NBA Yearender: Downer Stories

     While last season was a great season for a good number of people in the NBA, it was also a disappointing season for some.  To continue my NBA yearender stories, I present my top downer stories.

1.  'Sheed and AI, The Collapse - While many blame GM Joe Dumars and Coach Michael Curry for the Detroit Pistons' collapse this season (a disappointing 8th seed and first round sweep exit in the playoffs), equally or more so to blame are the Pistons two veterans.  Rasheed Wallace was considered one of the cornerstones of the franchise, one of its all stars, but he was a shadow of his former self, averaging a mere 12 points and 7 rebounds.  Generally, he looked liked an angry old man, shooting ill-advised threes, barely defending and gathering technical fouls left and right.  Allen Iverson was no better.  Acquired from Denver in a trade for Chauncey Billups, Piston fans' and observers' (including myself) interest were piqued at the possibilities of AI finally playing with a talented playoff team.  He, however, reverted to his old spoiled self, complaining about playing time, bogging down an already slow offense and just destroying team morale in general.  In the end, no amount of coaching could save a Pistons team being dragged down by two grumpy old men.

2.  Lebron's Whiner/Wiener Moment

     I've already dedicated an article on this, but it remains one of the NBA season's most disappointing stories.  Losing a hard fought victory to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals, Lebron showed poor class in going straight to the locker room, thereby failing to shake hands with the Magic players and avoiding the press.  Instead of apologizing the next day, he claimed that he couldn't be blamed for not shaking hands since he was a winner, and winners don't shake hands with those who beat them.  The NBA fined him for missing media session, and while it was meant to chastise Lebron's poor class, it only gave him an out as he has since then felt no need to publicly and personally apologize to the Magic, especially his Team USA teammate Dwight Howard.  Make no mistake, Lebron is still a great player basketball wise, and maybe he will prove to be a winner in upcoming seasons, but this moment was a wiener moment.

3.  Big Injuries to Big Men

     Injuries are a part of every team in every NBA season, but some injuries are truly worse than others.  This was none more true than for the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets.  Both teams were built for the long haul.  They both seemed on their way to challenge for the title, having great regular seasons and beating thier first round playoff opponents, but injuries to Boston's Kevin Garnett and Houston's Tracy Mcgrady and later on Yao Ming eventually derailed both teams.  What made their stories truly heartbreaking was that both teams played over those injuries and even took their opponents, eventual NBA Finals protagonists LA Lakers and Orlando Magic to the full seven games.  Imagine the chaos if they went on to beat their opponents.

4.  Steve Kerr's Losing Gamble

   

      With the Phoenix Suns failing to win or even enter the NBA Finals under Mike D'Antoni's whirlwind offensive teams, GM Steve Kerr was tasked to remold the team, refitting them for another attempt.  With Kerr spending championship years with great defending teams like the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, he gambled on building a team based on defense and not offense, basically a complete opposite of the previous Suns teams.  While it was a good plan on paper, Kerr inherited a team that couldn't defend.  Furthermore, he hired good friend Terry Porter, who as the head coach, coudn't get his team's ear.  What resulted was a mess.  Phoenix began playing a slow down, boring defensive game, without playing any defense.  As the losses mounted, team chemistry dropped and not even a change in head coach and the addition of Jason Richardson could save the lost season.  With Shaq traded this offseason and Amare Stoudemire on his way out, it's obvious that Kerr has recognized his gamble had clearly failed, and the Sun's run and gun team that was a thrill a minute for several years is now officially dead.

5.  The Donaghy Headache

     If you've had one of those pesky headaches that won't go away, you'd know how David Stern feels every time disgraced ex-NBA referee TIm Donaghy opens his mouth.  Already in jail for fraud, Donaghy continued his assault on the NBA and its integrity, claiming a "mob hit" was executed on him as two inmates allegedly busted up his knee cap.  To rub salt on the proverbial wounds, Donaghy has also warned of his plans to write a tell-all book, that will tell of, "the culture of fraud and manipulation that permeates the NBA."  While police have subsequently ruled out the voracity of his claimed "mob" attack, Donaghy's continued rumor mongering no doubt causes more headaches for the NBA which is looking to move on from this PR nightmare spawned by Donaghy's poor decisions and associations of the past.  His wild accusations, which are most probably false, only adds fuel to the fire that burns for those conspiracy theorists, who are convinced the NBA is a rigged league.  Donaghy's actions merely feed his need for fame and money, and take away form the efforts of all of the NBA's athletes, coaches and trainers.  

     Despite all these downer stories, the NBA continues to be a great source of entertainment, and undoubtedly millions of people around the world eagerly await the upcoming season, just like me.

(coming soon: My NBA Awards)