The NBA in China: Air Ball

American corporations have kowtowed to them.  President Donald Trump started a trade war against them.  Now it's the National Basketball Association's turn to deal with the most lucrative and sensitive country on the planet, which happens to be China.

Before we get to that. a little background.  Chins has had a Communist dictatorship  for the past 70 years, longer than the Soviet Union was in existence. Since 1997, when China acquired the city and region of Hong Kong from Great Britain, they have somehow kept their hands off of the Western-style economy and democracy that made it run for well over a century. 

Recently, protesters have been turning Hong Kong into a referendum of sorts over the future of China, opposing plans to permit local law enforcement to arrest those who have been accused of committing crimes in China.   The Beijing government considers the demonstrators to be dangerous enough to warrant placing tanks outside town, inviting comparisons to what happened at Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Where the NBA comes in is a tweet from Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, in support of the protesters. (Which is more than what the Trump administration was willing to do.) After China voiced its objections, NBA commissioner Adam Silver voiced his support for Morey as an act of free speech.   It became apparent he didn't know who he was dealing with. 

As it happened, the league sent two of its teams--the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets--on a goodwill tour of mainland China. It must have been real uncomfortable for players and team officials to step into a situation where they have to answer for their league's international spat with a country they're just visiting.  A country where some of these players have business connections (sneakers or otherwise) that force them to toe the line. And how awkward players like Lebron James appear when they try to explain themselves while wearing a businessman's hat. 

So where are we now?  While there isn't a real rift between the NBA and Beijing at this point, China has blacked out TV broadcasts of games and told Silver to fire Morey--which he can't legally do.  But they need each other.  The NBA can't turn it's back on the marketing opportunities afforded by the huge Chinese market, and the government can't afford to alienate its basketball followers. 

In other words, if you want to make nice with a dictatorship started by revolutionaries who disliked capitalism and who now dabbles in it, it's best not to bring up politics. 

-------

Meanwhile back in North America, the NBA season has already begun.   Our Top Eight teams that we think will make the playoffs are like this:

Western Conference:  Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs. 

Eastern Conference:  Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers.