We got an up-close-and-personal look at the NBA’s biggest problem Sunday.
Or so we’re led to believe.
A league where players accuse referees of having an agenda while coaches label them unprofessional.
Where games are scheduled on obscure streaming something-or-others between NCIS and Candid Camera reruns.
Where the brass insists upon an 82-game schedule, says it’s OK to play just 65, then complains when 40-year-olds rest after playing 40 minutes.
Where fans are so confused by postgame talking heads, they can’t decide whether to applaud Stephen Curry’s brilliant 3-point shooting or make it harder, and whether Victor Wembanyama’s amazing shot-blocking ability needs to be deemed illegal.
Where a team has a long-term plan and successfully executes it (see Golden State Warriors), only to see the league trot out the small type in its working agreement, taxing the organization hundreds of millions for doing nothing more than bringing great basketball to arenas across the country.
Where billionaires get intimidated by the mere mention of million-dollar fines and cave (see Boston Celtics), or thumb their noses at such threats because they just won the lottery (or in this case finished fifth, which felt like a win; see Los Angeles Clippers).
Where the league can’t wait for New York’s team to become real good so it can rule its own rules unconstitutional.
Where there are “No Kings” marches in a city where they’re talking about the basketball team.
And where bad teams get excited about having lottery luck, when we all know it means very little in a year when Wemby and Cooper Flagg are unavailable.
Whew.
Sunday’s NBA Draft Lottery played out exactly like it was originally designed to play out. Bad teams won (see Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls), while good teams saw their dreams come untrue (Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets).
Wembanyama got so upset with the state of officiating that he elbowed his way into an ejection, yet Topic A on Fifth Avenue this week no doubt will be how to “fix” the lottery.
Fix what?
Clearly, the NBA would have been happier to see the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat go 1-2-3-4 in Sunday’s big spin, rather than the Warriors (they’re evil billionaires), the Clippers (they cheat), the Thunder (they’re already too good) and a bunch of losers.
Why? Because within 30 games next season, it’ll be determined that AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson aren’t saviors.
You certainly remember that foursome from the NCAA’s Final Four in March. Oh, wait. Those guys were so impactless against amateurs, their teams won a TOTAL of four games in March Madness.
You know, kinda like your brackets.
Presuming those are the top four picks in the NBA draft, you’re looking at five more wins for the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies and Hornets, and an obvious conclusion:
We need to tank one more time to get our new guy a sidekick.
You gotta know that scares Adam Silver and the State of the Game apologists. They’re talking about flipping the ping-pong odds more in favor of the big boys next year.
They’d have preferred the Pacers get the first pick this summer and immediately become a threat to the Celtics and Knicks.
The Bucks get a reason to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo around.
The Hawks add someone who speaks Jonathan Kuminga’s language.
And the Heat return to prominence, because everyone likes Erik Spoelstra.
Didn’t happen. Maybe next year, even if the NBA has to create a process we can’t understand anymore.
Make no mistake: There was only one real winner Sunday …
Naz Reid.
He preyed upon all the negativity, the accusations, the NBA-turned-NHL physicality and got Wemby to whack him.
And now the Minnesota Timberwolves are title contenders again.
Can’t say that for the Wizards.
