and now basketball

What happened to the NBA and College Basketball? I remember as a youngster being a Bernard King fan and caring about everything that was going on on the court. Every game was in the 100's and NBA action was fantastic. College Basketball had Jordan, Ewing, Bias, Sampson, Olajawon, Kenny Anderson, Chris Mullin, Mark Price, Wayman Tisdale. Dick Vitale hooting and hollering about the "diaper dandies" and "windex " man. This decade basketball has been killed. No one goes to college to play anymore. Players are going to Europe for a year to avoid going to college. Players skipped college all together and went pro. Every team has a high school or European player on it. The coaches in college are more famous than the players. Schools are still getting caught in scandals but they are surviving. College coaches are millionaires and the NCAA tournament is thinking about expanding. The NBA has had two main dynasties in this decade. The Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs led by Tim Duncan and The Lakers led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille Oneal. The Lakers won 4 rings this decade. The Spurs won three. Shaquille won another ring with the Miami Heat. The Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons won a ring each. The Lakers are the team of the decade because they played in 6 NBA finals. In fact the balance of power shifted back to the western conference in this decade. The east probably had better stars but the west had better teams. We were introduced to a young phenom named Lebron. Who played in a Final series only a few years into his career. Dwayne Wade won a title and has made a great name for himself this decade. Steve Nash won two M.V.P.'s which has shocked the league but he deserved them. Kevin Garnett in Celtic Green is still wild to see. The Knicks have not been the same since Patrick Ewing was sent out to pasture. The NBA created a rule at first that a high school senior could enter the league. Now I believe you have to be 19 or older. Remember Darko? Yao Ming becomes first chinese player in theleague and he is 7'6 inches tall. Kobe and Shaq feud and then break-up and then become friends and then Shaq disses Kobe after winning a title and after the Lakers lose to Celtics, Phil Retires and then comes back. Micheal Jordan plays for the Wizards and becomes part owner of team and then is unceremoniously fired, has bitter Hall of Fame speech. Rasheed Wallace gets a technical almost everyday. Ron Artest and the Malice at the Palace. Tim Donaghy gets busted for betting on NBA games and other nonsense. Mark Cuban becomes Maverick owner. Robert Horry is big shot Bob. Kobe and Shaq are the co-players of the decade in my opinion. Detroit takes Darko over Bosh, Carmelo, Stoudamire and Wade. Nate Robinson ruins the slam dunk contest. Vince Carter's unbelievable performance in the slam dunk contest. White chocolate and C-Webb make Sacramento relevant.Jason Kidd makes New Jersey relevant. Nelly own a piece of the Cavaliers. Jay-z owns a piece of the Nets. NBA TV debuts. Stephen A. Smith. We say good bye to The Mailman and Stockton, Isaiah and the Mess in the big Apple. David Stern is still in control.. Games in the 70's.. 60's.... 50? What a decade...

College Basketball suffered more than any sport. North Carolina won two titles. Kansas won one finally for Bill Self, Not Roy Williams. He just went to North Carolina and won. We learned about Pat Summit and Geno Auriema in the women's game. Duke, Syracuse, Connecticut, Michigan St., and Maryland won titles. University of Florida won back to back championships. It is tough to say who is the team of the decade. What Florida did was very special. North Carolina and Connecticut seemed to always be in the final 8 or four. U.C.L.A. played in.a few final fours as well. we learned words like Mid-Major. We were introduced to a school from the state of Washington called Gonzaga. George Mason made the Final Four. Calipari takes Memphis to final game. Pitino coached the Celtics and then came back to College. Calipari coached the Nets and came back to college. Coaches are more recognizable than players. Kevin Durant lights up Big twelve conference. so does Micheal Beasley. One and done hurts the game. We love Dick Vitale. Coach K. continues his legacy at Duke. Coach Knight gets the boot from Indiana because he allegedly strikes a student for lack of respect. Then a video surfaces of him striking Neil Reid and all hell breaks loose. Jim Harrick is confronted by ESPN about scandal and he loses job at Georgia. Pitno in his sex scandal. Coach Calhoun gets paid more money than anyone in the state and angers people of Connecticut. Uconn and Tennessee women's teams dominate the women's game. Holdsclaw and Taurasi lead teams to historic seasons. Sue Bird and Candace Parker also dominate the college scene. Parker dunks in a game and in the NCAA tournament. We lose Kay Yow. John Wooden turns 99. Isn't it sad? The decade had great games but too few to recollect. The six overtime game between Connecticut and Syracuse is legendary. The shot made by Chalmers forcing overtime in the title game against Memphis. Illinois and North Carolina title game was good. The Illini was undefeated for most of the season. Decades prior, we could name the stars of the decade. The stars this decade were coaches. Billy Donovan at Florida was a genius 4 years ago. I haven't heard his name since. Ben Howland recruits these guys who just win. They cant shoot to save their lives but somehow they win at the schools he has been at. Bobby Knight coached at Texas Tech and did a good job. Mike Montgomery coached both Cal and Stanford. Lute Olson saga at Arizona. The one and done players go pro and do well thus guaranteeing that it is not going to stop. Brandon Jennings goes overseas to learn to play. John Wall is the new star of the game but he will be gone next year. Carmelo Anthony leads Syracuse to a title as a freshman. Greg Oden breaks his hand. Tyler Hansbrough stays 4 years and wins a title. I used to love college basketball, now I only wait for the tournament games..