Basketball from a fan perspective
Draft lottery
By Thursday evening August 20 we know for
sure, the draft lottery will have occurred, and the draft order will be
established. The Warriors, Wolves or
Cavs will have the top pick according to Tankathon.com. The website claims each of the above teams
has a 52% chance of landing picks one through four. The Hawks are next up at 48.1% and then the
Pistons at 42.1% and it drops down to the Grizz with a 2.4% chance of landing
anywhere from one to four.
As you are aware the order of the draft is
weighted therefore the team record is the criteria for the number of balls a
team is allowed in the hopper. As for
the date that established this process it was March 11 the day play was
suspended in the NBA. That top pick will
be determined by the Warriors, Wolves or Cavs and their need. On the other hand, a team could trade the
draft rights for a veteran player although that is not likely to occur.
tankathon.com
The NBA playoffs
It will be far different this year, i.e. the
NBA playoffs. Due to COVID we are
witnessing the latest playoff beginning in NBA history, in addition to the virus
causing this late start there is at least one clear advantage. No travel for the Mavs to contest the
Clippers, the same statement is made regarding Orlando-Milwaukee, there is no
home court advantage for the first time ever.
One of the chief player complaints is travel, with that being a non-issue
should we expect a better playoff? That
will unfold over time and you and me can come to our own conclusions. Sit back and enjoy the playoff run I know I will.
They were not his first NBA team
If you say the name Robert Parrish your
thoughts reflect the time he played for the Celtics. Despite only seeing him in green the Celtics
were his second NBA team. The Warriors
drafted Parrish as the 8th pick in the first round of the 1976 draft
and after a slow start played well for them although the team was not
good. The shrewd Red Auerbach made a
trade that changed the Celtics fortunes for the next several years, the Celtics
lost Dave Cowens to retirement and needed a replacement at the center
position.
Auerbach managed to secure a trade for
Parrish and the Warriors first round pick in 1980, with the Warriors pick they drafted
Kevin McHale. Both players along with
Larry Bird would be key contributors to four NBA championships, one trade and
the Celtics solidified their future. Parrish
would play for two additional teams the Hornets and the Bulls before he retired
with 21 NBA seasons under his belt. Parrish
is another of those double honorees enshrined in the College Basketball and Naismith Hall of Fame.
They have time
College basketball both men’s and women’s
sits in a unique position. The powers to
be (whomever they are) can look at each of the professional sports and their
effort to play the game. I have not paid
close attention to the NHL however they are at play in a restart of the season;
we know what occurred with the NBA, no need of detailing that here. On the other hand, baseball seems to have
stumbled out of the gate on wobbly legs, COVID has ravaged at least one
baseball team. How many games will be
missed before forfeit might come into play?
That is another story for later, back to the subject at hand.
The NFL appears ready to begin play but it
too appears somewhat shaky, as this is written at least two college power football
conferences have announced the cancellation of fall sports. Back to basketball, the commissioners should not
repeat the stumbling, bumbling act of college football. They should explore how the other sports such
as the NBA and NHL appear to have succeeded in this short space of time. College basketball does not have a
commissioner like professional sports however it would appear smarter guys than
me could figure out a safe method for us to enjoy college basketball since its
apparent at least two major football conferences will be shut down.
