NBA Fans Might Be Too SMART...

[@sadtwolvesfan]

We've gone in a huge circle only to realise "that boy nice" is the proper way to watch basketball

[@YunisRajab]

Man I can never say anything good about anyone anymore because people will pull up 20 sheets of negative stats. Just watch and enjoy damn

[@Nikjay916]

Real ones been knew that tho

[@TafariMosi]

That's it

[@tejanerella2004]

@@YunisRajabJalen Green is the perfect example of this, he’s fun to watch but he’s probably not a 1st option so these kind of fans act like he’s a bum

[@ASG_lenn]

@@tejanerella2004Jaylen green was supposed to be a super star but he is a cool number 2 on a team. Not bad but just not what fans expected so that’s where the hate comes from

[@jjcooler6961]

"That boy nice" is the way to watch. We go to analytics to figure out problems, not to diagnose someone w them

[@joshuahendricks7201]

This is such a good phase. Gonna start using that one.

[@panashe5268]

Kenny needs to stop forcing people to watch the game naively though. He makes this exact video every other month, complaining that NBA fans don’t enjoy the product anymore. Theres nothing wrong with dissecting the game. Those days of being naive viewers are over

[@Villey]

@@panashe5268Over for YOU. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. I’m a diehard NBA fan but sometimes it’s nice to just watch and not be a stat nerd

[@michaelahurt]

@@jjcooler6961 Agree but to be fair the problem was "why isn't Chicago winning 50+ games if he's this good?" But I think the LaVine thing is outside analytics. It's more about availability and subsequently the contract. But if he played 75-80 every year I don't think the contract is even an issue.

[@michaelahurt]

@@Villey You can do both though. Like when we get to the later playoffs I'll often watch games twice. First naively just to enjoy it then a second time to analyze what happened and why. Even in the regular season I rewind all the time if something catches my eye

[@Wagwan38]

the term “CASUAL” has hurt the NBA. 10 years ago if you watched only national tv, and highlights, you were TAPPED IN

[@ceomisses]

This new trend of fake elitis downing “casual” is so lame lol

[@bonjouritsready]

@@ceomissesmost of the people that say ‘casual’ as an insult are online yapping hipsters that have never seen a live game in their life.

[@amapnamedpam]

literally me since 07. ive only watched games before christmas when my team was coming off a chip, otherwise the season has always stared for me on christmas day

[@Wagwan38]

@@amapnamedpam was the opening day games advertised/available to you? n did u ever watch at least that night?

[@amapnamedpam]

@@Wagwan38 spent a lot of time growing up overseas so you had to be up late for games and we didnt get much aside from the national tv games, i would always catch sports center with my dad before and after school though. my dad would tivo the games and espn.

[@thasneemrizvi]

I can feel Kenny getting angrier every time a cut happens in the video 😭😭😭

[@indicorb]

😂😂😂😂

[@Penterror]

Yeah, most thoughts are arguments end in "statistically they're not the best" or "who carers they're not winning the chip" and it makes things way less enjoyable

[@Mdautkreix]

Agreed

[@euro51116]

The endless Lebron-Jordan debate is what started ring culture. I dont remember ring culture being a thing before that debate really got going on tv and online

[@johnmarkson1990]

back in the day is was mostly about competition and winning rings. nowadays everything is so statistical so that lebron has a claim to the goat debate cause obviously winning is not in his dna.

[@originalmorton2066]

​@@johnmarkson1990 I think it was also too far in that direction so this was the response, NFL fans care about winning and rings but are also very much able to give players flowers for their peak and how well they played that we have people still saying Lawrence Taylor to be the greatest football player, and Dan Marino to the old heads is still the best QB despite Tom Brady having the most rings. There has to be expectation of winning but also understanding of the greatness. Like MJ can still the GOAT and I still be impressed Lebron went to 10 finals in a row regardless of circumstance as a key piece/star. But one side would argue one way and the other side another and we forget the great thing they did

[@eazymb.]

Your comment plays into it though. Jordan career didn’t start in the ‘91 finals. Bill Russell has five more titles than Jordan and beat teams that were closer to his teams level. All “rings culture “ is, is uber dick riding of Michael Jordan.

[@WEKetchum]

Similar space with the music industry too. Folks talk about record sales and social media numbers more than whether they enjoy the music or not.

[@werideatdusk]

We are living in the map, not the territory

[@koashjames]

Relevant!!

[@dogsandyoga1743]

​@@werideatduskI'm definitely stealing this...

