Basketball from a
fan’s perspective
The Palace at Auburn Hills
Piston basketball’s been played at Little Caesars Arena since 2017, prior to that it was the Palace at Auburn Hills which opened in 1988. The Palace is located about 30 some miles north and west of downtown Detroit, the Pistons won three championships in the building 1989, 1990 and 2004.
Those of us outside the Detroit metro had no clue what might occur to the arena once the Pistons made the move downtown. News came on Monday the building would be demolished in the fall. The Palace will join a number of other NBA homes no longer in use. Many have met the wrecking ball, LA Sports Arena, Reunion Arena (Dallas), Bradley Center in (Milwaukee) and Spectrum in Philadelphia. Oracle in Oakland is now closed although there is no mention if it too will eventually face demolition.
The LaVar
Lonzo Ball experiment is over
We have no idea the accuracy of the story circulating regarding D’Angelo Russell. Several sources report the point guard is open to the idea of returning to the Lakers. Why is Lonzo Ball in New Orleans after almost three years with the Lakers, why is Russell with the Nets when the Lakers drafted him. We must briefly return to the past, we continue to hear different stories who took the lead in drafting Lonzo Ball, some claim it was Magic Johnson while others believe it was Jeanie Buss. This we know; Magic was responsible for firing D’Angelo Russell.
We have no idea the accuracy of the story circulating regarding D’Angelo Russell. Several sources report the point guard is open to the idea of returning to the Lakers. Why is Lonzo Ball in New Orleans after almost three years with the Lakers, why is Russell with the Nets when the Lakers drafted him. We must briefly return to the past, we continue to hear different stories who took the lead in drafting Lonzo Ball, some claim it was Magic Johnson while others believe it was Jeanie Buss. This we know; Magic was responsible for firing D’Angelo Russell.
I’m paraphrasing his
statement, it was “We need a player who is a leader” which certainly was an
indictment of Russell at the time. Russell
was traded to the Nets along with Timofey Mozgov two years ago the trade proved
beneficial for Russell, he earned an All Star berth this past season. We are still in the rumor stage there is no
clear indication Russell is open to becoming a Laker once again. This Laker fan had no issues with the
youngster although many fans were upset with him for breaking the unwritten man
code on teammate Swiggy P. Things have
changed, Swiggy is no longer in the NBA now and so is Magic. I’d love to have Russell running the point
again. Team owner Gayle Benson and coach
Gentry the transfer is complete, LaVar Ball is now turned over to the Pelicans
organization.
Jurassic period
Tacko Fall former UCF center signed a contract with thu[[e Celtics after failing to be drafted. A scout said, “If this was 15-20 years ago, he would have been drafted on his height alone.” We acknowledge the game has changed and dominant centers are no longer the norm. It’s as if basketball of the past was played during the Jurassic period of the earth, old and no longer practical. We see evidence all over the game, athletes 6 foot 10 and taller are often playing the power forward position.
Tacko Fall former UCF center signed a contract with thu[[e Celtics after failing to be drafted. A scout said, “If this was 15-20 years ago, he would have been drafted on his height alone.” We acknowledge the game has changed and dominant centers are no longer the norm. It’s as if basketball of the past was played during the Jurassic period of the earth, old and no longer practical. We see evidence all over the game, athletes 6 foot 10 and taller are often playing the power forward position.
If they do play in
the middle, they are sometimes on the 3-point line with a portion of their
offense. A series of events occurred
which affected changes in the game offensively.
Yesterday a story ran where Shaq indicated if he played today, he’d
still play a power game. We might guess
only a select number of athletes might play this type of game. For this writer the more traditional center
play of Kareem Abdul Jabbar and others, many miss the day of that type of
center play. A basket successful 22 feet
in the corner is only 1 more point than a 10-foot basket by a center.
What’s his best
chance of winning?
Nothing is set in stone at this point, what should we suppose is the best opportunity for Kawhi Leonard to win another championship? There are two billboards with messages of encouragement in Los Angeles paid for by the Clippers naturally. The Knicks are also one of the teams mentioned desirous of his play, so too are the Lakers.
Nothing is set in stone at this point, what should we suppose is the best opportunity for Kawhi Leonard to win another championship? There are two billboards with messages of encouragement in Los Angeles paid for by the Clippers naturally. The Knicks are also one of the teams mentioned desirous of his play, so too are the Lakers.
As for the Lakers
that might be a long shot now with the acquisition of Anthony Davis. As for Kawhi we must include his Raptors team
in the conversation as well. We have a minimum
of at least three NBA teams preparing offers for him to join their team. The money is there with all, the question might
be winning an NBA championship. Which
teams named might be nearer a championship?
I don’t do odds however my best guess in order would be the Raptors,
Lakers, Clippers and Knicks.
He wasn’t the first
Rui Hachimura wasn’t the first Japanese player in the NBA drafted he was number two. In 1981 Yasutaka Okayama was the first player drafted however he never chose to play in the NBA. Yuta Tabuse begin his basketball career at BYU-Hawaii 2001-02, after college he returned to Japan and then it was the NBA-D-League. His first professional appearance here was in the NBA Summer League, later Tabuse played in 4 games during the 2004-05 season for the Suns.
Rui Hachimura wasn’t the first Japanese player in the NBA drafted he was number two. In 1981 Yasutaka Okayama was the first player drafted however he never chose to play in the NBA. Yuta Tabuse begin his basketball career at BYU-Hawaii 2001-02, after college he returned to Japan and then it was the NBA-D-League. His first professional appearance here was in the NBA Summer League, later Tabuse played in 4 games during the 2004-05 season for the Suns.
Yuta Watanabe is a 6-foot 9 inch forward, Watanabe played college
basketball at George Washington University but went undrafted in 2018. Watanabe would see action in 15 games for the
Grizzlies during the 2018-19 NBA season. This certainly is no prediction of
future NBA stardom Hachimura appears to be the best thus far. The Wizards made this Gonzaga forward the 9th
pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft.
