Basketball from a fan’s perspective

“Power concedes nothing without a demand.  It never did and it never will.”        

Frederick Douglass

The history

I read so many sources sometimes I am unable to point to a particular writer.  In any event this writer posed the question could Joel Embiid, Nickola Jokic and (one other) be at the top of the list for NBA MVP.  He approached it from the standpoint of “foreign born players” winning the award.  I must guess he didn’t consult the history prior to writing his account.  He didn’t do what I just did, in 1994 Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria) was the league MVP and the first foreign born. 

Steve Nash (South Africa & Canada) won the award back-to-back in 2005 and 2006.  In 2007 Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki won, thus three years in a row a foreign-born player was the winner.  For the last two years Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) has been the NBA’s MVP and my hope.  I hope this is not a miss-read on my part what the writer was attempting to impart.  The NBA like other man-made entities is not perfect, despite this fact the league has made a great effort at leveling the field in several areas. I would venture to say the NBA is more a “world game” than any other sport short of soccer (football).  

The saga of Mac McClung

Mac McClung has a dream; he wants to play in the NBA.  His dream is shared by thousands and thousands of basketball prospects throughout the nation and world.  McClung can “ball” as they might say, he broke the high school scoring record of a guy by the name of Allen Iverson.  McClung followed in the footsteps of Iverson enrolling at Georgetown, but he would leave after just a season, he would enroll at Texas Tech.  

Once again, McClung proved he could play skillful basketball in the tough Big 12 Conference…but! The 6-foot 2-inch point guard is on the move again, he’s entered the transfer portal and is leaving Texas Tech attempting to locate his third school to begin play.  Will McClung make it to the NBA, that question remains unanswered at this point?  A third school in three years will soon occur, you will be informed of the move just as soon as McClung decides on his future.  Will the lack of stability work against McClung as he continues to change schools and work on his NBA game at the same time?    

A difficult task

I am going to provide you my All-Time Lakers, they are not in any order just as I see it.  This is extremely difficult to consider the number who played outstanding basketball for the Lakers, in addition, I have no intention to detail the why, here goes:

1^st team

Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Jerry West

Magic Johnson

James Worthy

Kobe Bryant

2^nd team

Shaquille O’Neal

Jamaal Wilkes

Elgin Baylor

George Mikan

Wilt Chamberlain

Probably one of the most difficult tasks ever, several on the second team could have easily been placed on the first team.  There you have it my Top 10 All Time Lakers. 

Opening the flood gates

Nuggets guard Monte Morris and the Nets Spencer Dinwiddie have committed to play for Nigeria in the Olympics.  This is not a new thing, several years ago American NBA players began committing to play for nations other than the U.S.A.  These players had a connection, as an example, Kyrie Irving is not Australian, but he was born there, Earl Watson former NBA player and Suns coach has relatives from Mexico, he could have chosen to play for Mexico. 

The latest players to go this route have no connection to the African nation or the continent, don’t get me wrong there is no fear on my part the U.S.A. loses it’s the principle.  America is a nation of immigrants; do we allow all NBA players a nation of choice to play in the Olympics?  FIBA or someone needs to step forward and correct this mess, I am a party of one who believes this doesn’t make a great deal of sense.