Shame on the NBA owners for being greedy, trying to milk their teams for an unbelievable eight exhibition games on top of an already marathon regular season and a taxing playoff march.Eight is too many. Just ask Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, who now may be without his star rookie prize Blake Griffin in Tuesday's much-anticipated opener against the cross-arena Lakers.
Griffin hurt his left knee Friday night in exhibition No. 8, a game that never should have been played if the league had listened to players, coaches, trainers and even nonsensical sports writers who have said for years that there is no need for so many meaningless games.
"I think almost everyone would agree that four games, and two weeks, is enough to get a team ready to start the season,'' said one former NBA player and coach. "You don't need a month, or eight games. I think most everyone was saying a week or two ago, `let's get this regular-season started.'''
Griffin, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 Draft, got hurt trying to put some emphasis on a dunk, came down the wrong way, and limped back down court but stayed in the game. Although not considered too serious, his knee was swollen, and he has needed treatment the past two days. He remains questionable for today's opener.
Griffin had looked impressive during the practice games, creating a buzz around the league with his performance and work ethic, much as expected for a No. 1 pick with great credentials. The Clips, who won only 23 and 19 games the last two seasons, have been promoting Griffin extensively, hoping to ride him to a quick turnaround.
Now he may watching from the bench. The Clips aren't the only one who will suffer from too long of an exhibition schedule. The Atlanta Hawks, who played like they didn't enjoy playing basketball anymore Friday night against the Magic, may be without center Al Horford for their opener Wednesday night. Horford sprained his ankle in Friday's scrum in Orlando.
Although rookies like Griffin are trying to carve their niche early, veterans aren't playing full speed, knowing no one remembers what happened during practice games. Coaches can see from practices, and from half the number of games, who they want in their lineup for opening night.
You can feel bad for the players, who really didn't want or need the extra practice games, but don't feel bad for the teams, who simply schedule too many games to help cover their bills.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-26-2009 @ 8:23PM
Giles said...
The up to 8 exhibition games are often meaningless because often the GMs don`t have basketball on their minds at. They sign guys before the exhibition season, so they commit based on which guys wear women`s jewelry, which guys let their coaches kiss them in public, which guys have sex with them in private, and not on who plays basketball well. And it creeps ever more out of the closet onto the tv. If the GMs waited until before the regular season to sin guys, if they cared about who competes well on court, the exhibition games would be where jobs were won or lost. But teams do things like pay a max salary to a guy then tell him NOT to practice, because the whole season will be about trying to con or force him into accepting a buy out, not about playing basketball, like the Knicks did to Marbury. If they`d wanted to win they`d have told him to practice instead of locking him out, even though they had no plans to play him. But they didn`t want to win, and got their wish, they didn`t win. Only about 8 guys are in the playing rotation for most teams, some go as high as 10 on their 15 man rosters. The best 8 or 10 could be signed before the exhibition games, but the rest should have to fight for their sports ON COURT, not in the bed room. But that isn`t what happens, is it? No ne forced Dunleavy to play Griffith, they knew they were going to start him in the regular season. But guys only get better by working at it, and the Clippers should have fired Dunleavy and hired Fratello or someone else who can coach defense. Every season, they score more than enough points to win, but give up even more. Because they don`t care. They are paid to be tattooed and wear women`s jewelry, not to play defense. And in the media, not just sports, not just basketball, that is the norm now. Riley, Collins, Brown, etc., kiss their athletes on tv and aren`t jailed as mentally disordered sex offenders for their gay exhibitionism, they are paid bonuses for ignoring winning basketball! And the Academy Awards go to the movies about gay adultery, like BreakBack Mountain, or whatever it was called. What does two gay actors playing gay have to do with acting? But the media reports fake sex changees as if they are real, when they are NOT possible. All that matters to them is their backsides. So of course the exhibition games are meaningless. James has two earrings, his coach kisses him, why not just give him the championship trophy for letting his coach kiss him on tv, and forget the season, and the post season, not just the preseason? Folks want ranting articles and ranting replies? Okay, that is a rant! It also seems to be the truth. Unfortunately. I check the box scores on even exhibition games. They mean something to me, whether they mean something to the teams, like they should, or not.
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10-27-2009 @ 12:12AM
grover said...
What the crap are you talking about? Lay off the espresso.
10-26-2009 @ 8:36PM
Bryan said...
this has more to do with the Clipper curse than the number of preseason games
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10-26-2009 @ 8:48PM
Lakergregg said...
If these guys weren't playing pro ball many of them would be running 8 games a day at the park.
Quit whining they're getting paid guaranteed money regardless if they're sitting on the bench in uniform or in one of Lamar Odom's ridiculous and I'm guessing overpriced outfits.
A guy gets hurt in exhibition game number 8, if they cut the exhibition games to four does that mean he would've just been hurt in regular season game number 4?
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10-26-2009 @ 10:47PM
ballersinbox said...
Make the play-off series a best of 3 instead of a best of 7. Can you imagine the intensity and the electricity of a best of 3 series? The importance of each play-off game would be magnified at least tenfold! Instead we get these best of 7 that just drag on & on and wear & tax on the players health
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10-27-2009 @ 1:03PM
Lu Galasso said...
Pre-season is way, way, way, way too long. Everyone involved hates it. As a fan, I hate it. Thank god the season is finally starting.
-Lu Galasso
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