The WWE Guide to the NBA

With the NBA playoffs upon us, the question occurred to me: If David Stern is the league's Vince McMahon, then who are the NBA equivalents of pro wrestling's other biggest names? With an assist from some of my stablemates (to deliberately mix metaphors) in the Grantland staff, I've put together a rough list.

Carmelo Anthony Is Triple H

Both guys jumped from smaller markets to be the biggest star on the biggest stage. Along the way, both guys seemed to think they deserved more glory than they were getting. Both guys married public figures (Melo wed LaLa and Triple H said his vows to Stephanie McMahon). They each have reputations for being selfish and egotistic, and for holding others (like Lin and Chris Jericho) down to maintain their place at the top of the food chain. Because of this, they're both hated by a huge swath of the fan base, to the point that it clouds how great they actually are. Melo and Triple H can do many things better than almost all their peers, which is why it's so frustrating that their "characters" are all people talk about. Eventually, they'll both go into the Hall of Fame, and we'll probably forget how they were so unpopular that they were underrated for the second halves of their careers...More?

source: grantland.com