Basketball from a fans perspective
This is a change
The Jordan brand might soon spin off on its own, the shoes and apparel will continue to be manufactured by Nike. The change will be the manner the brand might be marketed in the future. Plans are in the works for a Chicago Jordan apparel store, why Chicago over some other city you ask? The city is home to the Bulls and Michael Jordan where the modern legend began.
“It’s all the Medias fault”
Devean George recently spoke before a national gathering of black journalists. Among the topics he discussed was the Shaq-Kobe feud. He said; “The media made the Shaq-Kobe feud bigger than it was.” Many might be unfamiliar with George; he spent 11 years in the NBA with the Lakers, Mavs and Warriors. He played for the Lakers from 1999-2006 and would have spent considerable time in a shared locker room. George could be blowing smoke in our face but what does he gain at this point? Point--he never indicated there were no problems he simply stated he believed the media was responsible for much of the dialogue.
Not always the case
The Devean George story is a negative regarding the media. “Hoof and Mouth” disease is when you stick your foot in your mouth. No such case as the media “misquoting” you when it’s in the form of a tweet. “Straight up better than a lot of them dudes” was sent out by the Clippers Austin Rivers. This claim was made in reference to the players trying out for Team USA. Is there anymore to add to this quote? NOTE: Later Rivers would say he’s competitive and just wanted to share with others his belief he belongs on the court with the best.
Did you hear?
Former 2007 number one draft choice Greg Oden is in the news once again. Although playing sparingly over the years due to injuries he‘s still only 27-years old. As for the history the promise of an NBA future the Blazers made him the number one choice rather than Kevin Durant. It’s not the NBA this time Oden will being play for the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball League. Since I’m geographically challenged at times I researched and discovered Jiangsu is an eastern coastal province in the Peoples Republic of China. Oden’s played only 105 games since 2007 in fact he didn’t play in the NBA from 2010 through 2013. If Oden can remain healthy he might become revered in China in a similar manner to Stephen Marbury, hopefully he can resurrect his playing career.
Best duo ever
Name the best duo of your favorite NBA team, there may have been several throughout time. As for my Lakers one of their fan websites asked the question; “Which is the best Laker duo Shaq/Kobe or Magic/ Kareem?” I thought I would attempt to see if I could answer the question so bear with me. Athletically Kobe is way ahead of Magic and Kobe’s shooting skill surpasses that of Magic. Better passer easy call, Magic much better although keep in mind we are comparing a point guard to a shooting guard. Who was the superior defender, here I give the nod to Kobe although Magic certainly played good team defense. The Kareem-Shaq match up is far easier to profile because both played the same position.
No one can deny Shaquille O’Neal was a force in the paint; few were willing to stand their ground when he spun toward the basket or was on break to throw down a furious dunk. As a defender Shaq has a slight edge over Kareem although “Cap” could hold his own. Sky hook is all I need to say, Kareem’s shot was unstoppable. Centers of that period pushed and bumped Kareem all over the floor, once he went across the lane was his skyhook ever blocked? I’m really unsure if I can choose one duo over the other because I see advantages for both duos. The advantages are clearly not overwhelming which leads me in the direction of a draw. You don’t like ties neither do I however I cannot declare a clear winner.
There is no comparison
In the hearts and minds of sports fans the NFL ranks first, the practice of hiring is a far different story. In April this year the NFL proudly announced they hired the first female official. No doubt she is qualified and good for the league however they are tardy to the party; in 1997 the NBA hired Violet Palmer and Dee Kanter as officials. Although Kanter is no longer on the job two female officials continue officiating NBA games, in 2014 Lauren Holtkamp became the third hire. How about coaching staffs’, currently there are 0 female NFL coaches the NBA has two assistant coaches.
The Spurs Becky Hammon was hired last season by the Spurs and served as head coach during Summer League, the Kings recently hired Nancy Lieberman. In the fall Nicki Gross will begin tenure as an assistant coach for the Iowa Energy of the NBA D-League. An author offered us an explanation she said; “Woman play basketball, they coach it and officiate it naturally they benefit from this.” I thought that explanation certainly makes sense to me. The strides accomplished by women in all sports is to be applauded, it should be pointed out the NBA has often taken the lead.
