Knicks Banned from NBA Playoffs!!!

What would your first thought be if you read the above headline or saw it across your ESPN ticker at the beginning of this past season? Initially it would probably be shock, but then you'd think, "I wonder what Isaiah Thomas did this time?" Or maybe, "Who cares, the Knicks are terrible anyways!"

No imagine that Isaiah and the organization had been fired, the players were cut and the coaching staff was purged. Then Greg Popovich, Tim Duncan, and the entire San Antonio Spurs organization was brought in to replace the Knicks before the season started.

Now what are your thoughts about the above headline? "What? That's crazy! How can you not let the defending World Champions try to repeat?!!" Your argument would be that the Spurs are only the Knicks in name, everything else about them is still the same!

But David Stern decided that this would be a convenient way to keep the Spurs, and their winning (yet low ratings producing) style of basketball out of the championship hunt. The NBA was just tired of watching the Spurs. This would be an easy way to guarentee a new champ and get fresh blood in the Finals. You would think that this was nuts, ludicrous, ridiculous. But that's exactly what has happened in the cycling world.

The U.S. Postal/Discovery Channel cycling team, better known as the team that Lance Armstrong built, lost it's title sponsor after last season, and ceased to exist for a short time, despite coming off a Tour de France victory. It's 8th in 9 years (7 with Lance as the winner).

On the other side of the ocean, Astana's cycling team was mired in doping problems. So it's owners fired everybody and brought in Johan Bruyneel to be it's new director (or coach/GM). So, for all intents and purposes, he brought over his old team (including Tour de France winner Alberto Contador), staff, and support. It was a convenient way to keep the championships coming, and a great way for the owners of Astana to continue without the negative press.

But then ASO, the French organization that runs the Tour de France, and other major races, made the announcement that the Astana team would not be allowed in any of it's races or Grand Tours! So one of the premier organizations and riders in the world would not be allowed to defend their title. Lance Armstrong calls this "his penalty." But this announcement largely went unnoticed in the United States.

The Tour started yesterday, and Johan Bruyneel was not directing a team for the first time in 9 years. He's like the Phil Jackson of the cycling world. It's a shame that Astana and Bruyneel were being treated this way. I guess the French will be excited because someone with more flare will find themselves on the Tour podium in 3 weeks. But it's just one more reason why America will take another step away from the cycling world.

With Lance's retirement, and Floyd Landis', and Tyler Hamilton's disgraces, America no longer cares about what happens in France...unless it involves a certain Spurs point guard and his Desperate Housewife!