Guide to the Ex NBA Fan

Since I'm considering myselft a blogger these day, don't know really why 'casuse nobody reades this blog (yeah...It's too early I'm being a little dramatic here ), a lot of friends ask me things , sometimes mindblowing, about the state of the league and some random stuff.

I have three types of persons :

1. The Ex NBA Fan: This person gave up on the NBA when Jordan retired. Really, my generation grew watching MJ and Scottie collecting rings. When MJ left - for the second time - most of them stop following the league and from time to time read a headline like "3-Peat. Another Laker dinasty", "Carmelo or Lebron", "Shaquille Traded", "Riley, Heat won in 6 ", "Shaquille Traded". Stuff like that. They have lost track of the league but once they were avid fans.
2. The Casual NBA Fan: They know what's happening. They know Lebron. They know Duncan and Iverson. They know Karl Malone retired years ago. They even know that the west is better than the east. But they knowledge is limited to what they actually read on the local newspaper ( where probably the person writting the NBA notes is the same who writes about beisball, NFL, Champions Cup and water polo). When this person is bored and is surfing tru the channels and finds a NBA Game, he or she would maybe watch it.... if the game is in the fourth quater
3. The Real NBA Fan: One that ask me questions that I can answer. Example "Are the CAP limitations ruinning the grow of young teams?". I hate those guys.
   

Well this guide is for the second and first type of followers. If you think some of this questions are stupid you're probably a type two fan and you want to read the next post. If you think all questions are dumb, you are level 3 fan and I can't help you.






1. Is Shaquille O'neal still playing? Is he inmortal?

Basketball Gods: Yes, Shaq is still playing. No, he's not inmortal. He was drafted in 1993 at the age of 20. He's now 35 years old and for the last couple of years he's been declining, meaning he's not as good as he was


2. Are the Lakers the champions?

Basketball Gods: No, the current champions are the San Antonio Spurs. The last championship of the Lakers came in 2002 with Shaquille O'neal and Kobe Bryant leading them. This current season they have a pretty good team with a good chance of contending.


3. Are the Bulls good again?

Basketball Gods: No. The Bulls were good for a couple of years but thanks to a bad GM ( John Paxon, you might remember him from the Jordan - Barkley finals. He was the white guy the made the winning basket. Yes, he is the General Manager know) they suck right now


4. What about the Celtics?

Basketball Gods: The Celtics are good again. They got a couple of strong players in the summer through trades, including Kevin Garnett, and they have been playing fairly good this season. And no, they haven't win any championships since the last time you checked.


5. Is there any team out there dominating and winning every championship?

Basketball Gods: Since the Bulls last title in 1998 the Lakers won 3 straight at some point and the Spurs have won 4 times. Those are the only repeatears but there's not quite a dominating team though


6. Is Muggsy Bogues still playing?

Basketball Gods: No. His last stop was in 2001 in the Canadian city of Toronto


7. How are the Canadian franchises doing?

Basketball Gods: Well, one of them (Grizzlies) moved to Memphis. The Raptors are still in Toronto. They'd had good times and bad time, mostly bad, but now they are a regular in the playoffs.


8. Who's the next Michael Jordan? The Kobe kid?

Basketball Gods: Good question. Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are right now the most popular characters and two of the best players in the league. Kobe is 29 years old and have won 3 titles with the Lakers. Lebron is only 23 years old but he's mighty good. Kobe lacks the charisma MJ had .The jury still in for Lebron

9. What happened to Rodman?

Basketball Gods: Since the year 2000 he has been out of the league. I think he's still alive


10. Olajuwon ? David Robinson? Mutombo?

Basketball Gods: Retired.Retired. Playing at the age of 42.


11. Is Pat Riley still coaching?


Basketball Gods: Define "coaching"


12. What about Phil Jackson?

Basketball Gods: He's coaching the Lakers. Still one of the best coaches in the league.


13. Give me one reason to go back


Basketball Gods: First let me congratulate you for missing an dark age in the league that expaned since the retiring of MJ to last year. Second, if you had ask me that question a year ago there was no way I could convince you of coming back because, althought I was following the league closely, it didn't had any appeal to the casual fan. But now there's a new generation of really, really good players and the league is fill with a new brand of basketball and competitiveness, thanks in good part of all the European an Latin talent that reached the league in the last 10 years.


The biggest improvement of all is that for the first time in years nobody is trying to be like Mike. The league has learned that they have players and organizations that can carry the league without looking back to the 90's. That's huge. It really is. You left when Vince Carter was being tagged as the next Mike. Kobe talked like Mike. There's no more "like Mike" stuff.

You might also saw a crappy 1999 Knicks team reach the NBA Finals. Eventhough I can't say to you that something like that won't happen again, what I can say without fear of being wrong is that there are a greater number of good talented teams these days. Games are just more entertaiment and fun to watch.


Give it a go you might ended yo surprise