I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is more NBA basketball.Okay. I’ll pause for a second while you turn up your nose.Around here, professional basketball is treated like your average sex offender. It’s shunned, laughed at, frowned upon, and generally seen as inferior. After all, no NBA team could possibly take the place of the beloved Kansas Jayhawks. Unfortunately for the local college basketball snobs, the pro game might be closer than they think.In 2007 or somewhere around there the Sprint Center will open in [downtown Kansas City.][1] ![][2]With the building of the new arena, we’ve been told all along, a new professional sports team is sure to follow.Since the National Hockey League will be locked out until roughly 2074, which leaves Kansas City officials with just one choice: the NBA.But would professional basketball ever work around here?Are people too hooked on the college game? Would Kansas Citians rather plop down 75 bucks at the Sprint Center or Allen Fieldhouse? How would Missourians feel about cheering for a team that’s too hip-hop, too edgy, too and this is very Whitlockian of me black?It’s too bad that many in the KC metro have a disdain for the NBA. It can be a beautiful, exciting game. In April, millions of hoopheads are glued to the television, screaming for their favorite team.Personally, I’ve had the misfortune of spending my entire life cheering for one of the NBA’s most moribund franchises, the Denver Nuggets.For lack of a better word, it’s sucked.Twice, the D-Nugs threatened to break the record for losses in a season. Before last season, they hadn’t sniffed the playoffs in ten years. Now, thanks to a competent owner and some brilliant roster moves, the Nuggets could challenge for an NBA championship this season.Here’s the point: most NBA teams aren’t the Lakers. While 65 teams make the NCAA Tournament, just 16 make the NBA playoffs. The team that would move to KC would probably not be one of those 16 teams. In reality, it would be like the Hornets, a laughable team with a stingy owner and teal uniforms.Would Kansas City support a team like the Hornets?That’s a question that’s likely to be answered in the next ten years. [1]: http://www.visitkc.com/meeting_planner/whats_new/index.cfm?page=sprint_center.htm [2]: http://www.apollo.lv/upload/2005-01-13/38722/1105605762_nba_logo.jpg