The New NBA

This year the NBA has been more exciting than I have seen in quite a while. The stories that have been associated with the league have been extraordinary. The year started off last summer with Kobe Bryant blasting the Lakers organization, and wanting to get out of town. And we see how this is working out for them. Then there is the fresh infusion of stars into the game. Anytime the NBA has been at a peak, it has been because of star power, and this year is not different. These young, marketable stars have brought old fans back to the game, new fans, and made current fans more aware. Two words: Chris Paul, 'nuff said. Another storyline that kept the people's attention, is the tight race down the line the Western conference. Every night someone new could jump around a few spots.

Drama is always a nice attractive element to anything, and the NBA has had its fair share of it this year. I spent the whole summer waiting for Kobe Bryant to end up in Chicago, Dallas, or any other team wanting to make a big splash. There was back and forth through the media, and "The Mamba" all summer, and then training camp came, and it had all seemed to quiet down. The season started with Kobe getting booed in the first half of game 1, and he was being cheered as the MVP by the end of the game. You could never write such theater. He went on to have the best overall season of his career, even seeming to get rid of the aloof mannerisms that led many people to dislike him in the first place. With this new Kobe, he earned his first MVP award and all seems well in LA LA land.

Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams are just a few if the stars that the league and fans have embraced. They all smile big for the camera, give good interviews, have ad campaigns, and all have the game to back up the money that is being thrown at them. For years the pro game struggled to find a face itself after Michael Jordan retired.The game had been watered down by high schoolers making the jump, and foreign players most of us had never really heard of. Right now there are so many young faces, great talent, and people you can cling to spread throughout the league that it is just exciting to see what the game is going to offer in the next 5-10 years.

There are no limits to where the NBA can go, and up is the forceable direction that it can go. It will no longer take the star power of one man to save the brand. It will be a collective effort around from coast-to-coast. As older stars leave the game, or games decline, it is up to the new guard to step up and handle their business. The only thing that would make the 07-08 season any better, is if a Lakers-Celtics Finals materializes itself. David Stern could not ask for more than that, to have the opposite coasts at attention, and all those in between riveted by the action. The Eastern Conference is still lagging behind the West, but as long as the Western Conference holds up it's part of the bargain the NBA will be more than okay for years to come. This "New NBA" is one that many have been searching for for many years, so let's all just sit back and enjoy the product as it grows.