Basketball from a fan perspective

It’s time---We find ourselves at the dawn of what I hope is a Laker championship, I thought it appropriate to set the record straight. There is a mistaken belief this writer has or had issue with LeBron James that was not the case back then and certainly doesn’t exist now.  He was then and remains an NBA great, as for the GOAT that is a discussion for others not me. 

I don’t believe I ever questioned his talent whether it was as a member of the Cavs or Heat.  As a fan of neither team I was initially displeased with the show biz production when he left Cleveland for the first time.  Did I root for those Heat teams to win I don’t remember; I believe I took a neutral view?  Once LeBron decided to return to Cleveland it was pleasing to me, it was even better when he led those Cavs to an NBA championship. 

This was a feat that hadn’t been accomplished by a Cleveland team since the 1964 NFL Browns.  Once LeBron became a free agent, I believed he would sign with the Cavs and end his NBA career in Cleveland but that was not to be.  He left Cleveland for the Lakers and the rest of that history is still unfolding.  All that’s required in my book is one Laker championship and LeBron’s legacy is solid gold for me, rather that is purple and gold. 

You done good---The NBA season is almost over, in less than a week a champion will be crowned.  If we journey back to late spring/early summer I admit there were concerns on my part when I first heard of The Bubble and worries about covid-19.  As this writing we can claim sheltering the NBA in place has worked successfully to this point.  

It’s been a huge success despite players, coaches, front office, and media being separated from family and friends. There’s been not a single report of any player contracting covid.  We have witnessed the difficulty for baseball and football to operate their season to completion.  We are yet to see steps taken by high school and college basketball to avoid an interruption in their planned seasons.  Hopefully a solution allowing fall and winter sports to begin and conclude successful play will occur.    

Oh my---Kyrie Irving is a different kind of dude in more ways than many imagine.  While discussing the hire of Steve Nash as coach these are Irving’s words.  “I don’t really see us having a head coach”, Irving went on to say he views Nash more in the role of a “collaborative effort.”  We question if this method of coaching has been discussed with Nash.  This is not the first trip around the block for Irving he’s made a number of these types of statements. 

Irving left a championship Cavs team for the Celtics because he wanted to win as the leader of his own team, LeBron was in the way.  At some point we are not exactly sure he questioned science; Irving went on record claiming the world might indeed be flat.  Irvin would later amend his quote claiming he wasn’t serious.  Nowhere in this account did we claim Irving can't play, that is a non-issue it's the other things it appears.     

Load Management---“Why wouldn’t I play if I’m healthy?...I don’t know how many games I got left in my career.  I don’t know how many kids that may show up to a game that are there to come see me play, aid if I sit out, then what?”  Those were the words of LeBron James during the 2019-20 NBA season.  It’s been mentioned both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard load managed during the season which probably affected their cohesiveness.  We can debate that until the cows come home, we are unable to probe an athlete’s mind.  We can only be governed by their actions, could we uncover parallels in the workplace, that’s certainly possible.