Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Late breaking story

LaMelo Ball is not the franchise owner we covered just the other day.  Additional detail will follow soon.  (Another LaMelo is below)

I remain the eternal optimist

The 2019-20 NBA season will soon be cancelled, as the covid-19 virus continues to shut down the nation I’m not sure how we can expect a re-start.  Expect commissioner Silver any day to issue such a statement.  The days this virus have become weeks and the long-range forecast does not look good.

Hall of Fame in their future?

Saturday morning a group of ESPN staffers presented a list.  The list consisted of active players they believed would be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame.  Several of the names I agree while others are questionable in my mind.  Injuries aside what is the criteria for entry into the HOF?  There is no one answer probably the body of work over the course of a career is the consideration. 

I’ve told this story of a conversation I once held with a former co-worker.  Jim asked me; “You think Dennis Rodman will be elected to the Hall of Fame?”  My response was short, “No way, it has nothing to do with his lifestyle off the court either.”  You quickly determine who miss this one, in September 2011 Rodman was enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame.  So, what can we conclude from this exercise? Election differs with the former player or coach and the media member voting.     

How did I overlook him?

Last Thursday my all-time Knicks team was published.  I checked my column from that date and discovering I overlooked Charles Oakley.  Oak played for several other NBA teams but his tenure with the Knicks stands out during his career.  His scoring (9.7) and rebounding (9.5) are nothing to shout about it was the “other” things he brought to the court.  Standing 6 foot 8 the 225-pound Oakley was primarily the Knicks power forward but how tough was he. 

Oak was tough enough he would occasionally be moved into the center position.  He arrived in the NBA in 1985 from Virginia Union a Division II school in Richmond Virginia.  During his time in the NBA the league tried to curtail ruckus play, not Oak he only had one speed and that was roughhouse.  Oak finished his NBA career in 2004 playing for the Rockets.  As I indicated earlier, he played for several NBA teams, he might have played during one of the last periods the Knicks were a competitive team.

There are others

The Class of 2020 Naismith Class is mighty impressive, and we can state that with conviction.  The chief enshrines are Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, as I stated in the headline there are others. The trio mentioned all had outstanding NBA careers, with Duncan it extends down to the high school level.  Think about this a moment, Bryant and Garnett had no college experience yet are headed to the hall.  Congratulations to this trio and the others who were honored with their selection.

I apologize in advance

We hear tales of Junior being hired or promoted due to his “connections.”  The connections we speak of is a father or some other close relative being in a position of authority.  What if the series of events are reversed, the father without any visible ability attempts a power play without any real authority?  What occurs for the son, will it influence a prospective employer?  I’ve never worked in Human Resources, but my guess is there could be a problem.  The problem might be one for management and that’s the case for son LaMelo Ball and the mouth that roared father LaVar Ball. 

I’ve counted five mock draft sites indicating LaMelo will be picked as high as number one or as low as five.  As this is written there is no revised date for the NBA draft, teams might be unable to work out prospective draft picks but its more than that.  Will or rather can LaVar Ball tone down his rhetoric in order to allow his son space?  This is just one example we heard regarding his eldest son Lonzo Ball, “Y'all about to see the best guard -- with Magic, what he was doing, he fittin' to pass the torch to Lonzo, Lonzo's fittin' to step over him, to be the best guard ever.”  Well this has not played out to date and it probably never will.  Protect and guide your offspring even as adults, don’t hinder them attempting to re-live the glory you never experienced.