What about the NBA?
I believe we are curious how the NBA deals with domestic violence issues. Although many have been critical in the manner the NFL has addressed the issue it impacts all levels of sport. Over the summer former Heat center Greg Oden was arrested for an altercation with a former girl friend, there is a pending trial date for him. Last week the Charlotte Hornets Jeff Taylor was recently arrested on a domestic abuse charge. I’m very anxious to see how the NBA handles both cases in lieu of the NFL’s Ray Rice. A fact to keep in mind Oden is on no teams’ roster so it‘s possible his will be strictly a civil decision. .

Bits n Pieces
Say What!!!! It’s been reported Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has banned anyone associated with the team from owning Apple products. Although Ballmer is no longer part of Microsoft he still remains loyal to his former company an interesting development.

Is Erik Spoelstra a clone of Pat Riley? Stephen A. Smith hinted as much on his ESPN program First Take. After appearing to struggle at times when he first became coach I guess Smith (and me) believe he’s become a good coach. If you say he was out-coached by Gregg Popovich last June how many other coaches have also lost matched against Pop?

Will the Kansas Jayhawks face “real” competition in the Big XII conference race this season? Baylor (26 wins) and Iowa State (28 wins) both finished ahead of the Jayhawks in the win column. Despite the aforementioned fact the Jayhawks were regular season champs for the umpteenth (is that a word?) time.

This is different; Laker rookie Julius Randle will wear jersey number 30 this season. His dad or big brother didn’t wear the number; it’s not even the number of his favorite player it belonged to his mom. See mom wore number 30 when she played for the University of Texas-Arlington.

I’m excited
I’m excited about the NBA; the best rookie crop in recent memory might be at play. Everybody focused on the Class of 1984 due to its Hall of Fame players, Jordan, Stockton, Barkley and Olajuwon. A significant number in that class might not have been accorded Hall of Fame honors but certainly had quality NBA careers. We have no idea if the 2014 NBA Class will rival the 1984 Class but it’s exciting to speculate. Wiggins, Parker, Exum and others will hopefully contribute to a continuing exciting NBA.

No sympathy from me
The Warriors released the preliminary design of the new arena to be built in San Francisco. Naturally it brought about negative comments from a number of people. One writer stated; “The East Bay has supported the Warriors when they were crappy, now that they are winning they move to San Francisco.” I can understand the comment of this fan however he receives no sympathy from me. Unless his employment is directly related to the Oracle Arena I fail to see the problem. Hey fella your team is moving across the bay which might entail additional drive to attend a game. My former home town team made a 1,800 mile move from Kansas City to Sacramento

Reason #1 why I love college basketball
College football is different from college basketball, the field is wide open. As an example last spring Wichita State finished its regular season with a 34-0 record. They were selected as one of the 68 teams to compete for the NCAA Championship. In some circles Wichita State is considered a mid-major, a notch below a UCLA or a Duke. Despite this the Shockers competed in the tourney. We’d never witness a mid-major football team playing in the Rose, Cotton or Orange Bowl. The field or should I say court is level in college basketball.