Basketball from a fans perspective
He finally made it
George McGinnis is a name only basketball historians recognize. McGinnis stood 6-8 and checked in at 235 pounds after leaving Indiana University he began his pro career with the ABA Pacers. He played for the Pacers for four years before leaving for the NBA Sixers. McGinnis played for the Nuggets before eventually returning to the Pacers and retiring in 1982. Once he retired he was “lost” to the basketball world until recently.
The Naismith Hall of Fame chose to honor ABA players for selection to the HOF; several players were selected in this manner however McGinnis was overlooked. Being overlooked had nothing to do with his numbers 20.2 ppg and 11.0 rebounds along with 3.7 assists clearly provide proof of that fact. The call finally came on Friday McGinnis along with several others will enshrined in the HOF on Friday. He waited long enough and it certainly was overdue, happy for him. Google his name and gather information that space would not allow.
He changed his mind???
A story circulated and I reported Pacer owner Herb Simon intended to sue the Lakers. The suit was related to the tampering charges regarding Paul George. Now Simon claims the report is not true it was a story circulating with no truth to it. What do you think? I read one report indicating a number of NBA owners reported to be upset if the suit was to proceed. It’s entirely possible Simon receiving negative commentary decided it might be best to drop any potential law suit.
King of Gotham City
The Nets finished last season 20-62, the Knicks 31-51 both certainly sub par. One team plays in an arena first opened in 1968 and it’s been refurbished several times, the other team’s arena opened in 2012. We have old building versus a new location (New Jersey vs. Brooklyn) of course there is something to be said for history. I could declare the Knicks the “champions” of the boroughs. Consider these facts the Knicks finished 5th in attendance for the NBA with 810,741 fans coming through the turnstiles which averages 19,744. As for the Nets they finished 28th in attendance with 632,608 and 15,429 averages. The outlook for 2017-18 doesn’t appear it might be much different from 2017-17.
It‘s over when its over
Remember the Quicken Loans Arena renovation which was recently cancelled? It’s been revived once again. According to the Associated Press the Cavs plan to fund $70 million of the $140 million dollar package. We shall see if this revised effort works this time.
“Show me the money”
I’m not going to go into the history of the headline I’m just going to say “Jerry McGuire.“ The last two franchises (Clippers, Rockets) eclipsed the billion dollar mark at the time they were placed on the market. Check out the net worth of the Top 10 teams by Forbes Feb 15, 2017. Especially noteworthy is the Rockets value versus the reported sale price of $2.2 billion.
1. Knicks $3.3
2. Lakers $3.0
3. Warriors $2.6
4. Bulls $2.5
5. Celtics $2.2
6. Clippers $2.0
7. Nets $1.8
8. Rockets $1.65
9. Mavs $1.45
10. Heat $1.35
