the Lakers second consecutive NBA championship and their fifth since the turn of the century. It was a great day for me, but it was also a great day for NBA basketball. It would be their last great day.

Through collusion and pure douchebaggery, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all signed with the Miami Heat later that summer. To say how the whole thing unfolded was a black eye for the league would be an understatement. James incessantly talked about the summer of LeBron DURING the season WHILE with the Cavaliers. Then he made his “recruitment” a neverending tale. One franchise used a cartoon to try to entice LeBron seemingly because he’s an immature child.

Anyway, we know how it went. The 60-minute ESPN special with a handpicked interviewer with handpicked questions at a Boys and Girls Club but only with handpicked boys and girls present. Then the infamous seven word utterance: I’m taking my talents to South Beach. Then the bronze-medal winning clown threw the most disgraceful celebration in the history of sports with his other two clowns. There was dancing on stage and spotlights and glitter falling from the ceiling. There was talk of winning seven championships. It was basically a championship celebration for a group that only had one tainted NBA title between them. Of course, the LeBron minions that want so desperately for him to be something more than an immature puke ate it up. Did this entire charade lead to the disintegration of the NBA as I knew it? Maybe, maybe not. But it didn’t help.

What did Dave Stern think about all this nonsense? Well, like the LeBron minions (who also enjoy shows like Around the Horn, Pardon the Interruption, and all other over-produced, information-less shows on ESPN while also forming their opinions based off of, and not on, those shows), Davey ate it up. He had been searching so desperately for someone to fill Michael Jordan’s shoes since MJ went back to smoking cigars, gambling, and generally being a terrible person. Of course, most knew Kobe Bryant had done that while WINNING titles. Not only Kobe, the league was fine. With or without the three musketeers acting as terrible role models. No matter, Dave thought this “Super Team” could bring good business to the league. He loved this super team.

Now, I will never forget the way the 2011 NBA Playoffs unfolded. James and his boys ran roughshod through the weak Eastern Conference, but then they met their match in the Finals against a German jumpshooter and a host of castoffs. The 2011 season ended for James much like it did in 2010. With him standing around the perimeter, refusing to shoot late in games, and more or less choking away another NBA Championship. Once again, James had his harsh critics and it was warranted. However, his slate was (once again) wiped clean less than a week later when the star-gazers pulled up his YouTube clips showcasing his SWEET JAMS and AWESOME HEADBANDS. (Seriously folks, if you’re letting your kids watch LeBron James as a person and as a player, you’re doing it wrong. We’re not all 6’9”, 280 pounds. The future of basketball needs to be doing the opposite of LeBron, which is to say: Develop a jump shot and develop a brain.)

Like I said, even though I didn’t watch a second of the Finals, I loved the result of it. However, the whole hype-machine of the Heat throughout the year with the minions looking the other way when LeBron did or said something stupid (daily) took its toll on me. When the NBA Lockout began, I secretly hoped they would cancel the season. Can you believe that? 20 years of fanhood, and I didn’t want there to be a season. This is coming from a guy that begged for NBA League Pass in high school then bought NBA.com Broadband as a poor college student then routinely bought the League Pass again when I got into the working world. As the days went by it looked more and more like there wouldn’t be a season. Maybe a year off would do the league and me good. Of course, it was all too good to be true.

The NBA did come back announcing a newfangled short season with 66 games played in seemingly 67 days. OK, maybe this can be fun. Then the Lakers started getting involved in trade talks for Chris Paul. This got me really excited. I knew one thing going into the offseason - and it was that the Lakers could not stay stagnant. If they did, it would result in another embarrassing playoff loss. (Oh yeah, did I mention they hired Mike Brown to replace Phil Jackson? That could have had something to do with my hopes for no season.) Anyway, the Lakers worked hard with New Orleans Hornets General Manager Dell Demps to get a deal done - and believe it or not, they did! Reports surfaced that Paul would go to the Lakers, Pau Gasol would go to the Houston Rockets and Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, and Luis Scola would go to New Orleans. My first reaction was, Wow, we got Chris Paul. My second reaction wasn’t quite as good.

