INDIANAPOLIS – About the NBA.
The ratings remain down 5%, the league still struggling from a brutal October. Another player – Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier – is under investigation in connection with the same gambling probe that led to Johntay Porter receiving a lifetime ban. And the All-Star game embarrassed everyone who has ever picked up a basketball.
But the league finally took a stand. Twitter temporarily banned the parody account NBA Centel. We can all sleep easier, Adam Silver.
The NBA is a favorite of mine, but it is becoming increasingly hard to stomach with the endless 3-pointers, box–in-none defense and lack of self-awareness.
In case you missed it, Paul George stepped back from his podcast this week, saying he wanted to focus on getting the wretched 76ers together. It says everything about the NBA culture that the immediate online reaction was that management must have strong-armed him into pushing pause on the microphone.
Or maybe George realized that all his attention should be on the job that pays him $212 million, the one where he is averaging 16.4 points per game, his worst in a decade. Big of him to make such a sacrifice. You’d think he was giving up breathing, not babbling.
The league received a jolt with the Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers. Perhaps that is where my anger really lies. Los Angeles, always equipped with a Hall of Famer since the 1970s, received a gift. It looks worse every time the Nuggets clank a 3-pointer and forget to play defense.
But hey, at least Podcast P is not talking about it.
Combine Issues: The NFL combine is facing a growing problem. At what point do they start only inviting players with a second-round grade and lower. The top players are bailing, seeing no reason to risk dropping their stock when they can work out for scouts at their controlled pro days. The combine was created as a way to bring all players together for medical and physical evaluations. It makes me wonder how long it is before the NFL Network starts televising MRIs between shuttle drills and the bench press.
Tush Push Ban: Don’t like it, stop it. This motto works in most cases with sports. But let’s be real, it is time to outlaw the Eagles’ tush push. It poses an injury risk for linemen on both sides of the ball. It amazes me that a player — beyond the leaping Washington linebacker — has not tried to cheap shot the center or quarterback Jalen Hurts. San Francisco general manager and Hall of Fame safety John Lynch admitted he would have done things “I wouldn’t have been proud of” had it been a regular thing during his playing days. Go back to the old days when no player could help forward progress. Problem solved.
Lyft drivers lament: Getting driven around Indianapolis revealed a painful truth. These folks really miss Peyton Manning. Colts fans were briefly spoiled with Andrew Luck. Since his retirement, they have been yelling into the darkness. Monday, Manning held a “Night of Champions” with former teammates and coach Tony Dungy to celebrate their Super Bowl XLI victory. Here’s hoping they air this panel discussion on loop because as long as Anthony Richardson is the quarterback the playoffs will remain a stranger.
Final thought: During the college season, the idea of receiver Tez Johnson joining his “brother” Bo Nix seemed far-fetched. But seeing him at the combine, he is not Flat Stanley. He is just big enough and definitely fast enough to take a flier on in the fourth round.