NBA Players and Streetball, Not a Good Fit After All, Just Think!

Since the NBA lockout has lasted 41 days so far, NBA players have taken the summer circuit by storm, traveling city to city to participate in summer league games. Most noticeably, Kevin Durant, John Wall and Brandon Jennings have filled gyms and street courts displaying their all-world talent while frustrating NBA general managers.

Kevin Durant's recent 66-point onslaught on the lower echelon of talent at Rucker Park last Monday was a testament of the talent that he encompasses and he wasn't done when he traveled to Baltimore earlier this week to stamp his credibility as a profound street-baller. However, many NBA players are out of work and a vast majority of NBA players' checks have come to a screeching halt. A low percentage of players are making money this offseason.

There are more players indulging in the street ball life that have gone unnoticed, but is it beneficial for players to risk their career playing with people whose basketball career faded once they hit the pinnacle of puberty? Most basketball players on a street ball level are adamantly entitled to prove their manhood—for lack of a better term—amongst NBA's elite. If you haven't noticed, a lot of street ball players lack the skill set to compete at a college level. Most were touted as the next coming player in their local community, yet lacked the mental capacity to deal with the pressure. Furthermore, they lacked the fundamental skills that most college coaches ask for in order to play the game.

Some of these opinions may come off as slander to most, but ideal and accurate to many. After all, the NBA is a individually driven league, right? Most GMs are quietly discussing, though angry, the amount of quality NBA players that are dominating the summer circuit, risking their careers. Hence, the Michael Beasley incident where he mushed a heckler because he called him an offensive term and more outlandish slurs, but we won't dilute your vocabulary with such.

In the middle of summer night in NYC, mushing a heckler could've turned into a life-threatening matter in less than 24 hours. Luckily, nothing amounted from the situation. The situation in California with Matt Barnes, who allegedly punched a member of the opposing team, later to find out he missed him worse than David Ortiz of Boston Red Sox when he charged the mound against an Baltimore Orioles pitcher. Barnes has created a reputation for himself as an NBA tough guy, so when he played a pick-up game he felt the need to defend himself because he is an NBA player. An egotistical character would only assume they are a marked man when playing pick up ball.

To sum, NBA players should either play basketball overseas or embark in a business venture where they can generate revenue during these down times. Wasting time to prove their game is greater than most is pointless. We know that the you love the sport, but is it worth the pain of the street ball? No.

Twitter: @SylvanusUagbor