NBA insanity

As any pro hoops fan knows, a lot is being made these days over a few "free agents" that have hit the open market. "Analysts" are analyzing. Talking heads are blathering on. Scribes are furiously writing. The Net stories change every 5 minutes with the latest developments or, more properly put -- rumors.

Though many NBA players have become free agents, it's likely fair to say just two of them are garnering the most attention. Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony. Both could have made upward of $20 million per year staying with their latest teams -- the Miami Heat and New York Knicks, respectively. That's a whole lot of green. To put that in perspective, $20 mill a year, grossly speaking (double entendre intended), averages out to about $55,000 a day, EVERY day, 365. For playing basketball. Excuse me, but there's something grotesque about those numbers. Fifty five grand a day is more than a typical firefighter makes for a whole year. And those folks might save your life and/or home one day, at the risk of their own, while basketball players offer nothing more than entertainment. One is a necessity for all, while the other is merely a source of amusement for those so inclined. Draw your own conclusions as to the inequity.

Yet there seems to be no end to the madness surrounding James and Anthony. In Miami, fellow players Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have opted out of their contracts as well, but are apparently waiting to see what Lebron does. Where will he go? How much will he sign for? OMG, what are we to do? It's actually somewhere between laughable and pitiful that these grown men, and NBA veterans, still can't seem to think for themselves.

The Carmelo Anthony dog and pony show is even worse. He wants to talk to the Chicago Bulls, and the Houston Rockets, and the Dallas Mavericks, and holy la-la loser land, even the Los Angeles Lakers. Here's a clue. The Lakers don't even have a head coach right now. So how would Mello know if he would fit into their system until they hire one? Hello?

One thing for sure. Lebron's going to demand a max contract wherever he goes. He's the Moe (alpha male) of the Miami Big 3. Larry and Curly (Wade and Bosh) will fall in line depending on what Moe does. It's comical.

In the end, here's the deal. Who cares where Lebron Jimmy and Carmel Tony wind up? They'll make an obscene amount of money, but they're still just basketball players. For that matter, if neither one of them ever played another game, would it really make that big a difference in the overall scheme of things? Despite what the pundits would have us believe, I'm fairly certain the NBA will continue to thrive regardless, and I'm positive planet earth isn't in danger of self-destructing depending on how all this free agency nonsense works out with a few basketball players.

We were fine before they arrived, and we'll be fine after they're gone. All the current stuff is just hype for the suckers. And if you're forking over $500-600 to take your significant other and couple kids to sit in the cheap seats at an NBA game, so you can be a part of paying these dudes $55,000 a day, then you are a sucker indeed.