Off season nonsense: Did Allen Iverson hurt the NBA?

[Yeti]

I do agree that the NBA is no longer as respected as it used to be. But I would argue that the real culprit was Stern. He fostered this "STAR" attitude where individual performance was encouraged more than team play. Some stars were good guys like Jordan, and others were not, like Iverson. The league now puts up with any kind of behavior and has learned how to control their image. Like many other businesses, the only goal is profits at any cost. I fit your demographic and I watch a lot less NBA than I used to (except for the Hawks), I just can't stand watching some of the ego-monsters. It's amazing that Stern has survived all the scandals - cheating refs, fighting in the stands, guns in the locker room, drugs, rape charges, nude pictures, wife beating, punching coaches, shootings. Yeah, maybe they ARE thugs, but the real thug is Stern.

[RedDawg#8]

If one player could single handedly "ruin" a sports league, I wouldn't consider that to be a very strong league to begin with. I blame stern, mostly for the pussifying of the game of basketball. It really is turning into pro-wrestling with the way the game is officiated now. A talented team means nothing as long as the other team has the best player on the court.

Plus, the term thug is overused when talking about the NBA. NFL players were and still are more "thuggish" than anyone in the NBA, but somehow Goddell has gotten them to clean up their image to the point where nobody fears a black player with dreads and a goatee the same way people feared a bball player with tats and cornrows. So again I blame Stern. Y is ur league perceived so negatively despite the numerous good guys you have to market. Y is american football greater than the international game of Basketball? Both leagues are dominated by us black folk, with tats and every other stereotype and generalization you can use to turn off a white veiwer, but the NBA is no comparison to the NFL. Say what you want about players, it starts at the top. If you're job is to run a successful league and people don't like ur product, then it's your failure. You can blame everything on Cornrows and tats, Meanwhile, the NFL is making money off the backs of rapists, and ex-cons, steroid-users, wife-beaters, oh and even a murderer or 2.

[MVP23]

All good points guys thanks. I get a 59 (out of 60) and I used some of your opinions. Like I said, I think he broadcasted a negative image to the rest of the world that hurt the NBA. He is a HOFer, but...still..

[bonethugz]

i actually think the OP asking the wrong group of people. i think most of us here are true and die-heart basketball/nba/hawks fans. we watch basketball/nba/hawks no matter what. dr j, mj, ai whoever doesn't really matter.

one more thing, basketball never really the most popular sport in the country. it's always baseball and football first. now the nba is just getting back to reality from the 90s.