Basketball from a fans perspective

The Fat Lady  

I have followed the NBA for an untold number of years. I am continually amazed at times with the outcome of games especially once a team(s) begin a playoff run. Saturday evening was certainly an example of a classic Finals game. The Suns shot 55.2% from the floor, 68% from 3 and 90% from the line plus the game was on their home court. Those stats would indicate game winner Suns but not Saturday night as they lost 123-119. As my friend Kattie said; “So many other things come into play to nip statistics in the bud!!!” The Bucks now take a commanding 3 Games to 2 lead with Game 6 being played Tuesday in Milwaukee.

Can the Suns win Game 6, of course they can, I picked them to win the whole thing? That is not the situation currently the Suns face, as Kenny Loggins might sing, they are in the “Danger Zone.” And the other portion of the lyrics fit them to a tee, “Highway to the Danger Zone” and there is no one capable of flying in and rescuing them except them. The Suns have now lost 3 games in a row with the next one on the road, the Fat Lady is not singing yet but she certainly might be tuning up. A pause here, I didn’t pick the Suns because of a belief they were the outstanding team.  The pick was made strictly based on Chris Paul and my belief he wanted a championship ring prior to retirement. Unless something spectacular occurs, we’ll witness enshrinement in the Hall of Fame like Charles Barkley…ringless.

Sneakerheads

I am always asking questions, but I hope they are valid, here goes. As many are aware at the time Kobe Bryant arrived in the NBA, he signed with the Adidas brand. He wore the brand in several models over the course of the contract. Once the Adidas contract expired, he signed with the Nike brand and wore various models of it over the remainder of his NBA career. Adidas is back in the game again so to speak; they are offering the design shoes Kobe wore while he was under contract with them.

Rest assured sneakerheads who don’t have the Adidas by Kobe are probably excited about the possibility of acquiring them, as for the rest of us there are questions. Is this being done due to the death of Kobe Bryant in January 2020? Is there still a contract in place allowing Adidas the right to manufacture this shoe again? Finally, is the Bryant family to earn revenue from this re-issue or do all the funds return to the coffers of Adidas? Those are questions we hope are answered over the next few weeks and months.

Have they turned the corner? 

This is the Hawks of Atlanta, prior to a response there are two keys to continued first-rate play. Nate McMillian is retained as head coach of the team (this was written prior to his 4-year contract) and injuries don’t impact them as was evident this playoff season. Over the years the Hawks have been a good team however they never appeared capable of advancing in the playoff picture. This statement is made despite having Dominque Wilkins, Mookie Blaylock and Kevin Willis. This version of the Hawks have solid performers at every starting position, in addition the reserves are good.

Trae Young moved into a different realm in the 2020-21 season especially after McMillian took over. The agile point guard is primarily thought of as a shooter but he’s a ball distributor too. During the regular season Young finished in 4^th place with nearly 10 assists per game. He increased his per game scoring by 3+ points in the playoffs (28.8). As for the others Clint Capela is not much of an offensive threat but can be depended for lobs from Young, he also was a double man in rebounds. The others John Collins, Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic are quite capable in the offensive and defensive area. If I were a Hawks fan, I would be excited about the future of this team. 

Action rather than words

There was debate whether to write this, someone once said “Why must it all be about race or gender.” Well, it’s not all the time however significant events need to be mentioned. We acknowledge the NFL is the most popular sport especially in the U.S. that’s a fact. The NFL has gone on record numerous times attempting to point out its minority and gender hiring. Much was made about the female game official working the February Super Bowl.

Violent Palmer began officiating NBA games in 2006, although she’s now retired there are 7 female NBA game officials working currently. Besides the official working the Super Bowl are their others in the NFL, yes there are, two. How about head coaches, there are two (2) black head coaches in the NFL? With the recent hires and holdovers, the NBA now has 12 black head coaches and 2 other minority holdovers. The issue often evident is words and little action by the NFL. Example The Rooney Rule implemented by the NFL was intended to increase the number of head coach hires. Despite the rule as noted above the hiring process apparently has not been fruitful and it appears nothing more than lip service by the NFL.

The NBA’s future

There are several young NBA players who are the face of an exciting future. One of those faces belongs to Zion Williamson Pelicans power forward. There are two questions which continue to linger about him, will he remain in New Orleans and must he lose weight. First response, the Pelicans front office appears disjointed. They have managed to assemble a good team through the draft and trades but not a great deal of improvement reveals itself on the court. The problem they continue to change head coaches which leads to uneven play.

Unless the Pelicans began a move upward it is likely Williamson might be history. The weight issue, Williamson stands 6 foot 7 but weighs 284 pounds. No less an authority as Charles Barkley believes the youngster should lose several pounds. While he played Barkley was 6 foot 6 and 252 pounds. Barkley has gone on record indicating there might be knee problems in his future without losing weight. Williamson only played 24 games his rookie season due to injury, his second year was productive. He improved his scoring from 22.5 to 27 points per game and his .611 field goal percentage ranked high among NBA players. The two down areas which could stand improvement his 3-point shooting and his shot from the line. His 3-point and free throw shooting are areas that could improve in time.