[@dinojonesjr195]

Facts! If you not a record executive, why do you give a fuck about 1st week sales

[@teddysullivan7316]

Bucks fan, I remember someone legit arguing that the Bucks winning the finals in 2021 was a bad thing because then Mike Budenholzer got to keep his job. Like what the hell

[@mrfathed3129]

I don't remember anyone saying the Bucks winning the finals was bad. I do remember a lot of people just accepting the loss to the Nets by going "Well at least we can fire Bud now"

[@teddysullivan7316]

@mrfathed3129 to be clear, it was like a wild ass hot take and not the general opinion. You're right more generally, though. That wasn't a common sentiment

[@thegame61923]

This is why soccer leagues have relegations. Even when your team is bad, they are fighting to not get relegated to the second division so it can be a battle all season.

[@jmorel42]

Not having regulation is a big reason why NA sports league make so much money. It's a lot riskier to invest money in a sports team if they have the chance to get regulated which leads to less TV revenue and less brand partnerships

[@ITSFEDR]

Well and here we are. Basketball and soccer, are sports. Sports are meant to be played, they were never made to be investments. They were created for the PEOPLE by THE PEOPLE. Imagine telling your son “Hey do you wanna try playing baseball so later down the line you can get a massive contract and an endorsment deal?” No you play sports to have fun and capitalist america does not care about anything being fun or interactive, its just pure profits and if it stays like this (which it will) you will never get relegation battles in US sports. Franchising ruining it for yall

[@thehoboman]

This is a side effect of being too online. Most fans just want to see great hoops.

[@euro51116]

bro im dumb as hell. But im not gonna stop arguing with losers

[@whoosh5469]

Not wanting to learn makes you the loser, and also dumb

[@thebeesknees6896]

Real

[@Gorathegreat007]

This funny asf ngl 😭😭😭😭

[@Wagwan38]

Bruh you sound cool😂 but you gotta distance yourself from losers cuz ts contagious

[@Villey]

Aye bro at least you gone stand on bidness 😂😂

[@ninjaferret0251]

Remember when he said “what’s the word” before every video 😔

[@ABNclips]

He still does lol, just not this vid

[@batistajrJDC]

He still does stupid

[@Wagwan38]

what’s the word yall🤠

[@trillzsolow7637]

@@batistajrJDCwhy they gotta b stupid?

[@connorleary3080]

someone doesn’t watch every video lol

[@jons1278]

What drives me crazy about people who want to tank, is that they cant even stand to watch the tanking. Somehow we're supposed to win while developing players and tanking at the same time

[@YunisRajab]

Well tanking and developing players aren't the same thing even if they often overlap. I'm down with tanking by trading away good players but sitting people out on purpose and doing dumb shit just to lose is unwatchable

[@johnmarkson1990]

yeah you have to be seeing a good system during the tank. the coach has to be good. the players have to play with max effort and they only lost cause their young etc. no one is allowed to just tank in peace these days. its sad.

[@masonbradley8914]

I think the raptors started off being the perfect tank team. Players were developing while nearly every game was a good game to be invested in. Lately they've been unwatchable, but at first they showed how you can be a tanking team, but develop young talent along with having a relatively clear path in the future

[@frankdobs]

@@masonbradley8914 So the bulls? lol, we fit the description but suck and have no real young talent

[@bjrnthebootybandit]

I been watching the Wizards tank

[@shangojackson60]

Kenny you made me realize how happy I am as a sport fan. Idgaf about salaries, narratives outside the lines or get attached to bets. I just hope to see good competition where everyone walks away uninjured. We are a small mighty bunch

[@OfficialTomsSkujinsFanClub]

Look at all star voting and tell me that nba fans are too smart

[@g3kkou2]

Lmao this killed me

[@Kikibrat2]

I’m not a smart fan at all. I vote for who I like and deserves a nod like MotorCade. Watching him grow has been amazing and he deserves to be an all star.

[@codyeble0713]

Most of those that vote aren't even fans..

[@tooforwon241]

I think this year's fan voting has been one of the most accurate ones relative to years past. Like Andrew Wiggins was a starter one year, Zaza damn near became one (so they had to change the rules)

[@agarnerman629]

@@tooforwon241people still are voting Wiggins over JJJ lmao

[@Mrballerize]

@4:30 I'm glad I'm anti tanking, so I alway enjoy winning. Not only that, but I usually am a fan of 6th-8th seed carry job teams (i.e. 06 Kobe, 17 Westbrook, etc); so I've never had this mindset lol.

[@reactwatcher]

this why it’s so nice being a heat fan. never tank philosophy and always being able to find fun new talent with development. there are annoying fans that don’t like our front office. but as a non-doomer it’s so sweet to always want to win and having the front office agree

[@kohlmeyer7433]

A great example of this is the way people try to reframe the Kawhi-PG Clippers in 2019 as the "worst trade" of all time and act as if any of them knew what SGA would become etc. As if trading for a prime Paul George to sign Kawhi was not clearly a win now move, salary cap and future picks be damned.

