Bad Behavior Less Obvious This Year

It's so nice to see a reduction in the thugish behavior that has infected professional basketball for a generation now. Does anyone miss Stephon Marbury, Alan Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, or Rafer Alston? As pro basketball has degenerated from a beautiful game of skill to a circus sideshow, it has gained young viewers at the expense of the legitimacy of the sport. Seeing the general revulsion of the behavior of LeBron James, and also to the recent Richard Hamilton led player boycot of the Detroit Pistons, it could well be that the tide is FINALLY turning away from the hoodlum element of the sport, and hopefully returning to real basketball. It's refreshing to see the new stars like Kevin Durant acting and looking like athletes instead of members of a carnival side show...or a street gang. One hidden benefit of the NBA has been the rule forcing the high school stars to spend a year in college. While it didn't do much for Marbury or Iverson, the rest of those in the one and done era seem to be growing as people before they get to the NBA. We've seen the arrested development of a Kobe Bryant, a Kevin Garnett, a LeBron James, a Tracy McGrady, and even a Dwight Howard (just suspended for 16 technical fouls) because they lost this critical year of personal growth before being locked into the self serving prison that is their 'posse'. Even though most these players eventually overcome this handicap to a degree, they are never as good as they could have been with that year of emotional development. Recently, Kobe Bryant was asked who he thought was the better player, Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook. His answer "Bof". "Bof"!!!! This is a man with years in the league and untold millions of dollars. "Bof". You can't help but think that if he'd have spent that year at LaSalle, the answer would have been "Both".