I am not a Boston Celtics fan. Hell, I am not even an NBA fan. I am, however, a basketball fan who cares more about the integrity and meritocracy of the game than rooting for any particular team.
Immediately following the aftermath of the infamous, disgraceful, fixed 2002 Western Conference Final between the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers, I remember telling my friends the NBA would never be the same again. I thought David Stern lost all credibility. I was wrong. The league recovered. Life goes on.
Today, in a game in which Stern's pet project LeBron James attempted 24 free throws in an off shooting night, the Heat were on the favorable end of all borderline calls as usual. Rajon Rondo was hit in the face by Dwyane Wade just like Mike Bibby's nose was bloodied by Kobe Bryant in 2002. Again, no call.
The new breed of officials such as Tom Washington clearly are "company men" just like Dick Bavetta, Steve Javie, Tim Donaghy, etc. Will this game change anything? Will the NBA's brand ever be affected by continuously putting out a rigged product?
I hope today is the time for the fans to take a stand. I hope today is the day basketball fans, not Heat fans, Celtics fans, Lakers fans, say "no more" together.
I love this game with every part of my being, but this unethical, illegal activity must have consequences. We must let those in charge knows that we will not tolerated obviously fixed games and manufactured legacies.
On this same day, the draft lottery took place. Many of you probably don't know the draft lottery was created in 1985 (shortly after Stern took over as commissioner) to allocate Patrick Ewing to the big-market New York Knicks.
Is the NBA fixed?
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Yes
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No
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Don't know
There is video proof that he cheated on that very draft lottery to allow the Knicks to select Ewing. Is the big-market Chicago being able to select hometown kid Derrick Rose with the #1 overall pick despite winning 33 games the season before a mere coincidence? What about Cleveland getting hometown kid LeBron James? (a feel-good story at the time)
The Hornets seem to be getting rewarded this year with the No. 1 pick by following Stern's instruction to trade Chris Paul to the Clippers rather than rework the trade with the Lakers after Stern overstepped to veto the deal. It seems like every time a surefire potential franchise player is the consensus No. 1 pick, some unexpected shenanigans happen during the lottery.
In a sport that overemphasizes rings and championships when measuring greatness, David Stern and the NBA political machine (including mouthpieces in the media, "company man" referees, insiders including ex-players that turned into executives such as Joe Dumars, and the entire good old boy network) has done everything in their power to legitimize his pet project LeBron James.
The ultimate goal is to get him rings, shed the "choker" and "fraud" label, and become this generation's Michael Jordan. Basically, they seek to "manufacture" his legacy.
The LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant debate ended with the media declared James the winner by taking away Bryant's supporting cast (Lamar Odom, vetoed Chris Paul trade) and even suggesting Bryant is washed up despite carrying the Lakers by himself and leading the league in scoring most of the season.
It is always somehow James' teammates' fault, no matter how high the team's payroll is or how many previously well-established co-stars or role players are acquired.
Never mind the fact that the Cavaliers, despite being in a mid-market, had the second highest payroll in the league during James' last years there. The Cavs went through makeovers after makeovers, big acquisitions come and go, yet they are never that good.
Ricky Davis was shipped out because James couldn't co-exist with him. James hated playing with Eric Snow. He drove out Drew Gooden, so his buddy Anderson Varejao can land a huge contract. Flip Murray proved to be a good scorer with the Cavs, yet they chose to resign the one-dimensional Daniel Gibson due to his ties with James.Â
He dominated the ball and clogged up the lane, so Larry Hughes couldn't slash. I find it hard to believe Hughes was signed to be a spot up shooter. Wally Szczerbiak, Donyell Marshall, David Wesley, Jeff McInnis, and Eric Snow all saw their careers going down the drain after joining the Cavs.
They were all productive players before joining. It is funny how Ben Wallace, Shannon Brown, Carlos Boozer and Sasha Pavlovic all had career renaissances to different degree once they left LeBron James.
It is never James' fault. When the Heat were in crisis mode against the Pacers, the media blamed his supporting cast for being somehow still not good enough despite one superstar in his own right (Dwyane Wade) and one perennial all-star (Chris Bosh) on his team, a luxury few had.
James and Wade never commit to sacrificing their stats and playing team ball like the Celtics Big 3 did when they came together. Yet Tracy McGrady is perceived as a failure despite one of the worst supporting casts ever assembled for an elite player.
Allen Iverson is perceived as a cancer despite low payrolls and a revolving door of pathetic supporting cast in Philly. When did they ever had the opportunity to "manufacture" their legacies with high payrolls, team up with other superstars and chase after rings?
To me, the NBA is a joke. Right now, it is more about the off-the-court soap opera than the actual game. The game fixing, the dress code, the no-tolerance rule that bans showing emotions on the court, the blackballing of beloved authentic superstars and insiders who crossed David Stern take the fun out of the game.
It is truly a sad that one of the bright young faces of the league, Kevin Durant, feels the need to hide all of his tattoos under his jersey in the year 2012.
Larry Brown wanted to bring in Allen Iverson after A.I. was deliberately screwed over in his contract year in Detroit mere months after averaging 27 points, 7 assists, 45 percent shooting and leading Denver to a then-franchise record in wins.
It is unprecedented that one of the best players in the game should forever be an eighth-man bench player in a span of a few months, as the media made many casual fans believe in the lies, but David Stern's yes-man Jordan vetoed it as part of the operation that's ultimately objective is to kick A.I. out of the league.
Iverson sacrificed his stats in Denver (shot only 18 times a game) and was meshing with Rip in Detroit (won 7 in a row, beat Lakers, Magic, Cavs head to head) until they forced that scrub Stuckey into the starting lineup and put the blame on him.
If you recall, Larry Brown was vocal and probably the only insider who empathized with Iverson and came to Iverson's defense several times as a head coach of the Bobcats including when Stern's media cronies called the fans "stupid" after a grassroots campaign voting A.I. into the All-Star game in 2010 was successful.
The point of the campaign was most fans just wanted to shove it to Stern and the media for destroying one of the icons of our generation.
The well-connected Brown clearly didn't abide by the company line when discussing the Iverson situation. That's why he was fired and subsequently blackballed a mere 30 games after leading the Bobcats to their first playoff berth.
Brown ultimately was blackballed from the NBA himself and was even begging for an assistant coaching job with the Celtics to no avail.Â
If the Bobcats were really operating under a tight budget, why did they trade for the overpaid scrub Stephen Jackson instead of letting Larry Brown bring in Allen Iverson?
If Brown really lost the team, why does Scott Skiles still have a job? Jordan, like Joe Dumars, is just another one of Stern's henchmen who abides by the company line.
These incidents in the NBA in the past decade alone are even shadier than the Black Sox Scandal. As a basketball fan who only wish to watch high-quality basketball and the best players play, the NBA has been a bitter disappointment.
It is time that they stop playing us for fools. To whose who are in charge, are you listening?
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