"Brandon Marshall, you're a pain: Go play someplace else," says ESPN's Mike Salk

Brandon Marshall as a Photoshop Dolphin.

But no such luck.

Overnight on ESPN Radio, host Mike Salk was looking for an example to demonstrate that the NFL is tougher on prima donnas than is the NBA.

And the one he chose was, yep, Brandon Marshall.

The conversation was prompted by "NBA Stands at LeBron's Beck and Call," penned by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. The piece reveals some of the behind-the-scenes dynamics related to the Cleveland Cavaliers, focusing in part on general manager Danny Ferry's attempt to rein in the power and influence of LeBron James and his large entourage of enablers. In contrast, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is willing to give the James gang the moon and the stars in an effort to keep him in Cleveland, Wojnarowski writes.

The result? Ferry resigned.

In Salk's view, this report is emblematic of the NBA, which tends to bend too far in an effort to kiss up to superstars. He feels NFL teams are less willing to go down this road, and to prove it, he channeled his inner Josh McDaniels when he said, "Brandon Marshall, you're a pain: Go play someplace else."

Of course, plenty of NFL squads are every bit as eager as the Cavs to pamper their most elite pros. Brett Favre and the Vikings, anyone?

Nonetheless, Salk's singling out of Marshall makes it clear that BM's reputation as an extremely gifted locker-room cancer hasn't faded away -- and it won't unless he's the perfect Dolphin for many years to come.