The Greatest Wealth Is Health

Of our four major pro sports, the NBA may be the only one where the acquisition of one player can turn a franchise upside down. The greatest example of this was the Boston-Minnesota trade of July '07. The Celtics 7-for-1 deal to acquire Kevin Garnett was unprecedented. It was clear that Danny Ainge, Boston's President of Basketball Operations, was going to either look like a genius or an idiot.

That caliber of player can, and obviously did, bring the type of swagger that changes culture. And when every team begins to search for their Garnett, their swagger, the culture of the whole league can change. In a few short years, the NBA has gone from a boring league of ego-driven isolation ballplayers to a highly marketable product with a bright future.

The mid-to-late 90's brought about the decline or retirement of many of the league's all-time best. Jordan, Hakeem and Stockton are just a few guys that either hung it up or fought their hardest not to during this time. The fading careers of these players, coupled with the NBA lockout of '98-'99, began to turn basketball fans off.

The television ratings for the 1998 Finals that matched Jordan and Pippen's Bulls versus Stockton and Malone's Jazz may have set all-time records, but things went downhill quickly. The following season was shortened due to the aforementioned lockout, and the 1999 Finals, which showcased the emergence of a young Tim Duncan and the last hurrah for David Robinson, was a failure by television standards. The ratings for that series fell to their lowest point since 1981 and got worse in the years that followed. With an entire generation of great players being replaced by me-first ball hogs like Allen Iverson and Damon Stoudamire, could you blame fans for feeling that something was missing?

When a star fades their presence is felt in more ways than one. The player isn't the only thing that disappears. The great dynasties begin to fall, rivalries that were once heated begin to cool off, and individual matchups that were must-see drama are gone. It's not that there wasn't any quality basketball earlier this decade. It just wasn't what we were accustomed to. Besides the cream of the crop, the talent pool wasn’t very deep during the NBA's lean years and subsequently, viewers became disinterested.

One reason was that Major League Baseball was at its peak in the late 90's and into the new millennium. From the home run chase of '98 to Barry Bonds' chase of Mark McGwire in 2001, baseball was as popular as had been in decades. They surely burst our bubbles in the years that followed with the steroids issue. But for that period of time, baseball was king. Even hockey was huge in America ten years ago. The NHL was very strong in their pre-lockout years. They had the Wings, Avs, and Devils as well as their very own group of future HOF'ers still playing. For a while, pro basketball was the least appealing of the big four.

In the last few years, however, The Association has made a comeback. Guys like LeBron, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard are now the face of the league. And they aren't the only ones. Teams like Portland, Atlanta, Indiana and Philly have loads of talent. Although each may have average records the last couple years, they're only a season or two away from breaking out.

It’s also helped that historically great teams like L.A. and Boston are great again. Last season's Finals brought a generation of viewers back. And it showed my generation what our fathers had been talking about when we were young. I remember the stories my dad used to tell me about all the Hall of Famers from the 80's. I don't mean to compare, but Kobe and Gasol versus KG and Pierce was pretty heavy stuff too. That six game series was great to watch. I hadn't been that excited for an NBA Finals since I was small.

In case you were wondering, I stole my title from Virgil. He said that over two thousand years ago. I'm sure he didn't have the National Basketball Association in mind when he wrote it, but it fits here. The NBA is back. It's as healthy as it's been since Jordan left Chicago. The foundation of young talent is there, the Celtics and Lakers rivalry is strong, and the personal rivalries are making a comeback too.

I'm a Sixers fan. I love the signing of Elton Brand. But they're still a young team. And while I'd love to see Philly challenge Boston or Cleveland in the East this year, it's a win/win situation for me regardless. Worst case scenario is this: I'll have to watch a Lakers-Celtics rematch. What a shame. Or maybe LeBron can lead his team to the Finals and I'll get to see Kobe and LeBron, the league's two best players. In past years, if my team got eliminated, I would stop watching. Now I'm glued. And that proves that health really is wealth.