Roger Goodell awakens with a startle and a crash. Something in the laundry room, perhaps, has fallen to the floor and shattered? He was sitting at his dining room table and must have fallen asleep. He was tired, and why not, he had just been named the commissioner of the NBA and MLB to go along with his current duties as the NFL's commissioner.

The decision to combine all major sports and for them to be under the direction of one man had been made by the new Senate committee on U.S. sports. The committee, which was formed to find an answer to steroid use, decided to go with one commissioner, the commissioner of the greatest sports organization in the world, the NFL.

He heard something else, footsteps, perhaps. He raised his head off of the table, wiped the drool from his chin and started for the laundry room.

The footsteps became louder as he drew closer. At first there was a shadow, and then he appeared … he was wearing Boston Celtic green with the number three on his chest. As his face appeared, the freckles, along with the three NBA championship rings gave away his identity (not to mention the short shorts). It was Dennis Johnson.

D … D ... Denn … .DJ stops Roger in mid-stutter and says "Take my hand." Roger does what is asked of him and as soon as he takes DJ's hand he is transported to a different place, a place of NBA pasts, a place that brings a smile to DJ's face.

The Boston Garden, 1984, NBA Championship, Bird vs. Magic.

The Garden was packed. Bird's Celts defeat Magic's Los Angeles Lakers. The World was tuned in to the NBA and they were transfixed by the Bird vs. Magic rivalry. Roger couldn't help but stand there, mouth wide open, in awe of the spectacle. The NBA was at its pinnacle of popularity, it was big business.

DJ grabs Roger's hand and as Roger's mouth closes on his tongue, they are transferred to another place, the ATT Center in San Antonio, Texas. It is the NBA Championship Series between the Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Roger looks around and sees a different environment than he saw in 1984. There are plenty of empty seats at the ATT Center. The series is suffering from some of the worst TV ratings ever.

He asks DJ, "Why isn't anyone watching?"

DJ sighs deeply and mutters, "Where do I start?"

"The NBA playoffs are not what they used to be." DJ remembers. "People have lost interest due to the length of time between games, and, especially, because the two best teams do not end up in the finals."

Goodell thinks about this for awhile. The NFL reseeds after each round. This would definitely improve the NBA playoffs … maybe change the format to East 1 vs. West 8, West 1 vs. East 8, etc, etc? 

As Roger starts thinking about the time between games, he is swept away again, this time to the TV showing this year's NBA lottery.

Portland just "earned" the first pick, over perennial losers Atlanta and Memphis, both of which had worse records that Portland and the owners of the second pick, Seattle.

Let's not forget about Boston, the once proud franchise and losers of a Celtic record 18 straight games. The Celtics, who also had the second worst record, ended up with the fifth pick.

DJ sighs, "Ah, the once great Celtics … being held hostage by a gimmicky process called the NBA Draft Lottery." Under DJ's breath Roger thought he heard him mutter something out of disgust about Danny Ainge, but couldn't quite make it out.

DJ takes Roger's hand again and soon they are transported to another NBA draft; the last draft prior to the start of the lottery, the 1984 draft.

Roger looks on as the 29-53 Houston Rockets take the cornerstone of their two NBA championships, Hakeem Olajuwon. Two picks later, following possibly the worst pick in NBA history, the 27-55 Chicago Bulls get a "steal" when they pick Michael Jordan third.

DJ nods his head, "That's the way it should be, the worst teams getting the best picks, period."

Roger contemplates getting rid of the lottery, when they are suddenly cast forward in time. Goodell looks around and immediately recognizes the scene; the "Malice in the Palace," the 2004 brawl between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons.

Goodell watches as Ron Artest climbs into the stands and hits the wrong fan. He winces as he is whisked away again, to another NBA brawl … New York Knicks vs. Denver Nuggets, 2006.

Roger looks on as it looks as if things have calmed down and the fight has stopped. Then, suddenly, Carmelo Anthony throws a sucker punch at Mardy Collins.

DJ shakes his head, "What a coward. What a black eye for the NBA."

Roger immediately thinks of his new conduct policy he instituted for the NFL. Artest, Anthony, Stephon Marbury, Kobe Bryant, and the entire Portland Jail Blazer roster could have benefited from this policy.

There is the sound of a door slamming, Roger jerks his head up and looks around … DDD … Jaaaay?

There is no response. He is very tired. He nods off again. He hears another crash, this time it's coming from the den. He gets up and starts toward the darkened room. He sees movement and thinks he sees ... he sees…

- To Be Continued-