Of the four "major" sports (major because hockey has lost its foothold), the NBA is my least favorite to watch. I care about it as much as the players do throughout most of the season, which is not much. And that's the main issue. The season is 82 games, and the players don't really start caring till maybe the last month, or so it seems. The league has wildly disparate teams talent wise- out of thirty teams, I count about six or seven title contenders, and within that group, some are barely contenders. Over a whole season, it turns into the big dogs winning a lot, solidifying their spots, while some crappy teams in the East luck into a playoff spot, and some team in the West gets shafted. Either way, there's no excitement through the season. Also, the games aren't very exciting, as the players don't really put up an effort until the last two minutes for most of the season. I do enjoy playing NBA 2k11, but the game is not quite like the real game.
I do, though, enjoy watching the best players for a little. Seeing LeBron, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo and Kobe play is a lot of fun when they decide to turn it on for a little bit. Basically, I'm a light weight NBA fan. I like the amazing moments and the stars, but going deeper, meh.
But on to the season. The huge free agent summer has passed, and now the season has to match the hype. The Heat come in as the biggest story in the NBA, with their new super team. Then there's the rest of the East, which features the last stand Celtics (aka The Old Heat), the Magic, and the new and improved Bulls, even though Boozer was dumb enough to break his hand. In the West, the Lakers go for three in a row, the Thunder try and unseat them with their young, awesome team, Chris Paul carrying the Hornets, Dirk carrying the Mavericks, the Nuggets trying to appease Carmelo, the Jazz being their usual consistent self, and Steve Nash running on his last legs in Phoenix. These are all interesting subplots, but they all play out over such a long time, that I can't be interested in it until the playoffs.
Finally, a note about the whole LeBron James deal. The whole backlash comes from our expectations of what The Best Player in Basketball should be, ever since Michael Jordan. Jordan didn't win a championship for the first seven years of his career, yet he never was so self absorbed (or more media conscious) to create a huge stink over his own free agency, and build it up so much that he would end up disappointing a large amount of people. Jordan stuck with his team, let them build around him (Scottie Pippen anyone?), and willed his team to victory. He would not allow himself to appear as if he had given up and taken the easy way out. He's seen as such a heroic figure because he stuck with one team and made them into champions, along with some help from the front office. LeBron got some help from his front office in Cleveland, who honestly tried the last couple of years (and haven't been lucky to get a Pippen-like player). The idea that society now has about a sports hero is one who goes through adversity and eventually comes out on top out of sheer will. LeBron, by going to a Super-Team, appears to have taken the easy way out. It may win him some championships, but he will always have that "yeah, but he was playing with another top 5 guy (Wade) AND a great low post player (Bosh).
No one finds James' new decision heroic in the traditional sense. He's betrayed his original team and took the easiest path to the championship. And not many, besides Heat fans, find that at all heroic. He's now just a special player surrounded by more special players. He's going to coast to the playoffs and then might be tested a little, but nothing like Jordan. He's not living up to our expectations. Somehow all this escaped him. It'll be the most interesting plot of the season to see how public reaction changes, if it does at all.
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