Three Contenders, Three Players, Three Problems

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All three are NBA All-Star caliber players. All three play on championship-contending teams in the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively. All three are at different stages of their careers. Not least, all three have created off-the-court problems that are in distinct contrast with the goals of their teammates, fans, and organizations.

However, their issues – with the exception of Artest – are not new to the world of professional team sports.

Let's face the truth here, folks. Supporting a pro sports team these days can be a little hard to muster when you take into account all the off-court issues you have to sift through in the daily sports pages. Disgruntled athletes have been around for eternity. Discord has reigned in locker rooms since the Athens Olympics, and I mean the original Athens Olympics. The difference today is that every grunt, groan, and snarl becomes public knowledge and the average fan has a hard time swallowing all the dysfunction, considering the salaries of today's athletes and the price of a decent seat at local sporting venues. There's no doubt that it's tough to find a hero these days.

You want squeaky clean? Check out an old episode of "The Waltons." Looking for the All-American boy? I'm pretty sure you can find Beaver Cleaver on TBS these days. Seeking a good old-fashioned, wholesome prime-time sporting event? There's always Monday Night Football.

Uh, scratch that! Ever since Terrell Owens and a certain "desperate housewife" turned the Eagles' locker room into Hedonism IV, you can't even go there without parental discretion.

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Tim Legler

NBA studio analyst

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Former NBA player Tim Legler joined ESPN in 2000 as a studio analyst for ESPNEWS. Legler also appears regularly as an analyst of ESPN2's NBA Fastbreak. Legler played for five NBA teams -- the Suns, Jazz, Warriors, Mavericks and Wizards.