Tony Kornheiser is pathetic (so is society for empowering him as a radio host)

[ATXSPUR]

national sports guy = moron

[NoMoneyDown]

You have to realize that 99% (or more) of people on TV with shows are there not because they are brilliant at the technical issues surrounding their show (i.e., basketball geniuses, war geniuses, health geniuses), but almost solely because they are good entertainers. Most of the time, you can even catch them saying one thing (adamently) and a few days/weeks/months later saying the exact opposite (again, adamently).

[PM5K]

No question the Suns chances would have been considerably better if Nash was in there because he runs their offense.

It would be like Joe Montanna having to sit out the last minute of a football game when his team was down by six...

[Extra Stout]

The NBA chooses to have a marketing nightmare. The league is all about individuals, teams don't matter. It's always, always, "Kobe and the Lakers take on Nash and the Suns, or McGrady and the Rockets meet Vince Carter and the Nets, etc...

The NFL doesn't operate that way...its about the team and always has been that way. Cowboys and the Redskins, Steelers take on the Chargers, and on and on.

Basketball never has had the widespread appeal football has. Some sports have a baseline of popularity that es when a transcendant figure is playing. Look at golf right now with Tiger Woods. When his career goes into decline, golf will not be able to sustain its popularity.

There is no way the NBA can be successful if their marketing push is behind teams like the Spurs. There aren't enough true fans of the game for that. In football, you can have a 17-14 defensive grinder, and fans will still eat it up. They don't need the high-flying offense all the time. In basketball, the reason the casual fan watches is to see an up-and-down game with lots of scoring. That is why people love the Suns, and why some media even openly root for them.

The only other case where the NBA is popular is when marquee franchises in major markets have big-name stars and do well. If the exact lineups of the Mavericks, Suns, and Spurs, were instead playing for the Sixers, Knicks, and Celtics, the NBA would be all the rage right now. The league reached its peak when it had Magic and Kareem in Los Angeles, Larry in Boston, Michael in Chicago, Moses & Dr. J, and then Charles in Philadelphia, and Patrick in New York.

Also, the casual white fan still comes up to me to complain about the "thugs" and "criminals" in the NBA. It is going to take a long time to change that perception.

[leemajors]

anyone catch kornheiser and wilbon ripping d`asani for his asinine talent comments today?

[ballhog]

Kornheiser likes to talk about American Idol. That's it. He hasn't watched an NBA game forever. Don't listen to him. He probably watches SportsCenter for a few highlights.