Basketball from a
fan’s perspective
They are going to lose
Every evening or afternoon the
Lakers play my first thought, ‘They are going to lose.’ Part of this is based on a winning streak, in the same instance as a losing streak the loss (or in this instance) the win can end at anytime. It didn’t end Monday evening, they defeated the Spurs 114-104 for their 8th straight win. Even more interesting this winning streak is the
longest for the Lakers since the 2011-12 season.
As the de-facto general manager, I’m always looking at making
improvements to the bench. I’m thinking Andre
Iguodala and saying to myself, ‘I hope we can pick him up.’
Smacked in the mouth
Butler took Mizzou
to the woodshed and spanked their behinds on Monday evening at the Hall of Fame
Classic. Final score was not indicative
of the battle, Butler jumped out immediately to a 12-3 start and it was all
downhill for Mizzou from that point on.
I’ve witnessed Cuonzo Martin team’s lose games in the past I’m just
unsure if I’ve seen Mizzou totally dominated as they were in this game. The second half was pretty much even but at
that point the teams were simply trading baskets. Mizzou was unable to really stop Butler which
led to their downfall. I’m unsure what
to expect from Mizzou on Tuesday night facing either Stanford or Oklahoma.
Depends on your perspective
In 2011 consumer
advocate Ralph Nader wrote a letter to former NBA commissioner David
Stern. Bottom line he wanted the NBA to
quit playing games on Christmas Day December 25. His view was players, stadium workers and all
associated with game production should be home with their families on this
day. It sounded quite noble but never really
gained any traction with anyone other than Nader. Every year as we approach Thanksgiving and
then Christmas the issue comes to mind again, there is an additional issue.
The NFL Lions and
Packers have played on Thanksgiving Day for a longer period than NBA Christmas
games. In both instances we see the
holidays as gathering of families, I have my theory but it’s just that. Nader might have believed the NBA was a far
easier target to attack over the NFL, the league has a greater following and in
addition it was/is America’s sport. In
2008 Nader offered a critical opinion of NBA officiating, this has been an
on-going issue, but the question why was it necessary for this consumer
advocate to insert himself in the middle of it?
Just an opinion, doesn’t make it correct.
He ain’t going nowhere….soon
Andre Iguodala’s
photo has literally been placed on a wanted poster, at the bottom the teams reportedly
interested in the veteran guard are the Clippers, Lakers and Rockets and
perhaps other teams. Although it was
generally believed the Grizzlies would release him apparently that’s not the
case in the past nor in the future.
Although Iguodala is not active the Grizzlies intend to hold Iguodala
“hostage” until the right deal comes along for them.
Grizzlies management
have made it known if any of the above parties want to add him to their roster a
trade must be arranged to acquire him. I
asked a fellow Laker fan on Saturday ‘You think the Lakers should try to
pick him up?’ There was an emphatic yes
by the barber shop patron and Laker fan.
So, there you have it, a player the above teams and perhaps others
covet. What prevails here, the Lakers
have a couple of warm bodies they could trade but the question will the Grizzlies
approve it?
The Spurs
Playoff and
championship basketball are an annual event in San Antonio. The last time the Spurs missed the playoffs,
Titanic was the number one movie, Bill Clinton was president and Elton John
registered the Top 100 hit that year with “Something About the Way You Look
Tonight.” The top television program was
out of this world, it was X-Files. We
witnessed the 1996-97 NBA season with the Spurs finishing with a 20-62 won loss
record. The following season the team
drafted Tim Duncan, wonder what happened to that guy?
In any event the
Spurs find themselves in an unusual position, i.e. a losing record, as this is
written they are 5 up and 8 down. They
retired Tony Parker’s jersey recently and the retired Spurs who attended the
ceremony made for a competitive team.
It’s more than just losing Kawhi Leonard to a trade. Those who replaced Robinson, Ginobili,
Johnson and Duncan have not played at the level we are accustomed to seeing
play Spurs basketball. With retirement
of all the players coach Pop remains in place.
I trust Pop if he wants to coach, given time the Spurs will return.
