Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

LeBron signs extension

The Lakers have him for two more seasons and that’s about all. I will not mention the money because that always brings out negative comments. You know most of them, “We need to pay police and emergency responders” or this one, “Educators need to be paid more.” There are probably 500-600 more reasons I refuse to discuss pay for athletes. I place it in the same category of entertainers, we are entertained either on television or in person by the exploits of LeBron and others. 

We could make the same statements regarding any entertainers, they are all overpaid in some eyes. If you care to entertain a discussion of salary that’s okay but it will not be at the top of my list. Finally, are some athletes overpaid… your darn straight. So is the guy next to you on the assembly line or in the next cubicle, you put out twice as much product as he does yet both of you are earning the same salary. Is there a book somewhere that states everything in life is reported to be fair and equal. If you manage to locate that particular manuscript, please let me know where I can purchase a copy?

We don’t have the networks

Monday, we discussed the Christmas Day NBA games on December 25. We don’t have the network information, but we have the times, all are Eastern Time:

12:00 p.m. Sixers vs Knicks

  2:30 p.m. Lakers vs Mavs

  5:00 p.m. Bucks vs Celtics

  8:00 p.m. Grizzlies vs Warriors

10:30 p.m. Suns vs Nuggets

A truce

This past Sunday we reported the war of words between Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari and football coach Mark Stoops. To refresh your memory Calipari being his sometimes-abrasive self-announced to all the world Kentucky’s basketball practice facility had a leaky roof. His words, “This (Kentucky) is a basketball school” which football coach Stoops immediately took offense. Stoops said he thought his football team competed in the SEC or something similar. The two coaches have gone back and forth at one another in the media, from all indications neither party has sat down to discuss the matter on a face-to-face basis. I thought at a point this was a joke to generate publicity however it appears this is an actual feud. Maybe its time for the athletic director to schedule a meeting with the two parties to clear up the matter.

Social concern

This week the NBA announced there will be no games scheduled November 8. The NBA believes it is vital for its athletes and the public to be informed on issues and candidates in the fall election. The league hopes this will allow an assessment of various races and then cast votes on Tuesday. This effort was just announced so as sure as I’m sitting here there will be those who find fault with this effort. I applaud the NBA with this move, as long as a particular candidate(s) is not endorsed there is no obstacle I could foresee. What do you think, is this a good move by the NBA from your perspective?

Misfortune

Allow me to state at the beginning, I don’t believe in bad luck or curses. I heard the story but never believed the Curse of the Billy Goat laid on the baseball Cubs in 1945. Okay back to our sport basketball and in this instance a discussion of the Blazers. Over the course of the teams existence (1970) there have been a number of exceptionally talented players wearing a Blazer jersey. At the same time a number of players were drafted who never reached the level expected. The first name might be that of 6-foot 11-inch LaRue Martin, most of you have no idea so allow an explanation. In the 1972 NBA draft Martin was made the top pick that year ahead of Bob McAdoo and Julius Erving as example. To be fair Erving had been drafted the previous year and was playing for the ABA Virginia Squires.

At that time the NBA wouldn’t allow underclassmen to be drafted the ABA had no such rules. Back to Martin a moment, he lasted until 1976 with the Blazers never fulfilling the promise it was believed when drafted. Consider this fact, despite not having the playing career most expected his college degree allowed him success in the business world. We’ve discussed Bill Walton previously, the 6-foot 11-inch Walton was also a number one pick by the Blazers. Unlike Martin he was able to attain success on the basketball court even leading them to their only NBA championship until a series of injuries derailed his career. He played for the Clippers and with the Celtics he would become a valued 6^th man for them. Up till now this has been a Big Man history, guard Brandon Roy changed that. He was the 6^th pick in the first round of the 2006 draft. Roy was the real deal until he was beset with injuries, from that season until 2011 he was a member of the Blazers.

In 2012 Roy played one more season before retiring at the age of 28. Roy’s remained close to the game as boys’ basketball coach at Nathan Hale and then Garfield High School. A year after Roy was drafted the Blazers chose 7-foot Greg Oden rather than Kevin Durant in 2007 with the number one pick. The saga of Oden’s also been documented previously, it was said “He was the second coming of Bill Russell”. His defensive prowess was that good, once again injuries would derail another Blazer and he left the team after the 2012 season. Oden played a few more years before retiring for good in 2016. Keep in mind there are years of separation in this account, the Blazers had a number of outstanding players and teams. It would appear plagued by injuries the franchise with the exception of the 1977 championship never reached the level Blazer fans and maybe even management hoped would occur.