The NBA A.L.
The title reflects
the NBA After LeBron, this is for my wife’s
cousin and several acquaintances who appear to believe the NBA will fall apart
once LeBron leaves. I have a statement
for them, the NBA will not fall apart once LeBron retires, the league existed
long before him and it will exist long after he leaves the game. How do I know, think about this fact for a moment?
In 1999 nobody but family, friends and teammates knew the name LeBron. College scouts saw him as a talent but had no method to determine he’d rise to the level of icon. In 10 years’ time another athlete of near notice I said near skill level will arrive in the NBA. Just check out the NBA of 2018, less LeBron it’s biggest and brightest stars are all under age 30. Some of those stars are in their early to mid-20’s which means they can only get better.
In 1999 nobody but family, friends and teammates knew the name LeBron. College scouts saw him as a talent but had no method to determine he’d rise to the level of icon. In 10 years’ time another athlete of near notice I said near skill level will arrive in the NBA. Just check out the NBA of 2018, less LeBron it’s biggest and brightest stars are all under age 30. Some of those stars are in their early to mid-20’s which means they can only get better.
How about these
names:
Karl-Anthony Towns
Julius Randle
Lonzo Ball
Giannis
Antetokounmpo
Joel Embiid
Ben Simmons
Kristaps Porzingis
Anthony Davis
I’m sure I omitted
several young talented players, but I hope you understand my intent. We have no method of determining how or if injuries will impact the careers of those listed and others,
the belief in the players listed is strictly based on play we witness
currently. Don’t misread this I didn’t
say they were better than LeBron in fact I didn’t even state say they would ascend to his
level of play. What I am stating with a
continuing influx of talent the NBA should be in decent shape into the
future.
Class of 2018
A portion of the
class has been announced, Grant Hill, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Maurice Cheeks. They will be enshrined in the Naismith Hall
of Fame in August along with several others the quartet are the
headliners, other names are forthcoming.
Conspiracy Theorist
You know who they
are, in serious tones they discuss the Loch Ness monster, Big Foot and the
Jersey Devil. Don’t get me wrong there
are probably a few unknowns existing in the world, give me proof not
theories. They exist in basketball
particularly the NBA, I’m sure you’ve heard of the “Frozen Card”! In 1985 Patrick Ewing at Georgetown was
expected to be the top pick that year. 1.“Commissioner David
Stern then drew an envelope from inside to determine who would pick first.
In a move that would
create controversy for years to come, the envelope Stern drew was the one
belonging to the New York Knicks. They
drafted Ewing, as expected, beginning a fifteen-year relationship.” Another, Game six of the 2002 playoff series
between the Kings and Lakers. All we
need to do is listen to the claims of former NBA referee Tim Donaghy. He made claims that officials regularly
favored one team over another. It should
be of interest to anyone unfamiliar with the history Donaghy was convicted of
criminal activity relating to gambling and spent time in prison.
1. Wikipedia
Triple-Double
Don’t be surprised
if you see an uptick in rebounds for Russell Westbrook. As this is written the Thunder have 9 games remaining, he leads the NBA in assists at 10.2 and
scoring 25.4 points per game. Westbrook
is sitting at 9.7 rebounds a game which is outstanding for a 6-foot 3-inch
athlete. He’s not made any statement,
but I’d bet money (if I were a gambler) Westbrook likely desires to raise his
rebound number. Oscar Robertson first establish the triple-double record, no player had ever tied the record until last season. Robertson accomplished the feat once, bet money Westbrook would like to establish a record all his own.
