Basketball from a fans perspective

My apologies 
Every now and then I take an opportunity to apologize; generally you will see few misspelled words on Words eye view.  As diligent as I attempt to be in writing on occasion the publication has contained grammatical errors.  After publication I re-read Words in an effort to catch my mistakes.  I’m my own proof-reader which creates problems in itself.  Again my apologies, if sentence syntax looks strange skip it I’ll try and correct it.

I like it
Steve Kerr had a very appropriate answer to the question.  Asked if Draymond Green was a superstar he said; “I’m not sure what a superstar is.  Because sometimes that can mean the guy with all the endorsements.  Draymond doesn’t have all the endorsements yet.”  I might add to Kerr’s comment I can state with conviction Green can play whether you consider him a superstar, star or just a very good player he can play.

How bout the other guy?
We have been focused on Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram since last fall regarding the NBA Draft.  Early on we viewed LSU’s Simmons as the number one pick in the 2016 draft.  As the season wore on dents were noted in the “body armor of his game.”  Simmons in first place on mock sites was supplanted by Duke’s Ingram.  It turns out skinny as Ingram is (196 pounds) he is a much better shooter while Simmons might be the better all-around player.  So there you are Simmons then Ingram, Ingram then Simmons back and forth we went all winter and into the spring.

What about the other guy Dragan Bender, my two sources indicate he will be either the number three or four pick in the draft.  Bender will arrive on our shores in a manner similar to Kristaps Porzingis last season, we know little about the 7-foot prospect except he‘s tall.  We don’t want another “Stephen A. Smith” rant once Bender is drafted.  He’s from Calpine a town of 28,000 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and plays for Macabbi Tel Aviv in Israel.  Although he’s played center Bender is more suited to play the power forward position in the NBA.  Is he Porzingis 2.0 you ask, I don’t know but you can bet the NBA team drafting him hopes so.

Growing in our eyes
I have grown in appreciation of Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra.  Although he played basketball in college and was an assistant coach with the Heat there were questions when he assumed the role of head coach.  Spoelstra was “invisible” his first two years at the helm despite the fact the Heat was in the playoffs both years.  Spoelstra’s third year as head coach must have been solar hot with pressure; the arrival of LeBron James along with Chris Bosh possibly created an immense burden.  With the assembly of talent the Heat were expected “win not one, not two” you remember the line.  Despite a 58-34 regular season record they faced the Mavs in the 2011 NBA Championship and came up on the losing end.  A number of critics stated Spoelstra had been out-coached and hindsight says maybe he was but he did learn from the experience.

The Heat would go on to win two consecutive NBA Championships and compete for a third.  Last season after LeBron left they finished 37-45; part of the downturn can be attributed to Chris Bosh.  After moving out of LeBron’s shadow he reverted to his Raptor days.  At the All-Star break he would suffer blot clots in his legs and would miss the balance of the season.  In 2015-16 the Heat returned to form as they posted a 48-34 regular season record finishing in 1st place in the Southeast Division.  They returned to the playoffs once again and slipped by the Hornets four games to three in the first round.  They are now matched against the Raptors in the semi-finals, regardless how the series turns out we are sure.  We are sure Erik Spoelstra has learned how to coach in the NBA.

Nationalism versus the NBA
Did you hear Kristaps Prozingis is skipping the Olympic qualification for Latvia?  Pure speculation on my part so take it as that.  The wear and tear of his rookie year with the Knicks has worn him down---he’s plain tired.  The other is not speculative the Knicks want him to remain here to work on portions of his game.  If he shows up in the Summer League I’ll know I was wrong about being worn down.