Basketball from a fans perspective
He didn‘t agree with me
I held a brief conversation this morning with a Celtics fan, this is actually part B. of an earlier discussion. I informed him once again of my belief on the draft. I said I believe; “The Celtics will draft Markelle Fultz and move 5-9 Isaiah Thomas to the shooting guard.” He disagreed totally with my take and said; “The Celtic pick will be traded, they will try and keep Paul George from going to the Lakers.” He knows I’m a Laker fan; I didn’t have time to fully discuss this issue with him so I’m finishing it with you. First off the Sixers had diminutive Allen Iverson playing shooting guard, seem to work successfully for them.
The book says Iverson stood 6 six feet tall and checked in at 185 pounds both figures I seriously doubt. Maybe Iverson did but I believe he was 5-10 or 5-11 and was no more than 155 pounds. There is an issue with my friends’ belief. Paul George is not a free-agent; the Celtics would be forced to make a trade to acquire him. George is a restricted free-agent next summer would be a different matter; in addition the Pacers have the right to match any offer. Why take a chance with a Paul George when you’ve got Fultz in the bag if you secure the top pick?
“Show me the money”
I used the above as a storyline for this account, it was the line uttered by Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) to Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) in the movie of the same name. Sports agent Maguire was attempting to sign NFL receiver Tidwell. LaVar Bell is actually doing the same thing in a sense if we examine finances of several of the larger apparel companies. He’s not asking anyone to show him the money its right in front of him.
I’m sure Ball could have researched the same information I did. Ending December 31, 2016 Nike sales were $32.4 billion, $19.3 for Adidas followed by Under Armour $4.83. The figures represent the entire product line and not shoes alone. With figures similar to that possible you might discover why Ball might want his on apparel line. The prospect for richness might be the basis for his assertiveness not his foolishness.
This is interesting
On several occasions I’ve written of Seattle’s desire for a “new” Sonics basketball team. One of the sticking points was an arena, the NBA deemed Key Arena inadequate. That wasn’t the only reason the franchise is now in Oklahoma City but certainly one. Fast forward to 2017 and we discover not one, not two not three, sorry I got carried away if you catch that play on words. In truth there are plans on the table from three groups regarding an arena. Anschutz Entertainment Group and Hudson Pacific have joined forming Seattle Partners; the second bid has been put forth by the Oak View Group out of Los Angeles.
The last group SODO is comprised of Chris Hansen who almost purchased the Kings at the time the team was on the market. The Hansen group is comprised of Russell Wilson Seahawks quarterback, Wally Walker former Sonics player and front office executive and two Nordstrom brothers of the department store chain. I’m not going to overload you with information just to say the first two groups plan on renovating Key Arena bringing it up to NBA standards. Hansen’s plan is for a new arena to be built. Folks in the metro area likely have more information than this short piece can provide. It doesn’t appear at this point any one group is in the lead, stay tuned for further developments.
