Basketball from a fans perspective         

If you believe in curses that’s your choice    

Many people believe in curses which is okay I guess.  I finished reading a story on ESPN.com NBA page detailing Clipper history through a succession of injuries, poor regular season play and even poorer post-season play.  The writer listed the number of draft busts over the years and the quality players they could have drafted.  The writer also details the history of former owner Donald Sterling and even details the Staple Center schedule issue.  Bottom line the writer asks the question is the Clipper franchise cursed? 

I can’t answer the question of curses however I can address the issue this team has faced until recently, poor to pathetic ownership.  Former owner Donald Sterling set the tone with his inability to see very far beyond his nose.  Sterling didn’t cause the injuries, he didn’t cause the poor regular season to play and the lack of playoff appearances.  He didn’t make the bad choices on draft day however he is the one factor (in my view) that ties everything together.  Curse maybe so however it's more likely it lands at the feet of Donald Sterling.  

We never got to see him play   

Roger Brown died at the early age of 54 of liver cancer in 1997.  Brown was one of those players most of the nation had no opportunity to witness play.  Brown was a NYC guy who was banned from the NBA by connection to a gambler.  He and Connie Hawkins knew Jack Molinas a gambler and point fixer, although college basketball was stung by point fixing neither Brown nor Hawkins were ever proven to have fixed games.  Their crime was simply being acquainted with Molinas. 

Banned by the NBA the new American Basketball Association had no issue with allowing Brown to play which he did quite successfully.  The 6-5 Brown playing guard/forward was a 3X ABA Champion, the NBA would lift the ban however by this time he felt an allegiance to the ABA.  Brown retired from basketball in 1975.  He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2013 after his death.  Brown was an outstanding player however most are unaware, he played in a league with no national television contract and little exposure beyond local radio/television.

Archbishop Molloy High School

This Queens (NY) prep school over the years has produced a distinguished list of alumni and all are not basketball players.   Andrew Cuomo current Governor of NY is a graduate so is David Caruso television and movie actor, there are others.  The school has also seen NBA player and current TNT analyst Kenny Smith along with former NBA player Kenny Anderson walk its hallowed halls.  The school has two outstanding basketball teammates at this period.  Standing 7-2 and weighing in at 235 pounds is center Moses Brown a Rivals 5-star and Top 20 prospect in the Class of 2018. The list of schools recruiting s Brown is quite extensive and its hoped this Moses can lead some college team into the promised land.  

In 2019 we’ll see Rivals number 4 and 5-star prospect Cole Anthony 6-2-point guard also head off to college.  I’ve not seen either player in action but two 5-star prospects on the same high school team indicates Archbishop Molloy has plenty of basketball talent.  It’s not unusual for colleges to have a concentration of similar talent its highly unusual I believe at the high school level.  There might have been others however the only two as I’m finishing this is the late Nate Thurmond and Gus Johnson.  Both were high school teammates at Akron’s (OH) Central High School back in the day and both are in the Naismith Hall of Fame based on their NBA careers.  

Bits n Pieces

More than once a season every season at least three to four times an NBA story will solicit this type of reader email.  “Nobody is watching the NBA” if you should hear them make this statement politely ask them to prove it.  Nielsen indicates NBA viewership is up 32% the highest its been since the 2010-11 season.  The figure reflects ESPN, TNT and NBA TV, ABC was not in the total since they don’t begin their broadcast portion until January.      

My mistake was one of epic proportions…. I turned on sports talk radio.  The portion of my focus was Mizzou point guard play.  The host was discussing Terrance Phillips with a Kansas City Star reporter.  They mentioned that dreaded word for me “analytics”.  I utilize numbers but certainly not in the manner the analytic guys do I’m not smart enough to figure out how it works.  This is the one and maybe the only time I agree with Charles Barkley.   

“He reminds me of Tim” said David Robinson who was referring to Tim Duncan.  Robinson should know he played alongside Duncan for six seasons.  He was referring to Marvin Bagley III Duke power forward.  Bagley is about the same size (6-11 234 pounds) as Duncan, in any event the Duke forward certainly has made the leap from high school to major college basketball.