[@geomaryy]

This narrative is so dumb to me because if you think a team of elite role players that came back down 20 from Durant Warriors adding 2 MVP candidates is bad then you need to shut your mouth. Those people don't even know who SGA is at the time and all they know is that the Clippers gave out the most picks in a trade in NBA history

[@ebukaiwuagwu9371]

100000000000%

[@JmssBraendle]

the main part people leave out is they all say “all these picks and SGA for PG” but if they didn’t make that trade kawhi wouldn’t of signed so it was actually all that package for both guys

[@ly_bb]

Smarter and a lot of nba fans who follow all the stats, standings and highlights don't watch any games

[@YunisRajab]

Yep we watch people talk about the game instead of watching it ourselves

[@justno984]

Okay but let's be honest, that's literally most of us 😅

[@loganhardy8734]

@@justno984speak for yourself man. A lot of us actually watch basketball

[@goobah1007]

You know it’s serious when Kenny swears 😂

[@kizitokatende412]

Type shit

[@concernedcitizen1899]

Kenny 4 real the best in the game bro. No useless video essay on some BS narrative, no clout chasing, just takes, stats, and vibes. Proud of you brotha. Keep winning!!!

[@UnknownPlayer-5555]

Shoutout Kenny's dad yo 🔥🔥 The best way to enjoy sports

[@aj-jl7ij]

it feels like people don't actually like the sport of basketball

[@Yusluv28]

Fact Americans complain too much Nba should focus on African/European fans

[@jaeloc1217]

They like gambling and narratives more than basketball itself that’s why they’re always focused analytics instead of the game

[@MuttonErase]

Gambling has ruined the regular season for a lot of people. Just the other day i saw someone say they cant enjoy the game if they dont have a parlay on it

[@unlockedaccount]

The regular season games are hard to engage with for a lot of people

[@MikeJones-vk3wz]

@@MuttonErase sounds like they didn't like basketball in the first place

[@Bingbongbarn]

This is how I felt watching fans discuss the NBA ratings issues. Bro, you are not a league executive it doesn’t matter to you at all

[@unlockedaccount]

The discussion would be better if it was more focused on making the game better more than the NBA ratings (similar but not the same)

[@justno984]

Some people are simply a fan of a sport because that sport is on top and trending at that moment. The moment that sport stops being relevant in the culture, they immediately jump ship and start watching something else. I feel like these people do this because they just want to be a part of something big at a moment in time in order to feel more important about themselves.

[@geomaryy]

NBA ratings talk is the most useless conversation to me because I don't give a single fuck about ratings and they talk about it like the holy grail

[@wrlx9992]

3:00 Him saying Type Shi killed me I'm like woah 😱😂

[@Kilometerscase]

why

[@STANKYCHEEZEMAYNE]

*WHOAAAAAooooOOOOO

[@Crimson866]

@@Kilometerscasehe don’t really swear much

[@noseblind2088]

​@@Crimson866he's been getting way more loose with it lately

[@4pfClairo]

this is so true it’s so mind numbing to try and talk about sports with people who just look at outcomes like i don’t care how the stats look if you don’t watch what happens you will never have the full picture

[@ceasar7274]

I follow basketball casually but baseball like this. The balance I found is during the offseason plot on all of this. Plot on trades contracts etc. be that fan who is too in the know for their own good. However once the season starts cheer for your team everything else be damned. You can 100% be both types of fans

[@alexvlahos9384]

I agree with you Kenny. I’m Australian and we have the afl These days, everyone is aware of players coming up in the draft 1-3 years in advance. And they are so closely followed that if your team is going poorly you want to tank for that player. Back in the day no one cared about players coming up to the draft etc

[@Felipsters1637]

11:00 I 1000% agree with you. Warriors best chance to win another ring is with Steph curry RIGHT NOW, not later without him 😭🤦🏻

[@joshuamorton9098]

But what if you don’t want to see your team bad for 20 years just to still lose in the first round or miss the playoffs all together cause you traded everything for Zach Lavine and he didn’t move the needle.

[@Felipsters1637]

@ you have Steph curry on your team right now!! What are the chances of you guys finding another Steph?? Less than 0. He’s a once in a generation type player and you have to maximize his chances to help your franchise get another ring. You guys are going to be mediocre after he retire either way, it’s inevitable.

[@joshuamorton9098]

@@Felipsters1637 even curry himself said don’t trade away the future in desperation. I just don’t believe this team is one trade away.

