Players Who Love The NBA

I joined the NBA’s opening night a bit late last week, tuning in to the Celtics-Cavaliers game on TNT with a minute left, and witnessed LeBron James driving to the basket, pivoting with one foot, pivoting with the other, then pirouetting into the lane for a critical layup while taking four steps or so, which, last time I looked, is at least 2 steps beyond the spirit of the law.

And if, from time to time, LeBron or a mere mortal of the sport stretches the rules and the referees eat their whistles, so be it; it is the business we have chosen, and we love the game.

Supposedly, the Thunder have put together the latest super team, with Anthony, Paul George and Russell Westbrook, except, by definition, no team that includes Melo can be a super team.

To be a super team, you first must buy into the concept of team, and Melo has not done this since his one season of matriculation as a student-athlete at Syracuse University can’t remember what he was majoring in in 2002-03.

I also know, from personal experience, that any time I play poker four times in five days, I am dead to the world, sometimes even unable to get to an ATM to withdraw $40 to feed my dog and my wife.

LeBron called Donald Trump “a bum,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called him “a coward,” Wizards guard Bradley Beal called him “a clown” and Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan called him “a so-called leader.” Young rarely passes, rarely rebounds, rarely plays defense and rarely helps his teammates.