Basketball from a fans perspective
1997
Just read this, the last time the Warriors won a game in San Antonio Steph Curry was 8-years old. I figured to research some other stuff of note. Bill Clinton was President of the United States, best movie that year was Titanic with Leonardo DeCaprio and Kate Winslet. Friends was the top choice of television viewers in 1997.
Elton John’s Candle in the Wind spent the most period number one that year. The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl and the Florida Marlins were World Series winners that year. Michael Jordan would lead the Bulls to the NBA Championship 4 games to 2 over the Utah Jazz. Earlier Arizona defeated Kentucky in OT to win the NCAA Championship. Even more ironic the Spurs chose Tim Duncan with the number one pick in the NBA Draft of 1997.
Hall of Fame bound
There are magic numbers in sports, most consecutive major league games played or most career home runs. In the NFL it could be the most touchdown passes thrown by a quarterback or passes caught by a wide receiver. In the NBA points scored is often a barometer used in denoting the success of a player. Last Saturday Dwayne Wade of the Heat reached a milestone few have accomplished, he scored his 20,000th point.
In all Wade becomes the 41st player in the history of the NFL to accomplish the feat. There is no guarantee he will win another NBA Championship however there is a guarantee. He is guaranteed to be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame and the Collegiate Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible, congratulations Dwayne Tyrone Wade.
Free agency
Who comes and who goes is the question regarding free-agency. If I projected the Lakers and other teams next season I might be able to dial in whom they might draft. We are less likely to determine rookie free-agent signings and impossible to determine veteran free-agency. The landscape has changed tremendously as an example we don’t know if it was Kobe or something else. It’s no loss at this point however Dwight Howard could have re-signed with the Lakers for more money than the Rockets.
The advantage no state income tax in Texas, California might have one of the highest in the nation. Financially Howard may have benefited more heading to Texas. This factor alone makes free agency difficult to determine. The Lakers have even more money than last year to sign free agents, last season a number of free-agents passed on signing with them. We have the strange and unusual case of DeAndre Jordan, he announced he was headed to Texas and changed his mind re-signing with the Clippers.
Isn’t that Special?
I offer my apologies to Dana Carvey, Carvey a former member of the Saturday Night Live crew often portrayed a character referred to as the “church lady.” No matter the topic at some point Carvey would look directly into the television camera and state; “Isn’t that special.” Much has been written regarding Kobe Bryant and its likely Kobe should have retired two or three years ago. Injuries and time have caught up with Kobe and he’s retiring at the conclusion of the 2016 season.
Kobe turned 37 last August, robbed of his athleticism plus age being a factor he's gone. Point guard Baron Davis last played in the NBA in 2012 with the Knicks, injuries forced him to the sidelines. Davis will turn 37 years old in April however he intends on playing. Davis signed a contract with the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Developmental League and he‘s begun play with his new team. At the age of 36 Davis has decided he wants to play professional basketball again and provides us no indication if he intends to play in the NBA once again. All I can say about his effort; “Isn’t that special.”