[@TheRodonji]

The problem you are describing here are not on the fans. It's on the American sports system, the salary caps, the drafting, the no relegation. The system awards being bad, the system punish stars trying to get the bag that they have played out if their mind to get.

[@illusorygaming]

I feel this so hard, went and saw the Jazz win in OT against Brooklyn last night, and it was just a game of who can lose harder it felt like. And at the end of the game I didn't see my favorite player playing and the Jazz still win, against a bad team meaning our lottery odds just got even worse, hard to cheer for a your favorite team when you want them to lose.

[@PrinceCortezJones]

FACTS FACTS FACTS! It's why older generations never have details when talking about players from 90s and before. ALOT of those narratives, story lines and even stats (in jordans case for example) were fabricated to help facilitate stories. And now that people have the ability to and are interested in the inner working and literally EVERY dribble, we see soooo much more. We talk about players contracts like it's their last name. We speak on efficiency on players, when before that wasnt nearly as focused on. It's part of the evolution though. People care alot more now so there is alot more care either on the good or bad side.

[@mkilver9]

Your point at 5:20 feels even more real as a Bulls fan. We don't develop picks well 80-85% of the time, why should we believe this one will be different? Jerry Reinsdorf hasn't yet been called down to hell where he belongs, and his ownership policies don't help us hope for a rebuild very easily Meanwhile, Julian Phillips is that dude plz don't leave us Julian

[@calebrockhill3532]

I’m a jazz fan and we just beat the nets on our rookies buzzer beater and a lot of the fans I saw were upset because it hurt the draft odds. But like, what are you doing if you don’t want to see the occasional win. We still have only 10 wins and there needs to be some foundation for when the team is better

[@geomaryy]

They just want the team to go 0-82 with the way they acted after that gamd

[@Hapahilo619]

As a Bull's fan, I've kind of gone full circle on this and I have 0 faith that our front office will save the team any time soon so I'm just going to be happy when my team succeeds on the court. We edge out a win against the Celtics? Hell yeah bro. We get blown out by the Wizards? Give me some time to cool down. Come playoff time, I'll live vicariously through my favorite player Jokic and cheer for the Nuggets because I know the Bulls are getting bounced out during the play-ins.

[@camgoczeski2198]

Agreed bro. Tank culture is terrible and miserable and why would we have any faith in this FO to 1) just get straight up lucky in the lottery 2) make a good pick and 3) develop the player well when 2 of our 3 last top 7 picks have panned out terribly and the other one (coby) has been like, alright. We have an easy schedule coming up I just hope we can go on a good run and creep up to the 6th seed. Our team is young that wouldn’t be a bad spot even. When my team wins, I’m gonna be happy. What a concept

[@AdrianVega-bp9nx]

i actually really respect this im nobody to judge or nitpick the community but this right here is a vary good mindset to have on the nba for sure

[@Hapahilo619]

@@camgoczeski2198 I agree bro. The 76ers tank almost killed their franchise (a bit of hyperbole), and what did they get out of it? A superstar that never plays and a team that can't get out of the second round. In fact, the two most exciting players they have for me, Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, came after their tanking period. Tanking just sucks and it's a slap in the face to the fans of that franchise. You don't need a top 5 pick to get a top 5 player, you just need a good FO and a good development process. Giannis was the 15th pick, Shai and Sabonis were the 11th pick, and we all know about Jokic. It makes things easier to have the higher pick ofc but damn I don't want to be the Wizards for multiple seasons for a "chance" to be good 5 years down the road.

[@fenmoods]

@@Hapahilo619 EXACTLY

[@loganhardy8734]

So many of us Bulls fans love Jokić and the nuggets. Pretty wild

[@Jonathan-bn8uf]

This the biggest difference when talking NBA versus NFL. When I talk about NFL with friends, we hardly ever discuss contracts or what this Offensive Lineman block rate percentage is on second down. Can you protect the QB or nah?

[@gtgamesnapz]

As a fan when it becomes evident that your squad is doing nothing this season (about halfway through) I start hoping for a tank as well. I hate being the "best team not in the playoffs" because it's usually no man's land for getting better next season.

