Basketball from a fans perspective

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It's a shame

Sam Smith died recently; his name might be unfamiliar to most of you reading this, it was for me. His  story is sad because it could have been so much better, but it is not unique. We must return to 1976 for his story and others, history says there was a merger between American Basketball Association teams and the NBA but that was not true. In 1949 an earlier union witnessed teams from the National Basketball League and Basketball Association of America form the NBA that exists today. Although several would later cease operations every team became a member of the newly merged NBA.

As for 1976 there were 6 ABA teams and only 4, the Nuggets, Spurs, Nets and Pacers entered the NBA; the balance folded. ABA teams had struggled financially competing with the NBA so perhaps that might have been the basis for exclusion. Naturally, players from the 4 merged teams were absorbed as for the others the story was different. The remaining players were placed in a pool and a dispersal draft was held among NBA teams and that became the issue for Smith and others. Smith was not picked up by an NBA team as were quite a few others. This is where the problem began, a pension is in place for former players however you must have played three years.

It’s been reported many of these former ABA players had one or two years thus missing the pension. Smith went to work for Ford Motor Company, he qualified for a pension however family issues and his illness created a financial drain. Most of these former players, (100+) are now in their 70’s and 80’s and at least one expressed this view, “They are just waiting on us to die.” The Dropping Dimes Foundation is reported to be working with the NBA on behalf of these former players however progress has been slow. If not for Smith and others, we’d have no million-dollar salaried players as we do today.

LeBron, the NBA & Las Vegas

We have reported Las Vegas along with Seattle will be the two prime locations the NBA will look at for expansion. LeBron James went on record with news that certainly didn’t sound shocking to any of us. He said and I paraphrase, “When my playing days are over, I’d like to own an expansion NBA team and I’d like it to be in Las Vegas.” Let’s check out the finances first, it was recently announced LeBron is a billionaire so he along with a partner or two could certainly afford to be an owner.

We need look no further than Hornets owner Michael Jordan, his Airness didn’t have the financial power to purchase the Hornets outright. He along with partner(s) purchased the team with him being the majority owner. Years later MJ would assume 100% ownership of the franchise. Back to LeBron a moment, this owner thing is not a new thing for LeBron. He’s been a part-owner of Liverpool FC and the Boston Red Sox since March of last year. As you are aware we’ve had player coaches in the NBA but there is no provision for a player-owner. LeBron must retire before he can become an owner, the bylaws of the NBA demand as much.

Is the NBA in his future

The Warriors are battling for another NBA championship while James Wiseman remains sidelined. Wiseman was made the second pick in the 2020 draft but since then his NBA career totals 39 games played. An assortment of injuries have kept Wiseman inactive since the draft, is the NBA in his future we might ask? We cannot help but compare his plight to that of Greg Oden. Oden drafted by the Blazers arrived in the NBA with a great deal of promise.

Interesting that both Big Men are 7-feet tall and nearly the same weight on arrival in the NBA. If you remember Oden too could never remain healthy for a considerable period of time. After his entry in 2007 Oden eventually retired from the game somewhere around 2016. As for Wiseman he’s not played a game this past season for the Warriors having been ruled out near the end of March 2022. We shouldn’t expect him to play in the Finals but hopefully in October he will be fully recovered and ready to play in the 2022-23 NBA season.

A name you are likely to hear

You will hear the name Nikola Jovic announced in the NBA Draft on June 23; the pronunciation of his name is similar to that of a fellow Serbian in the NBA. You know the one who plays for the Nuggets and was named MVP for the second year in a row. Jovic is either 6 foot 9 or according to nbadraft.net 6 foot 11 but this is the interesting part of his game, the 225 pounder has guard skills. There is YouTube video of him in action, check it out for yourself.

He should be a first-round draft choice unless he slips, we wanted to provide you a heads up on Jovic for one reason only. Most often when a Euro player is drafted, we often look at one another and say “Who?” Keep in mind this is no precursor of future NBA success however it provides us a name. As mentioned earlier Jovic is from Belgrade Serbia, he played this past season at KK Mega Bemax. This is the part you might find most interesting, the website awards points based on a prospects skill level. A player can be awarded 100 points which is the max, Jovic received 92 points. He received all 7’s and 8’s and one 9 for size.

The future 

What is hoped for and what actually occurs can often fail to occur. The hope, no team drafts or signs Kai Sotto. You remember the 7-foot post player from the Philippines, don’t you? As a brief reminder he’s spent a brief period in the G-League and last season was in the National Basketball League (Australia). The youngster has been on a nationwide tour displaying his skill for several NBA teams the Lakers being one of them.

Before you confuse this account, no way are we stating he is going to be the next Kareem, Shaq or any center you might name. It appears he’s got the bulk at 7 foot 2 and 232 pounds to contend with opposing NBA centers. With the de-emphasis on post play Sotto would not be forced to carry the Laker workload offensively. It would appear on the surface he fits a niche Gregg Popovich loves. The Spurs coach has a history drafting and developing Euro plays while he’s been head coach to the team. It would be great for Sotto if he is signed by any NBA, naturally I hope it’s the Lakers. The story will not be complete for about 3-4 weeks.