October 3, 2001

It’s no secret that the ratings for the NBA have fallen in the post Michael Jordan years. Despite the presence of player greats the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan, the US has seemed somewhat disenchanted with the sport and reflected that in their viewership.

Jordan has opted to return to the sport that he loves and the sport that loves him. But can that bring the sport back to the glory days? Jordan was a fierce competitor and his smile even raised the spirits of his opponents. "He’s chasing his own ghosts," close friend and TNT commentator Charles Barkley said. But Jordan made it clear he wasn’t coming back to fulfill any expectations but his own. "Winning isn’t always championships. What’s wrong with helping kids find their way, teaching them the game?" he said.

The sport has transformed over the decades. Begun in Springfield, Mass, in 1891, it has transformed from dusty buses to shiny jets, from $4,000 a year salaries to multimillion dollar a year salaries, from smoking in the lockers during halftime to ostentatious halftime shows that get booed off the courts. Not all changes have been improvements.

As the popularity of the sport increased, so did the egos of its superstars, the salaries they commanded and the turmoil it created. So, why should you watch the NBA this year.

Here’s why.

Coverage of the game has never been better. TNT and TBS Superstation are part of the coverage for the 2001-2002 NBA season, and they combine to televise 79 games—48 games on TNT and 31 games on the Superstation. Turner Sports is also scheduled to televise more than 30 NBA Playoff games on TNT and TBS.

NBC will broadcast 32 regular season games including the All-Star game. NBC and Turner split the post-season rounds one and two and NBC becomes the exclusive broadcaster beginning with Game 4 of the Conference Finals and continues through the NBA Finals.

Cameron Blanchard, director of communications for NBC Sports, gave us the rundown on their crew. "Marv Albert returns this year as the lead play-by-play announcer for the NBA on NBC. Our lead analyst, Doug Collins, is now coaching for the Washington Wizards and we have not announced his replacement. Also, our studio show will undergo some changes. Last year Ahmad Rashad filled-in as host of our studio show while Hannah Storm was on maternity leave. Hannah will return this year to the studio and we will have additional announcements with specific assignments in the near future."

Hosted by Ernie Johnson Jr., Inside the NBA is a half-hour wrap-up show airing on Tuesdays (TBS), Wednesdays (TNT) and Thursdays (TNT), immediately following the last game on the respective network.

Johnson is joined by analyst Kenny Smith each night, Peter Vecsey joins them on Tuesdays and Charles Barkley every Wednesday and Thursday. They provide viewers with game and league-wide analysis, player and team interviews, features, scores and highlights from the NBA's action. While all that is the stuff stats are made of, you can listen and watch Sir Charles Barkley give his excellent, humorous and very insightful commentary on the evening’s, week’s and season’s NBA progress.

Turner has top-notch courtside coverage in the form of TBS crew members Kevin Harlan, former Georgetown coaching great John Thompson and former sharpshooter and coach Danny Ainge. On the TNT side, Dick Stockton and Hubie Brown form a team of unmatched excellence and the team of Marv Albert Mike Fratello bring style and insight to their coverage. Craig Sager and Cheryl Miller—sister of three-point phenomenon Reggie Miller—will work as reporters throughout the season.

This Week in the NBA takes basketball fans down the inside lane of the National Basketball Association, featuring all the news, analysis, scores, highlights and injury reports from around the league. Kevin Loughery, a former NBA coach and player, joins host Andre Aldridge in the Atlanta studios, while Sports Illustrated’s Phil Taylor reports from the field. The show airs on CNN, Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and CNN/SI at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. during the NBA season.

We went to the experts for incites on what to watch this season. Our crew consists of CNNsi’s Kevin Loughery, TBS Sports’ analyst Danny Ainge, and NBC analyst Bill Walton—all accomplished players and respected analysts.

Loughery spent 17 seasons as a NBA head coach, three seasons as an ABA coach, and played for the Detroit Pistons, Baltimore Bullets and Philadelphia 76ers during an 11-year career. In the 1966-67 season for the Baltimore Bullets, he averaged 18.2 points and 82 percent from the free throw line and in 68-69 he averaged 22.6 points. During his coaching stint, he coached the Sixers, Nets, Hawks, Bulls, Bullets and the Heat. Most recently, he served as an analyst for ESPN and held management positions with the Miami Heat.