[@BonafideJas]

Kenny, you gotta acknowledge how much of an impact you've had on educating fans

[@Conky1452]

I think understanding cap and contracts is good to a point. Like wanting your team to win and wishing they’d make moves to get there but also understanding that they might not have the cap to sign a certain player or trade for one without getting rid of key pieces

[@Kleeber180]

one of my favorite things about kenny is that he is aware and humble enough to have the thought that his 2k rebuilding videos might have had an effect on this subject even if it didn’t at all

[@Rapsciddy31]

In my eyes, what you described is sport Kenny. All my pro sports teams are dookie rn. They reached the highest of highs and now they're at the lowest of lows. Do I want to trade my aging stars for a better pick in the draft down the line? Yes. But also absolutely not. I love my teams, and every player that wears our uniform (except Dragic lmao f that guy). It's not just routing for your team, it's about routing for your players that put their necks out for your team night in and night out. It's why I hated seeing Lowry go, that shit ripped me to shreds. Valanciunas, Ross, Miles, Siakam, Freddy, Ibaka, Gasol, Wright, TD, Thomas, obviously Kawhi and DeRozan in B2B years. Where the Raps are now, we are prime to get Flagg, But I would much prefer to have all my boys back on my team again. I celebrate the wins, I celebrate the current players, I celebrate the future, I celebrate the past, I celebrate the present. It is impossible to balance all of those things (unless you're the fuckin Yankees ffs) as a franchise, but also as a fan. That's sport.

[@samparker5488]

tf did goran dragic do

[@josesanches2405]

4:07 I apply this too with futbol as well 😂 I haven’t been up to date with my favorite teams like the stats and even the player’s names, but damnit I will watch them cause I want to see them win! 😭

[@mrfathed3129]

I blame fantasy football for myself personally. That's what made me just start constantly digging into analytics and less just enjoying sports. I stopped playing fantasy football, but can't get my brain to go back.

[@kemic3946]

As a panthers fan I play fantasy football so I can enjoy the sport while rooting for my team. It eases the pain of watching my currently bad football team

[@kemic3946]

I’ve also got a friend who’s a giants fan and all year he kept celebrating losses and talking about getting a good draft pick. As you might know the panthers started playing well again at the end of the season when it was too late and I personally was just happy to see the panthers win as I didn’t really care about tanking for a better pick. At the end of the day, every fan going to take in sports content differently and I think that’s the beauty of sports.

[@RayZzyt]

As a fan of a team that somewhat recently blew it up rebuilt and is now reaping the benefits I can confidently say even in the tank seasons it was more fun for me watching the young guys develop and show there potential even in the losses rather than running out a 35-40 win team every season and seeing no success and never getting over that hill

[@fpl_djhammer]

Eye Test vs Analytics is a battle within all sports that has been ongoing for years, but even more so recently the best kind of fans are the ones who know how to balance using both methods to enjoy the sport tbh BALANCE IS ALWAYS THE KEY

[@porozil4068]

Fan voting for All Stars should tell all you need about the state of NBA fandom

[@SUB-ZYR0]

13:31 What are the odds that a possible top 10 pick could end up as a player as good as Lavine though? I think at this point the Bulls are too good to actually be able to keep that pick. They would have to trade Lavine RIGHT NOW and then lose most of the games in the season and I don't think that would happen.

[@FollowerOfGod_love]

Exactly the type of thinking I have all the time. Like anytime a team trades a superstar it's almost hard for me to get behind it cause it's like you probably won't get someone that good again

[@SUB-ZYR0]

@@FollowerOfGod_love Thats what happened with Jimmy Butler

[@GTNover]

You are correct that tanking is never a guarantee to get a good boost. People don't claim it is a guarantee though. They claim it's better for your future to have the #1 draft pick than what you could have had if you won as many games as possible.

[@EpsteinNoSeppuku]

0:43 whats crazy to me is Jokic is on the list meant for guards. this man needs help

[@andrew9771]

I was struggling with the same thing last night watching my hornets choke away a game to the suns, thinking “do I even want us to win this game?” Everyone win just decreases our chances at cooper Flagg or dylan Harper

[@geomaryy]

I feel like if your at bottom 5 of the league then you shouldn't really care that much about wins against "good" teams. Like at some point you're gonna win and its better if its against better teams

[@Cccam-hh2qk]

“Reading the CBA type shii” is craaaaaazy bro 😂😂

[@AllBetzOff]

The way I enjoy basketball to keep away from the negativity is to follow one player on the team and watch all of their moves. It's fun and teaches you about moves you didn't know about. Sometimes I'll go crazy over players like Joe ingles, Rui Hachimura, and Bones Hyland.

[@jasonl1184]

it's 100% okay for warriors fans not to want their office trade for jimmy or lavine. id like to hear a legit argument why they should

[@omibell7706]

from the perspective of someone who heavily follows the NFL, it’s becoming a huge problem there too. I’m a New Orleans fan and so many people wanted us to lose every game, 4 games into the season because we weren’t playing as good as we thought before the season. I miss rooting for you’re team, KNOWING you’re going to lose just because of the love for your franchise

[@eleven3797]

As a Warriors fan, it sucks seeing how stubborn our front office is. Podz and Kuminga had VALUE this offseason/last year and their value has decreased ever since, and they still won’t make change.

