I think there should always be the option of revoking a nickname that has been assigned to a player when that player no longer lives up to the nickname. This is especially true in the case of role-players who aren’t even that old when their decline starts. For example, you would never take away MJ’s “Air Jordan” even during his Wizards days when the air wasn’t there. However, you could take away Terrence Ross’s “Human Torch”.
How can somebody with the nickname “Human Torch” shoot below 40% from the field? The torch must reference the fact that he’s setting fire to his team’s ability to be a legit threat in the playoffs. It certainly can’t refer to how hot he is in terms of shooting the ball, because 39% from the field is not hot at all. That’s cold. He’s the Human Icicle.
Do you think if I send a sternly-worded email to the guys at basketball-reference, they’ll take away “Human Torch” from the nickname section of his profile. Similarly, if I send enough tweets to the Magic broadcast guys, will they stop saying things like “The Human Torch is lit” or, “Human Torch mode activated” after Ross hits two shots in a row? I can personally stop using the nickname, but that doesn’t have the kind of wide-ranging effect I’m looking for here.