Let's be honest about what the NBA's biggest problem is now. Zion Williamson and Ja Morant failed to step into roles the league was preparing them for

[Devil Plisken…CMS]

This outdated playbook of trying to find the next “guy” is the cause of this.

Doesnt matter if Zion reached his peak he was never going to be the face of the league because he was never going to be better than Jokic,Giannis,Luka or whatever final form Wemby takes .

Can’t be the face when you’re borderline top 5 which he would’ve been

Time for the NBA to stop being lazy and archaic and actually find a new way to promote teams .

It makes ZERO since that fanbases can rock with the Lions and Browns for 60 years but it’s impossible for the NBA to have the same loyalty

NBA has been about individual dominance since the beginning

Basketball is not football

 

[Rakpo98]

Said the exact same thing in that NBA Media thread the other day. Ja & Zion were supposed to have next, and they should be carrying the torch for this current generation of players. Ja & Zion play the game the way that casual fans love, and both can dominate without the 3pt shot. Ja becoming a wannabe thug rapper, and Zion eating his way out of relevancy, did serious damage to the marketing and promoting of the league. Both those dudes are American stars, which matters a ton, because Giannis, Luka, Embiid, Jokic or SGA aren’t. Silver must be beside himself that he has to go back to the well AGAIN, in order to find that next face of the league.

 

[Wild self]

Zion's diet and overall lax mentality towards taking the NBA seriously, lost a whole generation of would-be fans.

 

[L&HH]

Nba should start the season around Christmas or early in the year . Then end right before football season. July sucks sportswise cause theres only baseball.

I might have to agree. Also with college football playoffs becoming huge there’s just way too much competition in the fall/early winter. NFL, college football, World Series. I really don’t even care to pay attention to the nba right now

 

[Professor K.]

Like I just said in the other thread



Basically the most popular players of that high school/college era disappointed in the league for one reason or another.

And now at a time when they were supposed to be in their primes leading the conversations, the players that people weren’t as interested in are the ones who made it

This sounds no different than the void in the NFL at QB from Jameis/Mariota/Blake Bortles/Carson Wentz/etc not panning out long-term for like 5 years straight that led to the same problem of Brady/Rodgers being the faces of the league well past their primes

 

[good pups]

I might have to agree. Also with college football playoffs becoming huge there’s just way too much competition in the fall/early winter. NFL, college football, World Series. I really don’t even care to pay attention to the nba right now

that would be way better. I think they're probably not gonna do it because for whatever reason ratings in the summer are lower across the board

 

[Malcolmxxx_23]

Zion Williamson being a fatass porn addict is why ratings are low. He was supposed to be averaging 30 right now as the next face of the league

 

[Kunty McPhuck]

Nba should start the season around Christmas or early in the year . Then end right before football season. July sucks sportswise cause theres only baseball.

The NBA aren't going to do that and interfere with FIBA international window.

 

[tremonthustler1]

Zion Williamson being a fatass porn addict is why ratings are low. He was supposed to be averaging 30 right now as the next face of the league

Cavs Shawn Kemp with a Naughty America password

 

[Dem313wayz]

Imagine if Mike got hurt or didnt pan out or wanted to be Ice-T? Whats the 90s? People's whole perspective on that decade and the ball played in it is different. NBA might be NHL status right now.

And still there was alot if talented hoopers in mike era who faded cuz of drugs. The biggest being Len Bias

 

[triplehate]

that would be way better. I think they're probably not gonna do it because for whatever reason ratings in the summer are lower across the board

Wherever you think you can hide from football, you are wrong. They'll extend that bytch year round. NBA, MLB, College Basketball are one month sports now. Only regular season you are going to watch is college football and NFL. Don't matter when it starts or ends, just watch the playoffs you want to anyway. You not watching 82 or 50 or 26 regular season games. Just the playoffs. (And thats ok)

 

[Paper Boi]

Gen Z the dumbest generation so no surprise there

 

[MikelArteta]

Yup you have to play and as well be media savvy without too much skeletons in the closet.

None of these guys would you want to be the face of your league or even go on a mic at halftime etc.

 

[Illuminatos]

Zion is a disgrace man. He was the most hyped prospect since LeBron. The Wemby hype did NOT compare. A damn shame what he turned out to be.

 

[Soldier]

Time for the NBA to stop being lazy and archaic and actually find a new way to promote teams .

It makes ZERO since that fanbases can rock with the Lions and Browns for 60 years but it’s impossible for the NBA to have the same loyalty

This is truly baffling. Only teams in the nba who enjoy the level of loyal support traditionally reserved for historically trash NFL teams like the bills/jets/dolphins/lions/browns are legacy marquee teams like the Celtics, Bulls, Knicks, 76ers and Lakers.

The Pistons have had a much better history, much more success, legendary players, division titles, conference titles, final appearances, league championships than the Lions during the last 40 years but the lions are still much more popular than them

Also the delusional and unnecessary need of too many nba fans to have cool, charismatic and fun star players in the league. I mean what’s wrong with boring star players as long as they ball? I don’t care about their personality, vibes or aura. I only care about their skill, talent and performances. In the nfl, most of the star players and faces of the league are legitimately boring (mahomes, kelce, burrow, Lamar, Allen, russ Wilson, Herbert, Brady, Peyton/Eli manning and rodgers before them) but the ratings remain stronger than ever regardless. That’s because in football, teams matter. Fans care first and foremost about what’s happening on the field. They don’t care what’s happening out of the field. They don’t care that much about their field antics, personalities, love lives and fashion styles. Hardcore fans don’t care about these things, only bird brained, shallow, superficial, and capricious casuals do, and unfortunately those people, player Stans and bitter Contrarians are a big percentage of people who follow the nba.