[@Liljojo.762]

As a lakers fan it sucks having a bad front office as well.

[@lilspooky4008]

That’s why I like college so much. You don’t look forward to a draft pick. Obviously there’s recruiting but I feel like it’s easier to be a chill fan

[@Truman909]

Love this video Kenny. I think also a couple factors though would have to be just the skill level coming into the nba now is just at a crazy all time high especially with the surge of euro basketball becoming such a big thing it’s taken the skill coming into the draft to a whole new level so of course fans are going to be excited/curious about these new factors coming into the game they love so much. Especially with how amazing Victor has been in his sophomore season fans look at that and think the draft has so much more value that it has in many previous years. Maybe I’m wrong though

[@SpankyLangford1]

Kenny put us all in our place without being disrespectful and gave examples and facts. Honestly, you have to respect this no matter how you feel

[@snoppy6728]

Warriors fans are against the Lavine thing now because it would require too much and wouldn't make the Warriors a contender. What they really wanted was to trade CP3 for Lavine instead of just cutting him. But Lavine doesn't move the needle. Neither does Butler.

[@Tom-ig8sh]

Completely agree with this point.As someone who lives in England,seeing the Brooklyn Nets make an Instagram post,and seeing all the comments complaining that they ain’t losing is just so weird to me.

[@micahrobbins9635]

Haha I love that this also feels like a plea for Chicago to make a move, I feel that as a Warriors fan

[@mattwonders5566]

It holds front offices accountable. It’s good we don’t have a 80s Cavs situation

[@davidascano2144]

Someone give me context I don’t wanna look it up, thanks

[@keatongumlock]

@@davidascano2144i may be wrong on the details, but they’re the reason we have the stepien rule(you can’t trade 1st picks back to back years). he basically mortgaged off the future to try and win then and screwed over the franchise for a long time

[@miisports6147]

@@keatongumlocknot even to try to win really, for example he traded multiple firsts for a player he cut a few weeks later

[@YunisRajab]

lol what are you talking about? Since when has any fan's opinion or knowledge on the game held the front office accountable

[@davyunwashington3613]

@@YunisRajabcough cough the nets

[@itzshyguy7551]

Hope we can all agree we love watching this videos and hope that Kenny knows how much we appreciate the content ❤

[@VILEPAINTS]

I feel the exact same way about professional wrestling, a lot of the “smart” fan base only watches to critique when it’s meant to be entertainment. With the NBA I also just sit back and watch cause if I get into numbers I just wouldn’t enjoy seeing basketball anymore. Unfortunately I’m too into baseball I barely enjoy it like I used to lol

[@manadam7669]

I agree. We're by far smarter than ESPN thinks we are. They try to sell us narratives that just simply don't match what we're seeing while watching games. I'm not a team loyalist or fanboy so I enjoy watching all teams and games.

[@stackcosvin8422]

As a person from the UK this is very much an American sports problem, this is the consequence of not having a relegation system, wins and losses actually mean less to a team/fan, I support a football (soccer) team in England and every win means the world and every loss is the end of it! And on the topic of contracts, I hardly ever look at the salary of players because there’s no need as salary cap isn’t really a thing, therefore however much my team pays has no impact on me 😂

[@ben_jammin9470]

I’m not disagreeing with you, but I guess I don’t know that it would change the FO strategy for the Bulls, since their documented strategy is to put together a relatively cheap, .500 team in order to sell tickets. They’ll never spend or risk enough to win on serious level, but conversely they’ll also never be a bottom feeder. This is me just asking, but they wouldn’t be motivated to change the strategy to avoid relegation since they’ll never be bad enough to be the worse team in the league. Right?

[@stackcosvin8422]

@ I guess I’m speaking from a fan perspective not a team one, it makes perfect sense for them to run it this way as at the end of the day it’s a business! But In my opinion I feel sports is more fun when there is a serious consequence to not performing well, in the nba you’re even rewarded for doing poorly hence teams tanking, I guess I’m not talking as much of the bulls as I am the league in general if ygm?

[@johnmarkson1990]

@@stackcosvin8422 it all depends on what you prefer. every loss feeling like the end of the world isnt exactly something i can cope with. just way too much stress. american sports is way more relaxaed and chilled back. players like jaylen green lamelo fun to watch. it stops being fun if there doing circus shots and losing is a bad thing.

