WHITLOCK ON WHY BARBARIANS LOOMING AT NBA’S GATE: Jason Whitlock once again injects a megadose of brutal truth - this time on the the NBA’s rapidly-crumbling empire.

The AOL and KANSAS CITY STAR columnist’s most-recent piece weighs in on the precipitous decline of the league and what the NBA has to do to revive flagging interest: “The NBA needs an age limit of 21 and/or a rule requiring three years of college participation …

“Rather than whining that an age limit is racist, NBA players need to understand that requiring players to go to college is good for the league and will put money in everyone’s pockets down the road.”

But his primary target for the decline of big-time basketball is the insidious system that is AAU basketball: “The league and the players association also should work with the NCAA on doing something to eliminate AAU basketball.

“Our players are too raw and too difficult to coach because AAU basketball — and its undisciplined style of play — has become more important and influential than high school basketball.”

Our favorite part of the piece? Whitlock asserting that bottomed-out TV ratings will aid - not injure - the league in the long run: “The good thing is that eventually the rank-and-file NBA players will begin to suffer financially, too. The TV ratings are going to damage David Stern’s ability to negotiate the kind of TV contracts necessary to support the salaries of the average NBA player.”

Wot? Whitlock actually thinks that making Speedy Claxton work for his money is a good thing?!