On the 19 June 2007, “Mike & Mike In The Morning” radio show on ESPN Radio, former NBA player Rick Barry made the point that I, an avid critic of the NBA have been making for years.

Berry said, “I respect LaBron James […] but it is astounding to me that they [the NBA] haven’t even taught him simple things he should be doing.”The conversation continued about the basic skills the NBA is lacking in their coaching.

The basic point Barry made was James’ lack of using a screen and that James has a basic flaw in his shot. I enjoy watching basketball, but the NBA isn’t a sport. It’s entertainment. The coaches, the trainers and the players don’t work hard enough to learn the game.

Look back to the days of John Stockton and Karl Malone and their patented pick ‘n roll. It was beautiful. The defense knew it was coming, but were powerless to stop it because of Stockton and Malone’s innate ability to read each other and break down the defense. That was the NBA back then.

Now, we are awash with tattoos, record deals, bench brawls, dunks and no defense. That’s why I watch college basketball and refuse to watch the NBA.

College basketball is littered with defensive talents. Going to the University of Northern Iowa, I recently saw the schools’ all-time blocking record be shattered by Grant Stout. That was and is basketball at its finest.

People bemoan the NHL for their lack of fan base and for the life of me, I can’t understand why the NBA thrives the way it does. It is simply bad basketball and bad business.