Am I the Only One Bothered by the Concept of the "Asset?"

The very concept seems to me to devalue not just the human beings we're discussing (as if their value is solely based on a number or a series of statistics), but the whole reason we like sports in the first place: the competition, the people, the athleticism, the thrill of victory and all that.

Maybe it's because of fantasy sports or video games, but it often feels like we've removed the human quality of the game to the point that the inherent nature of what makes a team a TEAM is lost.

I like the excitement of a trade and the fascination of a draft as much as the next guy. The chase of a free agent is certainly exciting at times. But, it's mainly thrilling because of the hope those things instill in us as fans about what will happen on the floor.

Just as the limited highlights have reduced basketball games to a series of three pointers and poster dunks as well as a handful of important players to the point even scouts complain that kids grow up thinking that is what the NBA is all about, fantasy sports of any kind have made us all experts on collective bargaining agreements and possessing the latest cap numbers for our team and the players around the league.

It's kinda gross, frankly.

We all demand - usually in a high pitched whine that makes my AM radio even more annoying than usual - that players be all about heart and passion and not care about how much money they are paid. Then we turn on them the moment they get hurt or struggle for a few games and they become just a number to us, just a commodity we can move to bring in the next punching bag. And, we're shocked and mortified by their desire to make as much money as possible in their, generally, brief careers.

Where's the loyalty? Where's the respect?

To make matters worse, we don't just know who the GM's are (how long have general managers even had this level of importance?), we think we can outmatch them in skill just because we have access to an internet trade checker and a subscription to ESPN Insider. It's the height of hubris.

But, I guess nothing surprises me given the on-demand nature of the internet and the anonymity it provides those who know, on some level, that their opinions are as worthless as the pixels that display them. After all, these are the same people who would supposedly pass up a date with Jessica Alba because "I've had hotter." Sure you have, nerd boy.

I'm not saying it isn't fun to speculate and to discuss and to hypothesize, but when it drifts into a realm where "IMO" doesn't exist and where players are just dollar signs wrapped in a jerseys, you'll pardon me if I don't indulge and rather sit quietly watching guys do things I can only do when I've fallen asleep because that's why I watch. Isn't that why everyone watches?