Loughery has played and coached with some of the greatest that ever played the game. He coached Dr. J with the ABA’s New York Nets. "We won two championships. We won the last (ABA) championship in 1976. Dr. J had the distinction of having the ABA base much of its planning and success around him." Loughery played with many of the greatest; Wilt Chamberlain, Walt Frazier, Jerry West, John Havlicek, Bob Lanier, Nate Archibald, David Thompson, Dan Issel, Bobby Jones and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar among his fellow league players. His more than 30-year love for the game continues today.

Danny Ainge is a two-time NBA champ with the Boston Celtics, was third in NBA history to hit the 1000 3-point mark, was a 90 percent free-throw shooter in the 1986-87 season (only behind teammate Larry Bird), and scored a career high 45 points in one game in 1987.

Ainge is now an analyst for Turner Sports.

Bill Walton, NBC Sports Analyst

Bill Walton is a name synonymous with great basketball playing—and controversy. He helped lead the 1978 Portland Trailblazers to a championship and then followed that up eight years later by helping the Boston Celtics to their 1986 championship. He also led the UCLA Bruins to two college championships in his college days. Along the way, he garnered accolades as MVP of the 78 championships, was NBA MVP for 1978 and NBA 6th Man of 1986. In 1977, he notched almost as many blocks as the entire rest of Portland. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. Despite all this, he never completed a season without some injuries and many of his stats were accomplished with only three-quarters of a season playing time. He and co-analyst Steve Jones offer some of the most entertaining commentary today.

It’s clear our analysts love the game. "First of all, the game to me is the most exciting game between football, basketball and baseball, the three great games we have, because of the constant action in the game," says Loughery

Ainge likes the mechanics of the game, both on and off court. "I think it’s kind of fun to see some of the changes that have happened in personnel in the league. I mean the Jason Kidd trade going to New Jersey. Stephon Marbury to Phoenix is a kind of exciting trade to see how things happen. I think that Tracy McGrady is the closest thing that we have to the next Michael Jordan in the league. He’s becoming a superstar. Allen Iverson stepped out of the shadows last year to become the League MVP. The Lakers with Kobe and Shaq are a dynasty like the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics. Who’s going to be the one to challenge them and knock them off is interesting."

Walton agrees, "These are terrifically talented players playing the world’s most beautiful game. It’s a symphony orchestra out there, a thing of beauty."

Loughery says there are two major differences between players today and players of his pro and coaching careers. "First, the athleticism. There are tremendous athletes today, better than there were in the day that I played. And also the weight programs, the strength programs and the nutrition that the players work with today. They are physically stronger than the players in the past," says Loughery. "It was actually forbidden in my day to lift weights. They felt it would develop muscles that would hurt your basketball skills; it hurt your shooting particularly. I personally don’t think the players are skilled any better than the players in the past."

What should fans look for this year? "For the professional game," Loughery says the thing to watch is "the defensive effort the players give today. I feel this is another area where there is more concentration than there was when I played. Some people say they don’t play any defense today. That’s a crock. The defense in the NBA is terrific. And the coaching in the NBA is tremendous today. When I played my last playing year, I was player-coach for a year without an assistant coach. Today they have five or six assistants."

"The other thing is the new rules," says Ainge. "The new rules are in place to make the game of the greatest athletes in the world more college like, meaning more ball movement and a faster pace. There’s a lot of people that talk about scoring as what people want to see. I disagree with that. As a basketball player my whole life—it’s something I really love—I don’t care so much about scoring as I care about movement.

"For the first time since the shot clock was implemented," says Ainge, "you can play a zone defense if you want. There’s a lot of people that think its going to ruin the game. Personally, I feel it can enhance the game eventually. There might be a transition period because a lot of coaches haven’t played with zones and a lot of the older players haven’t played against zones since their college days. I like the fact that the NBA game is becoming more like high school and college. I think 50 percent of the fans that follow NBA games have no idea what an illegal defense is anyway. And so I’m glad that they’re eliminating that."

"The quality of the players," is certainly noteworthy says Walton. "The quality of the people involved in the transition since Michael Jordan." There has been something missing, however, he continues. "There’s been a lack of relationship with the current players in the historical sense because they didn’t see any of the young stars like Kobe and Vince Carter and Allen Iverson and Ray Allen and Baron Davis move successfully against Jordan. It was an unprecedented move in history for Jordan to retire at the top of his game."

