It's still a team game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT-I8jQDQ7c
San Francisco Warriors flows far easier than Golden State Warriors doesn't it? We know where the team plays but what exactly is a "Golden State?" It would appear rebranding the team Oakland Warriors would have made far more sense but what do I know? That's another story for another time, the matter at hand. We must first briefly revisit the past to determine how we arrived here. The Warrior franchise moved to San Francisco from Philadelphia in 1963, they played until 1971 as the San Francisco Warriors. In The City "they played in the Cow Palace from 1962-64 and the San Francisco Civic Auditorium from 1964-66. When the Oakland Coliseum Arena opened in 1966 the team began playing an increasing number of games in that arena." The franchise moved to Oakland in 1972 and were re-named Golden State the name that remains in effect to this day. City leaders in San Francisco are attempting to entice the team to return to the city for the 2017-18 season. City leaders announce their intention to work with the management of the team to locate them back to San Francisco. The proposal (and it's just that at this point) is to build a waterfront arena. Although we are talking five years away Oakland government has already indicated they will fight the move. This is the beginning of a long and projected fight by both municipalities, stay tuned for further developments. Please note, reference was made to The City which was emblazoned on the team jerseys, no team nickname, The City. To this day I still think that might have been the coolest jersey of all-time. (Wikipedia)
Keeping the theme on arena's there is another one
to discuss. Location, location location, we've
heard that adage for years but how important is it? From firsthand experience
it's very important, although Kemper Arena is located inside the city boundaries
the traffic into and out of the arena was extremely difficult based on it's
location. The traffic into and out of Sprint Arena (downtown Kansas City) is so
much better than Kemper. I was talking to a friend who grew up in Detroit. He pointed out
to me the Palace at Auburn Hills is the most distance arena for any NBA team. I
knew the building was in a suburban area but I didn't realize it was nearly 40
miles from downtown Detroit. Once upon a time the Pistons played at Cobo Arena
in downtown Detroit on the banks of the Detroit River. The 12,000 seat arena
became too small by NBA standards, the Pistons moved to the Pontiac Silverdome.
The problem with the Silverdome it was football stadium made to accommodate
basketball. Talk has begun again in Detroit regarding a downtown arena, in this
instance a shared arena with the the NHL Red Wings. Of course we are all aware
shared facilities are common place in cities with both and NBA and NHL team. Of
the 29 other NBA teams all are located inside the city boundaries of the
city, most are located in the downtown area too.
Did you see
this
The Kentucky team along with coach Cal visited
the White House recently, the visit has become the customary for a championship
team no matter the sport. Of course the usual pleasantries were dispensed on the
team and coach Cal by President Obama. The president made mention he and Anthony
Davis are both from Chicago, he further stated he'd visited the school Davis
attended while campaigning four years ago. President Obama was presented senior's Darius Miller's number
one jersey. Of course the name on the back of the jersey was changed to Obama,
the team also presented him with a basketball autographed by team members. It
might have occurred before but I don't remember any president ever presented a
memento such as the NCAA championship ring President Obama
received.Really?
A comment by a studio host on NBA TV caused me to conduct an internet search. He said the Clippers have never won a playoff series until this season, I knew playoff appearances had been rather rare but I didn't know how rare. You probably thought losing was part of the Los Angeles history of this team not so, losing goes back much further than Los Angeles. Founded as the Buffalo Braves in 1970 the team made the playoffs in their fourth year of existence finishing the regular season 42-40. They went on to lose the Eastern Conference Semifinals which would be repeated over the next two seasons. From 1976-1991 the franchise never made the playoffs the reminder of their Buffalo existence. They moved to San Diego for the 1978-79 season and were renamed the Clippers however the losing continued, in 1984-85 they moved to Los Angeles where they retain the Clipper nickname. The 1991-92 Clipper team made the playoffs losing in the first round of the Western Conference, since that season playoff appearances have been foreign to this franchise. They made the playoffs in 1992-93, 1996-97, 2005-06 and 2011-12. (basketballrefernce.com)
The ESPN.com headline read "Woodson, the Knicks to re-sign Lin," after I read it I said to myself why would they not sign him? Baron Davis's injury translate into him missing the 2012-13 season. Mike Bibby is a shadow of his former self, at age 33 his best days are in the rear-view mirror. The other point guard Toney Douglas has exhibited skills but for now he remains in a backup role. It pains me to say this but Jeremy Lin is the starter by default. The Knicks cap space will not allow a trade for another point guard. Finally do you realize the amount of revenue a Jeremy Lin generates for the Knicks? The final reason and the most important Lin has game. It comes down to more than just numbers however his were good in the 35 games he managed to play prior to his injury. He scored 14.6 points per game, 6.2 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting .446 from the floor. His assist to turnover ratio was 1.71, a respectable number considering his adjustment to playing the point guard.
