I say that taking away his things is probably not going to make him excited about basketball

You then assign me a position of absurdity that, while easy to argue against, is not even remotely connected to my point

My point is this: if the kid wants to be good, he'll do it on his own. Turning basketball into a punishment will make him resent basketball AND his dad.

Acting like Marv Marinovich doesnt help kids want to play sports. It just creates a way for the parent to try to reclaim the glory he never had via his kid.