Basketball from a fan’s perspective

For me

If you wish to continue the G.O.A.T. argument regarding NBA play that is okay. Three of you might claim the honor belongs to Michael Jordan another two or three of you might argue the title belongs to LeBron James. Still others might toss out the name of Kobe Bryant or Magic Johnson, then again it could be Wilt or Bill Russell. If you continue to include MJ’s name as part of the argument regarding the college game that is not okay! It should be clear by now the numbers and honors of Lew Alcindor a.k.a. Kareem Abdul Jabbar far outweigh what MJ accomplished his time at North Carolina.

Its official now

A week or so ago I stated there were far too many college players announcing they were leaving college for the NBA. For fear of omitting a name it was decided to forgo the name and only track international players. Although the NBA has grown internationally there are still fewer players in the draft than college. That is the case with Israeli wing Deni Avdija. Avdija submitted paperwork to the NBA offices to declare for the 2020 draft. The 6-foot 9 215-pound Avdija is projected as a lottery pick by most mock draft sites.

Interesting

Hold on a minute, the age 18/high school rule might not be repealed by 2022.

It is being reported the players association and the NBA are stuck in place with little if any movement. That might be the basis for Jalen Green deciding to begin a pro career immediately rather than depart for college in the fall. Green is rated the number 2 prospect in the Rivals Class of 2020.  ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting the deal struck by Green with the G-League is a result of an Adam Silver directive. 

It is reported Silver saw the success of LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton in Australia and had a desire for players of that talent to remain home.  At the same time Wojnarowski is claiming do not expect every high-profile high school athlete to secure a lucrative contract like Green. Where does that leave us for the future? There remain a bunch of moving parts…far too early to determine a conclusion. NOTE: Late Friday afternoon Isaiah Todd Rivals number 14 in the Class of 2020 is also headed to the G-League. According to reports Todd’s salary will be below that of Jalen Green however $250,000 ain’t bad for someone fresh out of high school. Perhaps the G-League will rise to the level the late David Stern envisioned.

The first year

We’ve discussed previously how youthful the NBA is compared to other major sports.  There were professional basketball leagues prior to the formation of what would become the NBA.  These leagues either went out of business or like the National Basketball League merged with the existing Basketball Association of America teams. You might find this bit of information interesting, many of the original owners of NBA franchises also owned NHL hockey teams.  The 1946-47 witnessed the NBA beginning with 11 teams, of the number only the Knicks and Celtics remain from the first year. 

Philadelphia and Toronto were in the founding but not today’s team.  The Warriors now call California home back then it was Philadelphia, as for Toronto it was the Huskies.  1962 was the first season for the Warriors in California, the Huskies disbanded after the 1946-47 season.  Detroit, Cleveland and Washington were all represented but not by the franchise currently, respectively they were the Falcons, Rebels and Capitols.  The St. Louis Bombers, Providence Steamrollers and Pittsburgh Ironmen were also franchises operating that first year but would later go out of business.  The Warriors won that first Basketball Association of America championship defeating the Chicago Stags 83-80.   

Really?

Would the Cavs draft another point guard, that’s the question Adam Figman of slam.com poses?  The Cavs current roster at the point consist of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland along with reserves Dante Exum and Matthew Dellavedova.  Would they draft LaMelo Ball thus adding another point guard to the roster?   LaMelo standing 6 foot 8 and 181 pounds is near the same height of Magic Johnson when he arrived in the NBA. 

Although there are areas requiring improvement, we’ve witnessed LaMelo playing his way into the draft and later into the lottery portion.  Scouts and several media members witnessing his play are singing the praises of Ball after his pro debut in Australia.  The only negative we continue to hear is his shot, like older brother Lonzo his shot is launched from an unorthodox position.  LaMelo’s free-throw shooting could also stand improvement.  This is even more interesting, cbssports.com places LaMelo in the top spot in their mock draft.