Who Then to Praise?

I'm at fault. The beginning six posts of this blog were all attacks and condemnations to the famed people of basketball - notable individuals such as Coach K, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, the list goes on and on. But it's not to say that they were not for any good reason. The individuals that I've focused my attention on in my previous posts did do things that opened the door for blatant criticism. I only come to the decision that I'm still at fault because I'm making it seem like the institution of basketball is full of selfish, narrow-minded, and thoughtless individuals. Well right now, I'm going to make a case for why this isn't the case. Or I'm going to try to because at the end of the day, as much as I am blown away time and time again by the ridiculous actions of the individuals that make up today's game of basketball (at least in America's perspective), this is my favorite sport (hence the subject of my blog), and it is my duty to defend it.

How am I going to defend it? Well, since I've magnified almost all of the faults of various individuals of the sport, I'm going to have to magnify the praises that some of the individuals of basketball deserve. And no, I am not going to be speaking about "NBA Cares", which is basically the NBA's initiative to show that the league is not full of tweeters that carry around guns or "professionals" who get drunk during halftime.

I'm definitely not beginning my case off very strongly...

Let's turn our attention to Erik Spoelstra. He sounds like a no-name now. Sure looks it to by the picture above. But when the 2010-2011 season hits, he's going to be the most frequently televised coach as coach of the now star-studded, Miami Heat. Let's put ourselves in his shoes for a bit:

1). He visits his hometown in the Phillipines this summer and isn't received very warmly because he is now the head coach of the league's enemy. No one likes sell-out players and teams with too much talent - that's what the Miami Heat is now.

2). Everyone expects Miami to go deep into the playoffs, probably even the Finals. You still have Dwayne Wade, Miami's star. You now have two-time NBA MVP, Lebron James, and All-Star forward, Chris Bosh. Expectations have already been established. You better go far.

3). Pat Riley, Miami's current general manager, was in a similar situation in the 2006 NBA season with the Miami Heat. He was head coach of a star-studded line up that included up-and-coming rising star, Dwayne Wade, then three-time champion, Shaquille O'Neal, and plenty of experieced veterans, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker, and Alonzo Mourning just to name a few. Pat Riley led his team to victory. Same expectations, even worse, same team. Can Spoelstra do it?

Coach Spoelstra has exceedingly, high expectations. And no one likes him or his team. And just another side note that is probably on his mind, but surpisingly hasn't been mentioned in any columns or blogs thus far. Phil Jackson had stars aplenty on his 2004 Lakers roster, including Kobe, Shaq, Payton, and Malone. His team lost in the Finals to Detroit, and Rudy Tomjanovich became the next Lakers coach in 2005.

Not a very comfortable situation Spoelstra is in. But despite it all, he remains calm. And what's more important, he stays away from the press. As NBA coaches, executives, analysts, and players criticize LeBron for his lack of motivation last year or his decision to air his decision on ESPN, almost everyone on the Miami Heat, including executives and players, is caught causing attention to themselves by protecting their new star. Spoelstra, however, keeps his mouth shut and subtlely comments to ESPN:

"I'm not going to comment on other teams. We've turned our attention to the season looming ahead, not the summer that we've left behind."

That's probably the best way to end this war of words. Spoelstra didn't slander his name or anyone else's name. Compared to all of the individuals that make up the NBA, he is probably in one of the most difficult situations. But he's keeping a level-head throughout all of this. And he's finding ways to logically approach some of his issues. For instance, he's moving the Heat training camp to Hurlburt Field, an Air Force Base in Miami, to avoid himself and his team from any distractions. This is a great move because it is less "press-friendly" down there, and it'll give him the opportunity to bring his team closer together. The NBA world is going to be on Miami's case every step of the way come October. Miami has to be even closer to not let that phase them. Good move, Spoelstra.



- Leather Head