So I'm a big hoops fan with possibly entertaining opinions on the Boston Celtics.
Since I have in the past (pre-recession and comedy career) subscribed to The NBA League Pass package on cable and I also play in a couple of fantasy basketball leagues. ( Guess what- I'm single too for some reason) I receive many e-mails from the NBA and its various offspring. I usually delete them without looking, but this one caught my eye because it was addressed from David Stern (finally, hes reaching out to me) and the subject was the "Fan Poll 2010-2011". I decided to actually put down the blackberry and use an actual computer to take this poll. I'll admit I enjoy taking polls and voting on sports related issues, but this poll seemed more important to me because the NBA is in a state of flux right now and the NBA listens to its fan base far more than the MLB or the NFL. The NBA, although considered a massive success in global marketing, is reporting losses of over 340$ million and Stern announced yesterday that they are going to try and cut costs by about 800$ million next year to try and turn a proft. The reason the league is going broke is because of player salaries and overpaid bench warmers. Stern specifically said that the 800$ million was coming out of the players pockets, so we can expect a lock out for sure on that one.
And that was the tone of the poll. Most of the questions revolved around specific players (Who is the best defensive player? Who is the best rookie?) with many questions being predictions (Who will win the Eastern Conf Finals?). The message was clear: Who's earning their money and who's not? The question that interested me the most and was the most clearly Lebron related was: Who is your favorite player? The crown of most popular player is up for grabs. Durant is probably gonna have it by Christmas, but I was taking the poll as a 28 yr old comedian who does nothing all day but watch DVR'd Celtics preseason games.
But who is my favorite player? I've always been a Celtics fan, but also a fan of the whole league not being a total homer. To the chagrin of many of my family members I was a huge Magic Johnson fan as a child, although their disdain could possibly have been twofold. John Starks,Barkley, Shaq, were all there beside Bird, Chief, Mchale, and Reggie Lewis. And that was when I was a kid who actually played the sport of basketball, now I'm a grown ass man with a silly job. Who is my favorite player? I had to think about it for a few minutes, but then it was clear. Kevin Garnett.
KG is the perfect player you would want if you were a coach trying to go for a championship, and he would also make the perfect spokesman for the NBA. This may not always have been true for the emotional KG when he was a 19 year old rookie or in his entire tenure in Minnesota, but it has been true since he put on the Celtics Green. We're all glad to see to the league taking a step towards a team mentality, team play and defense. The fundamentals of Celtic Basketball since Red took over the team. All players talk about how winning games is the only goal and they just want a championship. This is total fucking bullshit. It is probably true of Kevin Durant, Rajon Rondo, and Kobe Bryant (yes I think he's truly obsessed with winning.). It is probably not true of Gilbert Arenas, Vince Carter and LeBron James.
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| Lebron James yells at his Mom and Delonte Wests' Ex. They're the same. |
I do think LeBron wants to win the championship this year. They would love to open whatever it is they're trying to do down there with a ring and silence the haters. It's gonna be great to watch this not happen. But LeBron really cares about is his brand. He wants to be known all over the world like MJ. He just doesn't want to have to work as hard as MJ did to win all the rings. LeBron James has spent far too much time listening to the coins hitting the floor and not enough time making the players around him better. That's what separates MJ from LBJ. But Lebron repeatedly talks about being a billionaire someday and he will accomplish this, and at that moment he will be as happy as Kevin Garnett is when he hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy over his head. It doesn't make him a bad person, it just doesn't make him obsessed with winning basketball games, which is what KG is, more than anyone else in the league. And when he comes back this year twice as healthy as he was last year, people will begin using a different tone when speaking of him. Not the "let's see if we see flashes of the old KG" then the amnesia sets into "I wonder if KG will be voted MVP of the Finals?"
It doesn't matter if you're a softball coach or Phil Jackson. If you're putting together a team you're
chances are much better with Kevin Garnett than without him. There's is no statistic for that. KG motivates young players while bringing out the best in old ones. He makes a sizable impression on a game from the bench in a suit. I want KG standing next to me when I ask out hot chicks with horrible personalities. I want KG sitting people at my comedy shows and standing to stage right waiting to give hecklers the evil eye. I want KG to stand on Tremont St and help me parallel park my car. I can't think of a single situation in life that would not be improved by having KG with you, except possibly hailing a cab in New York City.The season begins this evening. Bostons Big Three will face Miamis Big One, plus lame (in the race horse sense dilettantes)Flash in the Pan, plus overrated stat padder. The teams are evenly matched. Perhaps one could even say on paper that the Heat look better. They are younger and faster. I think it's pretty much a draw and the game will come down to who really truly wants it more. And anyone who's ever looked Lebron and KG in the eyes knows who that is. Even if it's just because he's batshit crazy.
