Bill Simmons can fix that.
But it isn't likely anybody at any level of power either on the management/ownership or player side (much less the fiscally, ahem, disenfranchised fans) will read the well-reasoned insights of the ESPN columnist and heed any of his advice. That doesn'êt mean you can'êt or shouldn'êt have a gander at the Rx proposed by the popular scribe. Pull up Simmons' definitive piece about the NBA, posted Wednesday (Feb. 24).
Simmons, a darling of Seattle basketball fans if only for his persistence in referring to the Oklahoma City Thunder as the Zombie Sonics, indicts owners, players, and fans for perpetuating the worst business model since Enron.
Not to attempt to steal the, uh, thunder from the inimitable Simmons but be advised that his proposed solutions probably would result not only in a much more fiscally sound NBA but a more entertaining league as well. Key to moving the association toward a road to recovery would be disincentives for owners to make stupid choices. One would be a way to avoid having owners fold up a season early in order to maneuver for top lottery positions.
But my favorite idea is one that would penalize owners for consecutive non-playoff-making seasons. Such perennial failure would result in rolling back charges to season-ticket holders. In this regard, Simmons surely knows of what he writes. He actually admits, after all, to being an ongoing season-ticket holder for Los Angeles Clippers games.