What will have the biggest impact on the sport this year? "Oh, there’s no doubt," states Loughery. "Number one will be Michael Jordan. The return of Michael Jordan will be such a dramatic move that he will be used in every TV game they can possibly use." Loughery says that Michael’s opening game at Madison Square Garden could outdraw the third game of the World Series. "That’s how key he is. Then you have the Lakers with Kobe and Shaq. Vince Carter’s come along. I think Orlando with Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady will be a terrific team to watch this year," Loughery says.

Ainge says Jordan’s return is a fascinating story to watch and follow. "I think its fantastic. As a basketball fan I’m excited and I’m curious. How’s it all going to work out? I know he’s going to be a great player. What kind of impact is he going to have on (teammates) Kwame Brown and Courtney Alexander and Richard Hamilton, some of the younger guys that are trying to develop?

Walton says that the new players will benefit from Jordan’s return because they will now have a chance to learn from him. He notes that Jordan elevates the play of those around him. "He demands that. He challenges people," says Walton.

"With the return of Michael Jordan, there’s been some people who have said some negatives about him coming back," says Loughery. "I think it’s just an unbelievable boost for the NBA." You don’t have to look far to see the proof. Ticket sales for all NBA teams are up, particularly for games and packages that feature Jordan.

Loughery has first hand knowledge of Jordan. "I coached Michael his rookie year in Chicago. His competitiveness is as high as anybody I’ve ever been around. I don’t think his skills will be as diminished as other people think. He’s an unbelievably conditioned person. He’s as strong an athlete as you’ll find anywhere in any sport. He has an aura about him—maybe Tiger Woods has reached that level now—but Michael is the number one athlete in the last several years and the other players see it and know it."

Jordan’s contribution transcends his skills and persona. Loughery says, "One thing that Michael has done, if you look at his career, just about everybody Michael played with in the heyday of Chicago when they won the championships, when Michael left three years ago, they never played as well. He raises the level. There’s so much concentration on Michael it’s an easier game on his teammates."

Walton thinks Michael Jordan is the most underrated player in the game today. "Yup. That guy’s really good." Good enough to sustain a season? "Over the course of the season, it will depend on how well Michael plays, how competitive his team is. I love Michael Jordan. I don’t want to see him get hurt. I don’t want to him play for a bad team," says Walton.

What does Ainge think is overlooked in the NBA? "I’m not sure the average fan truly understands the greatness of these athletes and how much better they are in the NBA than they are in college. That’s why college all-Americans sometimes get cut. People that are drafted third, fourth or fifth in the draft last one year in the league. Guys that are leading scorers in the conference can’t even get a roster spot on a team. Those situations happen all the time."

Loughery seems to agree. "I believe the top three draft choices this year were from high school. There’s no longer a situation in the college game that says ‘this player is going to be the next great player.’ The maximum a player stays in college before he enters the NBA today is, I think, two years. So, it’s totally difficult to say who is going to be the next great player."

"I think it hurts the game greatly. I think it hurts the college game more than anything. Eighteen and 19 year olds coming into the league are physically not as strong as today’s players. The adjustment to the lifestyle is a difficult adjustment and you have to have control of yourself. I wish that at least they would make it 20 (years old) before a player can come in the league. Constitutionally, I don’t think it’s possible."

Unfortunately," says Ainge, "there are a lot of people in the NBA that have to play just because of their size, not because of their skill. I think the new rules are going to put the emphasis on skill—passing, dribbling, shooting and thinking the game. I think the emphasis has become on your size, athleticism, power and what you can do in the weight room versus your passing, thinking, shooting and just playing basketball, skills that become less important because teams can rely on one or two players to carry them offensively and hide one or two players by isolating them outside the three point line. So I think that now there’s going to be an emphasis with the zone and having at least four players on the court at all times on the court with some sort of offensive skills."

Which greats of yesterday are having an impact on the game today? "He just retired, but Jerry West has had a major impact in the game. Kevin McHale, the general manager of Minnesota, has had a terrific impact. Right now, Lenny Wilkins, who is a Hall of Fame player, is coaching Toronto. Jim Baylor is with the Clippers."

Regarding players who try their hands at coaching, Loughery has his opinion. "Coaching is a very difficult game. It’s emotionally tough. I played for 11 years, coached for close to 20—playing’s a picnic. Playing is so much fun. But coaching, the emotional highs and lows are almost a health hazard. And for great players, when they come in to become coaches and they find out how difficult it is, and in most cases, particularly today, have made a lot of money. They don’t need the financial rewards that coaching will give you. Their lifespan won’t be very long because it’s such a difficult job."

Ainge says, "Isiah Thomas is a good young coach who was a great player. Scott Skiles is an excellent coach was a good, heady hard competitive players in his day, still holds the NBA record for assists in a game at 30. Doc Rivers coaching in Orlando is a great up-and-coming coach.

There’s some young coaches that a lot of people don’t know anything about. Flip Saunders is an excellent coach in Minnesota. The Portland Trailblazers tried to grab him away from Minnesota and pay him a lot of money to take over for Mike Dunleavy. You have Maurice Cheeks, another Hall of Fame player with the world champion 76ers, getting his first crack at coaching this year with the Portland Trailblazers, a team loaded with talent. Another young coach is Nate McMillan who’s a young coach who’s coaching in Seattle."

Much is made of fantasy games today. I asked Walton who would win a one-on-one game between him and co-analyst Steve Jones. After a brief pause, Walton said, "I don’t think he would score." Another pause. "In fact I’m sure he wouldn’t." Yet more pause. "I’m thoroughly convinced he would not score."

So, there you have it. The NBA for 2001-2002 promises a season of excitement, drama and, most of all, entertainment.

DIRECTV subscribers have an unprecedented ticket to the NBA. For one season fee, subscribers can watch nearly any game played during the season.

Moses Malone, a 12-time NBA All-Star and three-time MVP, elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May, was enshrined along with Temple coach John Chaney and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski as the Class of 2001. Krzyzewski and Malone were elected by the Honors Committee on their first ballot. This was Chaney’s third year being reviewed by the North American Screening Committee and his first year by the Honors Committee. An individual needed five of seven votes from their Screening Committee to become a Hall of Fame finalist and 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election.

This will be the last class to be enshrined in the current Hall of Fame. Construction of a new Hall, which is part of a $103 million, 18 1/2-acre redevelopment project along the bank of the Connecticut River, has been in under way since last July and is scheduled to open in summer 2002. The new 100,000-square-foot museum doubles the size of the current facility and will serve as a national and international shrine to the game of basketball.

Malone averaged 20.6 points and 12.2 rebounds in 19 seasons with Buffalo, Houston, Philadelphia, Washington, Atlanta, Milwaukee and San Antonio (1976-77 to 1994-95).

"It is an honor to think people consider me a great player," said Malone, who began his professional career by playing two years in the ABA for the Utah Stars. "I never considered myself a great player. I considered myself a hard worker."

Oct. 30 (Tue) Start of the 2001-02 NBA regular season

Jan. 7 (Mon) 10-day contracts may now be signed

Jan. 10 (Thu.) All player contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season

Feb. 8-10 (Fri.-Sun.) NBA All-Star 2002 (Philadelphia)

Feb. 21 (Thu.) Trading deadline, 6 p.m. ET

Apr. 3-7 (Wed.-Sat.) Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (Portsmouth, Va.)

Apr. 17 (Wed) 2001-02 NBA regular season ends

Apr. 20 (Sat.) NBA Playoffs 2002 begin

May 12 (Sun.) NBA early entry eligibility deadline, 11:59 p.m. ET

May 19 (Sun) NBA Draft Lottery

June 2 (Sun) NBA Finals first possible start date

June 4-7 (Tue-Fri) NBA pre-draft camp (Chicago, IL)

June 5 (Wed) NBA Finals latest possible start date

June 19 (Wed) NBA Finals latest possible end date

June 19 (Wed) NBA Draft early entry entrant withdrawal deadline

June 26 (Wed) NBA Draft 2002

1893 metal hoops with net bags replace wooden baskets

1894 backboard introduced

1913 bottomless nets

1932 10 second backcourt rule adopted

1935 three-second rule adopted

1937 defensive team gets ball after a goal

1955 foul lane widened