Win a championship first
It appeared former Clipper owner Donald Sterling was comfortable racking in the money as an NBA owner it appeared to be the other part he wasn‘t too concerned about. That other part was placing a competitive team on the court, the Clippers only became competitive the last 3 or 4 years he was owner. Sterling purchased the team in 1981 if you are keeping track as for Steve Ballmer it’s a different situation. Perhaps it’s a Microsoft thing but Ballmer doesn’t appear to be comfortable finishing in second place. In the hearts and minds of most in Southern Cal you say NBA basketball and the first words are Lakers.
Despite a number of down years the Lakers continue to be the gold standard in Southern Cal. Winning is the basis for this loyalty plus they were first arriving from Minnesota in 1960 the Clippers were late and arrived “unannounced.” Don‘t just take my word research, Sterling move the team from San Diego to Los Angeles without NBA approval. In today’s NBA that couldn’t occur yet Sterling did it and was likely unchallenged. Did I forget 16 NBA Championships, somebody said; “You live in the past talking about past glory.” Maybe so however I wonder if they can point to any past glory regarding the Clippers. I could be off base however I doubt it; I don’t think the Clippers will ever move into the upper echelon with fans even winning an NBA Championship.
On second thought
I posed the question earlier why the Cavs would consider drafting Mizzou’s Michael Porter Jr. I mentioned Jr. would be playing behind LeBron James so he might not receive much playing time. All that’s out the window due to the fact I failed to look at free-agency. In June 2018 with the Nets pick the Cavs could chose Jr., three weeks or so later free-agent James exits Quicken Loans Arena.
The next time Cleveland fans see LeBron he could be wearing the jersey of the “enemy” and dressing in the visitors’ locker room. It’s possible with no LeBron in the lineup Jr. might find his way into a starting role with the Cavs. I believe Jr. is a better player than Kyle Korver, Richard Jefferson and Cedi Osman. Jr. lacks their NBA cred however his talent is above the aforementioned trio. I ain’t saying it’s going to happen however it just might. In between now and the June draft the Cavs could actually make a trade and add someone.
They made a valiant effort
From 1967 up to an unspecified date the American Basketball Association was strictly minor league. How minor you say……I have no method to prove this statement however G-League level. For college players of that era had a choice of which league they wanted to choose. Naturally the majority of talent continues to sign with the better established NBA. The landscape begin to change the ABA began drafting players with less than four years of college. As for the NBA this was strictly a no-no, years earlier prior to the formation of the ABA the great Wilt Chamberlain played for the Globetrotters one year. Chamberlain left Kansas after his junior year of college but couldn’t play in the NBA due to its rules. The ABA did what it could to level the court so to speak even adding a “hardship clause.”
If a player could prove family poverty he could petition the ABA for inclusion. How closely were these cases investigated we really don’t know the rule allowed a number of talented players to be drafted into the ABA and the NBA had no say so with its four year rule in place. We cannot pinpoint the date however the tide changed and the talent pool eventually evened out. Spencer Haywood, Charley Scott, George McGinnis, Dr. J. and others who began life in the ABA would later become NBA All Stars once the two leagues merged. With no network contract and often operating in a deficient at the box office the leagues discussed merger. August 5, 1967 would witness the leagues merging; four teams the Spurs, Nuggets, Nets and Pacers would become NBA franchises. Talent from disbanded ABA teams would be absorbed by existing NBA teams.
Sixer fans look toward 2018 hoping Joel Embiid is prepared to play. As you realize Embiid drafted in 2014 as the third pick has been more visible on the Sixer bench than on the court. An assortment of injuries kept him sidelined until last season, for 31 games he provided evidence of the skill that made him so highly touted.
The Big Man from Cameroon (7-1 250 pounds) by way of Kansas University provided just a glimpse of his potential last season. The website basketball reference.com measures production per 36 minutes and Embiid’s numbers are outstanding. 28.7 ppg, 11.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting .783 from the line. As you might note based on Embiid’s numbers in a short season once again there is reason for optimism in Sixer Nation.
