Basketball from a fans perspective
To set the record straight
The recent Phil Jackson-LeBron James tiff is the basis for this last story. I have been critical of LeBron in the past however unlike Phil my complaint was based on his decision to leave the Cavs for the Heat. Since his return to Cleveland my complaint has been more about the media falling all over him than LeBron.
Example the story a week are so ago about LeBron possibly breaking Kareem’s scoring record, he didn’t originate the story ESPN did. I don’t believe I ever made any reference to his business investments other than praise. In fact I believe he might be one of the last of the good guys. To date we’ve not heard or read of any off-court issues. No speeding tickets, no physical attacks on his wife or anyone else. No stories of LeBron being caught with a handgun.
Presidential Medal of Freedom
“The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, recognizes exceptional meritorious service.” The announcement came on Thursday the Presidential Medal of Freedom will be presented to former Dodger announcer Vince Scully, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Michael Jordan. Scully retired at the end of the season after serving as the Dodgers broadcaster for 67 years. Kareem the all-time leading scorer in the NBA has written or co-written three novels in addition he is social activist. Michael Jordan is the majority owner of the Hornets and the only majority African-American owner in any major league sport.
www.infoplease.com
5-4-3-2-1
The countdown to the Spurs retiring Tim Duncan’s jersey number 21. The honor will occur December 18th after that the next stop will be either/or the Naismith or College Basketball Hall of Fame. The jersey retirement certainly is warranted after 19 years with the Spurs.
The offspring
Mitchell Wiggins had a 20 year pro career, by my count only 7 years were spent as a member of an NBA team. He played in Europe, the D-League and other minor leagues in the U.S. The Wiggins family is likely the same as the Bryant family i.e. son turns out to be a better athlete than dad. That was the case with Joe and Kobe Bryant and will be the same for Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins. The 2015 NBA Rookie of the Year continues to demonstrate he is the real deal. Andrew has upped his scoring from 16.9 points per game to 26.6 as this is written.
The NBA in Canada
The NBA might return to Canada one day but it might not be where you might believe. This time it will be Montreal rather than Vancouver which had the expansion Grizzlies at one point. Montreal and Toronto are rivals in the NHL and CFL what not the NBA? Montreal has the second largest metro population in Canada only ranking behind Toronto.
There is basketball history in Montreal the city had a National Basketball League expansion team as recently as 2013. The team didn’t draw many fans and failed to secure a permanent location to play basketball and eventually folded unable to secure new ownership. Sounds as if this might be a recipe for disaster however don’t believe it. Montreal with an NBA franchise and the prospect of facing Toronto we might have a ready-made rivalry between these two Canadian cities.