[@stackcosvin8422]

@ and that’s understandable, i just feel that the overall competitiveness of a relegation system is the best, I enjoy watching the NBA but as a fan of the sport and not a team it lacks a sort of dog battle that can happen in English Football and it only really happens in game 7s if ygm, and also why im on the topic i think the season is way too long

[@wepsel01]

I think one of the problems is that new players come from schools. In football (soccer) clubs have youth teams where they grow their own talent. That way when they turn out good they join the team in their own city and fans can root for young prospects coming to their team

[@devanwelch4049]

Cavaliers fan here and I’ve had this thought for a long time. It frustrated me that people couldn’t just have a good time when JB Bickerstaff was at the helm. I prefer Kenny, but that doesn’t change the fact that we had a great run from when we drafted Darius onward. He went from literally the worst player in the entire league statistically into an All-Star and everyone else has grown around him and Donovan and Evan. It’s been really fun to watch.

[@jonnydavidson4932]

As a British person whose grown up watching the premier league and got into the NBA later on in life, the idea of a team PURPOSEFULLY tanking is genuinely mind blowing to me. The fact teams are rewarded for doing badly instead of being relegated to a second devision seems anti sport to me. Teams should be constantly fighting to be the best versions of themselves not throwing away entire seasons and years of their players lives in the hopes of getting better draft picks. Absolute madness, y’all need the threat of relegation something crazy, the fight to avoid relegation - finishing in the bottom three and being sent down to the second division - is as interesting if not more then the fight for the title and that’s how it should be.

[@craigthenf273]

I feel like there's like a happy medium between these 2 type of fans, I grew up with the process 6ers but that was honestly the most fun I had as a fan, me and my dad watched every game of that 10 win season and we would literally cheer for a close game that we would end up losing, I literally still remember the game we had against the warriors where we almost won and like all of philly lost there minds lol, like compared to now where everyone is just sick of the team and tired of our own players coming up short every year the process was so much more fun, but it was fun because it didn't mean anything so it's not like it's better.

[@nikolaantanasijevic6036]

Most front offices and NBA coaches are so clueless, that a proper NBA fan is like a genius compared to them.

[@JenRut-kz9vx]

Your journey is inspiring. Keep shining!

[@maddo1069]

Ultimately your main point shines through - you might pray to the heavens that Zach goes before then, or wish for a deadline blockbuster, or watch him leave for nothing and lose your pick, but you'll still be a Bulls fan regardless

[@Kahleebbb]

This is very much in line with the youth prioritization in the nba we don't want good seasons, which would rely on reliable proven guys, but instead we'd rather suck for 5 years to get a single ring, which is no guarantee. It's kind of an all or nothing way of looking at the game that actually encourages average basketball being worse.

[@unlockedaccount]

A lot of it comes from the media and people playing 2K

[@peteryun1]

Thanks for the vid, Kenny! Ngl, sometimes I felt like a “not real fan” since I don’t understand the 2nd apron stuff. And other payroll things

[@NBAgladiator]

I agree and have been actively been pulling away so I can appreciate average games more. I want to get back to when games were just fun and enjoyable to watch.

[@SoLCollectR]

The saying "Ignorance is bliss" rings true on this topic. When I first got into watching basketball I could care leas about the money. I didnt know how much Nash, Amare or Marion were getting paid. I just wanted them to get paid to stay on my team. I didn't look at another players contract just the player and how they could help my team. I never worried about salary matching ect. Just wanted my Suns to keep getting better. I do kinda blame GM modes for this. Cause once you learn these things its kinda hard to look past them.

[@tjbittleston7611]

This might be your best video ever 🔥🔥 Sometimes we forget about what we really love about this sport

[@BeyerEfendi]

As someone who doesn't know (or care to know) anything about aprons or contracts or all that stuff, I appreciate this video. We need to stop finding reasons to not enjoy the sport we love.

[@Rangatology]

This is why I believe Player contracts should be lowered to A) include a mandatory “Wins Bonus” to financially incentivise player to care more about winning. B) include a mandatory “minutes played” - not games played - bonus. This would be to truly recognise the season long contribution a player makes on the court. Why pay a player who misses too many games each year (outside of genuine injuries) Note: I am aware some players care no matter what, but this is a league wide suggestion because contracts can be overly complex right now.

[@Octamandala-m9r]

The lottery and the draft just make sense, if your team is good it doesn’t need to get better. If your team is bad it should have the chance to get better. And then sometimes a 2nd draft pick becomes the best player into the league. Your team doesn’t deserve to be good more than mine does.

[@beenard3247]

I've been more of a college basketball fan for a while but I'm getting more into being an NBA fan this year and I'm honestly just rooting for the pacers to win. I have no idea who's a free agent and who's being paid what. It's been pretty nice

[@redsynergy3180]

Idk what Warriors fans Kenny was seeing but we wanted zach this off season and i still want him.

[@juxcyyios]

nah there’s a lot that don’t wanna make trades

[@klaymatic3751]

I didn't want the trade persay but I also just want the team to do something! If it's lavine let's go!

