Basketball from a
fans perspective
Just finished praising him
Recently I mentioned ESPN analyst Jalen Rose was one of the voices in my ear, on this subject I’m not exactly sure if I agree with him. On the Thursday edition of Get Up he, Mike Greenberg and Michelle Beadle were discussing the NBA Western Conference. Rose said something to the effect, “Don’t sleep on OKC signing Paul George and having Carmelo Anthony. They get Andre Roberson back he can’t shoot free-throws but is a top defender and they have Russell Westbrook.” I cannot disagree with any portion of the Rose statement, but I can disagree with intent of the parties. Westbrook is going to play at his usual 200% or more effort and everyone I mentioned plus the bench will contribute.
Losing Roberson was not the chief reason
for the Thunder elimination in the playoffs it was more than that. The 200% effort I mentioned earlier by
Westbrook can be a blessing and a curse, when he’s on he’s on. The issue seems to be he’s often worn down
late in the third and especially the fourth quarter of games. If Westbrook can manage to curtail his tempo
just a tiny bit this team can advance to the next round. If the adjustment is not made by Westbrook
the 2018-19 season will be a repeat of the prior season. Westbrook will have another triple-double
season and will be highly praised while the Thunder are eliminated in the first
or second round. Check back next
May and see if I’m correct.
No little room
You are recruited by Kansas one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the nation. It's believed there will be an ample amount of court time and then BAM, everything comes to a screeching halt. It was announced LaGerald Vick was returning to school, you remember him, don’t you? Vick played major minutes at the shooting guard scoring 12 points while pulling down nearly 5 rebounds a game.
You are recruited by Kansas one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the nation. It's believed there will be an ample amount of court time and then BAM, everything comes to a screeching halt. It was announced LaGerald Vick was returning to school, you remember him, don’t you? Vick played major minutes at the shooting guard scoring 12 points while pulling down nearly 5 rebounds a game.
Oh, that Vick the one who announced he was
leaving school for the NBA. The Vick who
didn’t hire an agent so returning to school was available to him. The NBA draft witnessed a total of 60 players
being chosen in June but not one named LaGerald Vick was chosen. Returning to Kansas is good for him, it’s bad
whoever signed believing a position was open.
The guard position likely remains open it’s just less playing time than
might have originally been perceived.
Change
Most have difficulty with change, I don’t believe I’m any different. Change most times moves you from Point A. to Point B., bigger and often better. A change in the NBA playoff format at least the one I’ve heard isn’t feasible. The proposal is to have the same number of teams participate however you could in theory have all Western Conference teams. The purpose is to address the issue like this past season, the Raptors finishing in first place were eliminated by the fourth place Cavs.
Change
Most have difficulty with change, I don’t believe I’m any different. Change most times moves you from Point A. to Point B., bigger and often better. A change in the NBA playoff format at least the one I’ve heard isn’t feasible. The proposal is to have the same number of teams participate however you could in theory have all Western Conference teams. The purpose is to address the issue like this past season, the Raptors finishing in first place were eliminated by the fourth place Cavs.
NBA fans were deprived of seeing the team
with the finest record fail to play for the 2018 NBA championship. The Raptors lost the series because they
allowed the Cavs to beat them it’s that simple.
I’m reminded of the Herm Edwards statement at the time he coached the
NFL Jets. A reporter asked him what
might be considered a dumb question, Edwards said, “You play to win the game, hello
you play to win the game you don’t play to just play it.” It’s clear from the outcome of the
Raptors-Cavs series the better team won despite what might appear to be a
lesser won-loss record.
New Laker?
Isaac Evolue Etue Bofenda Bonga or rather Isaac Bonga became the 39th pick in the second round of the 2018 draft. Chosen by the Sixers his rights will be traded to the Lakers, early reports indicate he’s likely to remain in Europe rather than appear in the Laker training camp this fall. Bonga stands 6 feet 9 inches but weighs a wiry 203 pounds, he’s projected in the role of a small forward or shooting guard. Bonga is a German citizen although his parents emigrated to Germany from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the middle section of the African continent.
Isaac Evolue Etue Bofenda Bonga or rather Isaac Bonga became the 39th pick in the second round of the 2018 draft. Chosen by the Sixers his rights will be traded to the Lakers, early reports indicate he’s likely to remain in Europe rather than appear in the Laker training camp this fall. Bonga stands 6 feet 9 inches but weighs a wiry 203 pounds, he’s projected in the role of a small forward or shooting guard. Bonga is a German citizen although his parents emigrated to Germany from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the middle section of the African continent.
This is not a fair discussion
The NHL versus the NBA, that’s often been a topic of discussion in Kansas City. Recently one of the local sports talk radio host revived the discussion again. He claimed, “The NHL would be more viable in Kansas City than the NBA”. We no longer have either professional teams so that’s a portion of my reasoning the discussion isn’t fair. The second and most relevant this is written by a basketball fan especially one who loves NBA basketball. Let’s check out the history, the Kansas City Scouts an expansion NHL team came into existence in 1974 and were history by 1976.
The NHL versus the NBA, that’s often been a topic of discussion in Kansas City. Recently one of the local sports talk radio host revived the discussion again. He claimed, “The NHL would be more viable in Kansas City than the NBA”. We no longer have either professional teams so that’s a portion of my reasoning the discussion isn’t fair. The second and most relevant this is written by a basketball fan especially one who loves NBA basketball. Let’s check out the history, the Kansas City Scouts an expansion NHL team came into existence in 1974 and were history by 1976.
This information I located
on Wikipedia, “The Scouts
suffered from inflated player costs, undercapitalized ownership, an economic
downturn in the Midwest, poor performances on the ice and weak attendance. The
Scouts drew an average of just 8,218 fans during their two years in the 17,000-seat Kemper
Arena (at a time when the league average was approximately 13,000). The team's group of 37 owners, buried in
debt, mounted a season-ticket drive to raise more revenue. When only 2,000
people bought tickets, they concluded that the Scouts were not a viable venture
and opted to sell.”
As for the NBA story the
Cincinnati Royals moved in 1972 splitting home dates with the City of
Omaha. From 1975-1985 the team belonged
exclusively to Kansas City until the move to Sacramento. The Kings finished above .500 four times and
was a playoff team seven times winning the conference semi-finals once. Local owners weary in losing capital sold the
team to a Sacramento businessman, he promised the team would remain in Kansas
City, sound familiar Sonics fans? The
Kings due to poor play and competition for the sports dollar (Royals, Chiefs
& Scouts) were never leaders in attendance however they exceeded the 8,000 figures
of the Scouts for three consecutive seasons (10,000+) when they experienced
winning records. The 1984-85 season witnessed
a downturn in attendance averaging 4,000 fans when it was public knowledge the
team was moving to Sacramento.
Wikipedia
