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Basketball from a fans perspective

Maybe they require a closer check too

The most valuable team in the NBA according to Forbes, the Warriors are literally upside down. We have written and discussed into infinity how badly the Lakers have played so far, what about the Warriors? As this is written the defending NBA Champions sit in 4^th place in the Pacific Division of the NBA 2.5 games above the last place Lakers. On Tuesday evening the Warriors surrendered 153 points to THE KINGS in a loss! For a defending NBA Champion team we might be asking, what is going on in San Francisco?  Steph Curry appears to remain Steph Curry but what about the others?

Jordan Poole emerges an ascending NBA All Star, James Wiseman has been sent to their G-League team although the Warriors claim “This is not a demotion.” Klay Thompson is scoring although he appears to no longer be the lights out shooter of old. Some might consider the leftover Draymond Green drama to be an issue although that doesn’t appear to be the case. Green at 32-years of age is having his usual productive season, there must be something casual NBA fans are unable to dissect. Coach Steve Kerr might be facing his most difficult season coaching the Warriors team. The coach must make the determination which player(s) are not performing at the maximum level.  

Following his progress

I hope anyone reading this is not connected with Bradley basketball in any manner. On Tuesday evening Bradley beat Eastern Michigan rather easily 89-61. This account is more about one of the participants over details of the game, it’s another Emoni Bates account. It’s my intention to follow his maturation as he adjusts to his new team. As reported earlier his game against Michigan was outstanding, the question would he be able to continue the trend.

Bates shooting was not as outstanding as before but manageable at 42.9%, his 3-point shooting was down a bit but still at nearly 43%. Bates managed to raise his free throw percentage to almost 73% in this game. As for the problem, I am unable to determine other aspects of his game. Unlike NBA coverage ESPN stats contain no +/- numbers, in truth I am unable to determine the defensive effort of Bates. The Emoni Bates story almost demands there is a continuation in his effort this season. Bates is growing in two areas, his game appears to be growing as well as his stature. He’s now listed as 6 foot 10 inches and 190 pounds; at that height Bates might be the tallest shooting guard in the nation.

There are only 8

Veteran sportswriter Bill Simmons had an interesting and maybe controversial take on the NBA. Just in case you didn’t have an opportunity to read it lets discuss. He writes there are only 8 franchises worth owning in the NBA and he named them. Just in case you are a fan or associated with the franchises excluded this is Simmons not me.

Are you ready, he claims the valuable franchises are Lakers, Knicks, Warriors, Bulls, Celtics, Mavs, Heat and the Suns. Why are the Clippers and Nets not included in his list of valued franchises…location, location. Simmons claims these teams are the “second” franchise in the cities they represent. Let’s check Forbes and see if they agree with the view of Simmons. According to Forbes think billions behind each of the numbers below, in addition this reflects an October 2021 publication:

Knicks $5.8

Warriors $5.6

Lakers $5.5

Bulls $3.65

Celtics $3.55

Clippers $3.33*

Nets $3.2*

Rockets $2.75*

What I find most interesting three franchises contradict Simmons belief. You might have noticed according to Forbes the Clippers, Nets and Rockets all refute the view expressed by the writer, all make the Top 8. You might also note among the missing from Forbes list are the Mavs, Heat and Suns. Who wins this match, I claim neither Simmons nor Forbes, it’s a draw. There are two final matters to consider, Simmons column was more detailed than you see here. The assessed value placed on these teams by Forbes is the amount they would be placed on the market for sales. Just in case you are interested the magazine list the Grizzlies in 30^th and place a value of $1.5 billion. Who is capable of owning a sports franchise these days…only the super wealthy?

The century mark

Yesterday I mentioned Mizzou eclipsed the century mark in the SIEU game, I was sure it occurred in the past however the date was unknown. After a brief internet search came the answer, the date was 2010 and know this. I was there, whether it’s a road game or in Columbia generally my take on the Tigers is based on television coverage. For those who might not be familiar with distance Columbia Missouri is roughly 150 road miles from Kansas City which says weeknight games are difficult to impossible for me to attend.

The century mark game was played in Kansas City on November 30, 2010, at Sprint Center (T-Mobile now) and I was in attendance. The opponent Mizzou faced that evening was the Georgetown Hoyas, unfortunately although the game saw Mizzou total over 100 points it would become an overtime loss 111-102. As for the consecutive win streak I researched that too but was unable to uncover a record. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this without offering any proof. The 2022-23 season might be the first time Mizzou has begun with four consecutive wins. I challenge someone in Mizzou Nation to locate the accuracy of my statement which I believe is correct.