[@redsynergy3180]

@@klaymatic3751 yea I wanted them to get lauri mainly, but getting zach and a 1st! for cp3 and wigs would have been great too, and there was a possiblity that they didn't even need to trade wigs for him either.

[@JesusGonzalez-pk6vo]

Bring back casual fandom 🙏

[@OTM-BandiT]

most still are. they just act like they know what they are talking about.

[@Werdumed]

As a causal british fan, the salary and contract stuff doesn't matter since our sports also dont care about it. If they're nice with it, im a fan. I aint the GM, im a fan

[@unlockedaccount]

a lot of premier league fans speak about net spend and wages as well tbh

[@Werdumed]

@unlockedaccount Man city, other than that nobody cares tbh. Nobody says X player is on this contract, or we shouldnt get X because of their wages. We dont look at Salah and compare him to his wage like NBA fans hyperfocus on it, if theyre good, theyre good

[@JG124_]

I feel like it’s because casual fans of the NBA have been dying out in general, that’s why the viewership keeps dropping. Nowadays you’re either a hardcore fan or you dont watch at all, there’s no in between

[@trevellsummers400]

Exactly this, thats why I've been having a ball watching my Hawks bloom into their new Young identity. Lovin it win or loss

[@AHilton21]

5:20 I’m a New England Patriots fan, and let’s face it, we are bad, and it is probably in our best interest to loose and get a top pick, however, I love watching my team win. The way I’ve gone about it is that I love watching my team, and I always root for them to win, but when we suck so bad we get a top pick, that just takes some of the edge off loosing. For example we just beat the bills and lost the no1 overall pick. All we had to do was loose, but the backups came in and played a heck of a game and we beat the Bills. I was happy to see us win, though the pick would’ve been nice, it’s still cool to see players show up and play good football!

[@MOCskoden]

What Kenny really wants to say is that nba fans should be clueless and be very passionate fans for their teams 💯

[@gordyhowitzer]

People are crazy nowadays, I'm a Wolves fan so I've never been worried about my team winning the title, when KG and Love left I was happy for them. The problem is too many people on twitter talking nonsense like the only point of basketball is for their team to win. I used to go to wolves games with my dad specifically when Kobe or Lebron was in town just to see us lose extra bad lol Social media has done this to everything, the discussion and the engagement is the point, we don't know how to just enjoy ball (or anything else) anymore

[@OlaveSavior]

Worst part about this is that you know which teams will and won’t be competing for s championship no matter what and the playoffs are too predictable outside a couple of series.

[@OlaveSavior]

Basketball has a formula and as data becomes more detailed and accessible plenty of people can figure out what will and won’t work, the game has turned very objective.

[@Miles_305]

If your team is not a playoff team and you want to get better then yup, build through the draft (tank) or stack assets (trade mid for picks) to be able to get a superstar you can build around. I see no problem with this esp. under the new CBA. Mid sucks.

[@ChiyouFootballTrainingAcademy]

I'm aware that billionaire franchise owners and current US Fandom won't allow it to come to that, but if the question is "What should be done to solve the hyper analysis of a player's contract vs how they're actually playing on the court?" The pretty obvious solution should be to add promotion/relegation and to stop rewarding bad teams with high picks Then teams wouldn't be concerned about what happens 3 years down the line with a young player's development if they can't even stay in the top division

[@berryesseen]

As an NBA fan, I really wish Cooper Flagg to not get picked by Wizards or Hornets. Imagine he plays 15 years in NBA and retires with 1 playoff series appearance with 0-4 result. I'm also so grateful that Spurs got Wemby. They will be competitive in no time.

[@nightshade763]

as a lifelong warriors fan, i really just hope that the front office picks one or the other already, build around steph and go for one more run or send him away and get some picks and go full rebuild cause father time is catching up and he still playing at a high level now but we don’t know what tomorrow holds. they owe him either letting him go to go full rebuild or doing everything in our power in order to get him one more in the bay

[@darkwc11]

It's been good to be a thunder fan most of my life. Don't have to worry about drafting the right guy when u have 30 picks.

[@jorisvermeer4281]

Fandom no. 3 We love Kenny and he keeps us updated with specifics while we watch basketball casually, the perfect way imo🥳

[@BS-uj3ny]

Knowing too much isn't always a good thing and sometimes it's OK to tune out a lot of the noise.

[@theretodo4928]

"maybe I made this a problem to make a video" - You just cracked all of sports commentary, bruh

[@grantharpole2806]

Ending a 13 minute rant with “but idk” is hilarious

[@fentanyljones6956]

Damn, great vid. Good presentation and great personality for screen.