But, no, that's really not it either. The real transition the NBA needs to be in is away from David Stern, whose soul belongs to show business, not sport. What the NBA needs is to stop looking for another Michael Jordan and concentrate on the game, which was doing just fine before Michael Jordan and should be doing just fine now that he's gone, but which has gotten increasingly prosaic in recent years thanks to the emphasis on defense. Whichever, professional basketball is increasingly standing out as the only major sport that tries to attract younger fans while cutting back on offense. Much of that, of course, is due to something far beyond the NBA's control, which is the failure to teach sound fundamentals at lower levels, particularly college.
Pro coaches are too busy to teach.
Even to those of us who have advocated players' rights to free agency, the whole thing is getting out of control. Myself, I wish David Stern would drop the interviews and press conferences on image and marketing and devote himself to the creation of a summer instructional league. And, as any Laker fan who has ever watched Shaquille O'Neal air-ball free throws in overtime can testify, it shouldn't just be for rookies. Of course, if you're like me, you care about these things, but they're not going to be foremost in your mind when it gets close to playoff time. I can save you some time.