The NBA has a serious image problem, even if they refuse to admit it to themselves. There are questions about the officials. There are questions about whether or not personal agendas get in the way of the game. Interpretations of the rules change depending on which players are involved. And through it all, David Stern refuses to see an issue, being so deep in denial that he may as well be in Egypt.
Fixing the image problem that the NBA has would be relatively simple. Here are the five things that need to be done to bring the NBA back to what it once was:
1. Get rid of the lottery system for determining picks. The lottery was initially put in to keep teams from tanking their season in order to get the top pick in the draft. However, since the inception of the lottery system, there have been questions as to whether or not it is rigged. In fact, one of the league's own general managers, David Khan, recently suggested such a thing. While there is supposedly a system in place for the amount of ping pong balls each team has, it is a complex algebraic equation. For the sake of transparency, do what every other league does - the worst team gets the top pick. If the league is that concerned about teams tanking their season, fine teams that intentionally throw games, or bring in a relegation system, such as in the English Premier League. That will stop this from happening.
2. Make the referees accountable. Far too often, one can look at which referees are officiating a game, and find the likely outcome for that night. Certain referees have a personal agenda, which they bring to the court with them. For instance, who can forget Joey Crawford tossing Tim Duncan from a game because he was laughing on the bench? Create a committee designed to watch the referees, and make sure that the game is played with the actual players determining the outcome. On a related note....
3. Call the game the same way for all the players. What would be called a foul when committed by Steve Blake would not be on Kobe Bryant. Likewise, if Kobe drives the lane and someone sneezes near him, it is going to be called a foul. If Steve Blake gets hit going for a lay-up, not going to be called. The referees have a very loose interpretation as to what is a foul and what is not, and the determining factor is typically the name on the back of the jersey. Eliminate this by either fining or suspending referees that do not call the game equally. Should this be a recurring problem with certain referees, then fire them. The officials should know the rulebook, and call the game according to the actual rules, not by which ones they feel like enforcing at that particular moment.
4. Get rid of owners that are destroying their teams. Major League Baseball has a clause that allows the commissioner to take over another team, or block a trade, if it is in the best interests of baseball. This was recently used by Bud Selig when he took over the Los Angeles Dodgers, essentially forcing Frank McCourt to the curb. In the NBA, there are several owners who, through either gross imcompentance or a desire for financial gain, do nothing to improve their teams. Owners such as Donald Sterling, the Maloof brothers, and James Dolan should be forced to sell their teams to people that are interested in making them competitive, instead of pocketing a few extra dollars.
5. David Stern needs to resign as commissioner. This is the biggest one. Stern has, for years, run the NBA as though it is his personal fiefdom, where the owners and players ask for his blessing to say and do anything. There is a common belief that Stern determines who will win and lose in the playoffs, most notably the 2006 NBA Finals, where the Miami Heat were seemingly given their title over the Dallas Mavericks. He has a way of watching his league create storylines that rival those in professional wrestling. He is presiding over a league that is basically becoming a joke, and this is not what the NBA should be. Stern needs to go.
With those five changes, the NBA can once again be what it was back in it's golden age in the mid 1980's. All that is needed is for the league to admit that there is a problem. Unfortunately, this will never happen.
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