It’s clear that the NBA seems to be suffering a midlife crisis as even their strongest media advocates are praising the NHL’s recent 4 Nations Face-Off which was the perfect riff on the All Star Game weekend. I didn’t realize that it was a replacement, but rather a midseason international showcase of the league’s top talent.

A couple of ESPN talking heads described NBA players as being transactional, meaning they do everything for money aka “their own benefit.” During the entire run of the 4 Nations, I never heard how much money each player was making for participating.

I don’t think that either the NFL or NBA will adopt a version of the 4 Nations because professional hockey players are a different breed. However, I’ve always thought an international baseball competition would be better if it were held in-season or at the end of the season. I also favor regional or alumnus games.

In related news, 14 ML players are listed as day to day after sustaining soft tissue injuries watching the 4 Nations, and 6 NBA all-stars asked for the week off to rest, before requesting trades to cities that don’t have NHL teams.

Furthermore, ESPN’s coverage of the finals was far better than anything the other three sports have done in years. Tom Brady, Tony Romo, and John Smoltz dream of having P K Subban’s charisma.