LeBron James, Chris Paul and the Destruction of the NBA

Well, well, well. We're less than a week after "The Decision" and "The Destruction" has already begun.

This weekend Mark Cuban demanded an investigation into tampering by the Miami Heat and I believe it will get some traction. Dan Gilbert will certainly side with Cuban and it looks like Otis Smith and the Orlando Magic brass are ready to jump in the ring as well.

The fans have spoken loudly since "The Debacle" went down last Thursday and they are not happy. But when you start telling a bunch of billionaires that you're going to tell them how the league will be run, you better watch out.

And that was before Chris Paul made his idiotic comments this weekend at Carmelo Anthony's wedding. 

The idea that teams will be developed under the auspices of CAA and Nike may seem like a great idea to today's players. They seem to be more concerned about their brands than they do to playing basketball.

For the NBA it is a complete disaster.  

Let's start with the fact that only three out of thirty teams made money last year. One of those teams was the Los Angeles Clippers.

That means that 27 NBA owners are in the sport for the fun of it and the chance to win a title. Take that away from them and what reason do they have to stay in the sport, especially when you're on the verge of a lockout in 2011 that may cost the league an entire season. 

The fact is players are only millionaires because a bunch of billionaires are letting them make that money. No billionaires. No millionaires. That's the way it works.

I know, I know. "What about the shoe contracts?" "'Bron makes as much off Nike as he does from the Heat."

That's true. But he will only be worth that money if there is a league for him to play in. No league, no play. No play, no shoes. No shoes, no contract. 

Then there are the fans. They are angry everywhere but Miami.

They hate LeBron most of all. They're starting to hate Dwayne Wade as well.

Anthony and Paul will be next. That is if fans think they're going through the motions while waiting to form their own agency backed super-team in New York. Which is what Paul indicated they were going to do this weekend at Melo's wedding.

New Orleans doesn't draw all that well now at home or on the road. Who's going to go see them if Paul is playing out the string waiting to move to the Knicks?

Anthony was just starting to get some love from fans after several missteps early in his career. It won't be hard for fans to start hating on him again. 

David Stern is in a real pickle now. 

He has teams with empty arenas bleeding money all over the league. He's one year away from what looks like a very difficult labor negotiation. 

Now he has an insurrection brewing from owners and fans who are fed up with today's players, concerned that agents and shoe companies are making deals behind everyone's backs. 

I would to love to be a fly on the wall at this week's league meetings.