I thought the Lakers maybe gave up too much. They always say never trade a big for a small. Well, the Lakers were trading two-thirds of their trio of towers to get a point guard. But, the Lakers desperately needed a good point guard. Derek Fisher wasn’t cutting the mustard as the starter anymore. So, just as I was about to talk myself into it, Dave Stern announced he would not validate the trade. Why? Basketball reasons. No, really. Why? Basketball reasons. That large deflating sound was the air coming out of the reputation of the NBA - or out of me.

We know how the rest of the story unfolds. Lamar Odom is disgruntled due to being traded then not traded so the Lakers trade Odom to the defending champions for….nothing. Pau Gasol is also disgruntled and all the trust in the organization is gone so he will probably suck. Still, there remained a glimmer of hope that the Lakers could get Paul. Dave Stern, after all, did say when the NBA took over the New Orleans franchise that any move Dell Demps made would be validated by the league. He put the team in Demps’ hands. The Lakers came through with some more draft picks to sweeten the deal. Again, Dave Stern declined.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers magically won an anonymous lottery to pick up Chauncey Billups. Those following along closely knew at that moment it allowed the Clippers to do something they couldn’t previously do: Add Eric Gordon to a possible trade for Paul. So, Dave Stern worked with Don Sterling and the two biggest ding-a-lings to work in a NBA front office worked out a deal to bring Paul to the Clippers. So, in summary, the Lakers not only did not get Chris Paul, but it also led to two disgruntled stars with one of them being traded. Dave Stern hates “super teams” unless they are in Miami. No, that’s not it. Dave Stern hates “super teams” in Los Angeles - unless they are the Clippers. All that is fine and well for Laker haters (one named Dave Stern, by the way) out there. They’re not going to feel sorry for me or Kobe Bryant or Jerry Buss. Of course not, but they also have to recognize a league that was once my favorite thing to do between October and June now lacks credibility because of these moves.

(As an aside, can we also punch the folks in the face that think the Clippers deal was better than the one the Lakers manufactured? The Hornets were terribile this year, and they won't get any better. With Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, and Lamar Odom added to a cast that includes Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza, that Hornets team could have potentially qualified for the playoffs. Dave Stern likes to say the Clippers trade makes the Hornets better in the future. I've got news for you: Eric Gordon isn't staying past his current contract, and he's also overrated.)

So, in this very blog, I pledged I would not watch the NBA this year. I wish I could say that I kept that promise completely, but I came very close. I saw what would equate to about four games for the season. I watched Andrew Bynum record a triple-double against the Denver Nuggets to open the playoffs. I watched LeBron James choke against the Clippers (seriously parents, you want this guy as a role model for your kids?). And I watched the Lakers blow two leads against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s about it. You know what? When I wasn’t watching, I didn’t miss it. I was and am so completely disgusted by the actions of the league’s supposed MVP and the league commissioner that I can’t conjure up any emotion to care about a Lakers win or loss either way. That’s maybe not sad to you, but it’s sad to me. I put a lot of my life into that stupid league. Now, it could fall off the face of the Earth tomorrow, and I wouldn’t care.

I tried to find something to take the time that I spent watching the NBA. I tried to watch the National Hockey League, but I couldn’t find what channel they were on. Also, I’m American. Hockey is for dirty Canadians. No offense. I tried to watch a season of The Bachelor. It was terrible. I tried to watch Dancing with the Stars. It was worse. I watched even more terrible television, and I was disgusted by almost every minute of it. But you know what? It beat the alternative.

For me, the NBA no longer exists. Vince McMahon and the WWE have more credibility than that league right now. I’m sorry. It’s true. I know if you’ve made it this far that you are a NBA fan. But why? What brings you back? It’s a tainted, corrupt league run by a bigot - save that for another blog. How can you support a league that makes moves for no other reason than “basketball reasons?” Maybe you like it that it hurt the Lakers. Maybe you like it that it hurt Kobe Bryant. Heck, maybe you like it that it hurt me. But, in your heart of hearts, when you look in the mirror, is there anyway you can deny the fact that this league is nothing more than a contaminated and polluted pile of donkey feces?

As the playoffs wind down, somebody is going to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but it will be done in vain. The league has been minimized to the point where it just won’t matter until Dave Stern is gone from the league or gone from the world. If/when LeBron finally gets his NBA championship it will be irrelevant. Or, let’s put it this way, if/when he raises that trophy, it will be as relevant as when CM Punk raises the WWE title.

CM Punk…now there’s a role model your kids can look up to.

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