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Basketball from a fans perspective

For now and ahead

The Lakers made two player moves, one for the playoff run and another for next season. They signed veteran center/forward Tristan Thompson, he last played in the NBA in the 2021-22 season. Also added was Shaq Harrison a defensive minded point guard. The explanation, for now Mo Bamba has been quite adequate as the backup to AD, his free agent price tag might be more than the Lakers are willing to pay. Thompson moves up should Bamba leave but that is certainly down the road a bit.

As for Harrison, he might find himself in somewhat the same position. Dennis Schroeder’s second go round with the Lakers has proven more beneficial than the first one however there is an issue…$$. Free agency is on the horizon for Schroeder as well. Who manages the ball when LeBron and D’Lo are seated, that becomes the role of that backup point guard. Will Harrison be able to fit that job should he move into the position? For now the questions cannot be answered but I believe there is a plan in place by Laker management to address the present and future.

Must be a slow news day

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, never have been. In addition I can also state I’ve never been a fan of media guy Bill Simmons; I am giving you his name because a video will be available at the conclusion for your judgement. Rumors have persisted since 1984 the lottery was “fixed.” The acknowledged top pick that year was Patrick Ewing and he was destined to become a Knick. As for my problem with Simmons, at one time he made a confession admitting he rooted for the Celtics.

That made his writing suspect to me anytime he was writing about the NBA. Perhaps some of you might feel the same way about me acknowledged Laker fan. Back to the subject at hand and the question might be asked why now? Ewing retired as a player eons ago, Knicks GM Dave DeBusschere passed away in 2003. The truth is ownership throughout the NBA has changed multiple times since 1984 although the Knicks ownership is still in place. Okay allow me to play Simmons game for a moment in time, suppose the fix was in, would anything be changed if it was proven to be true? Check out the video below and see what you think.

https://www.basketballnetwork.net/old-school/bill-simmons-claims-that-david-stern-fixed-the-1985-draft-lottery?fbclid=IwAR3g1pYjPKic1SqXUGO0ixS9Vs9sM66vh68YoyvUjGDG2glccJiNF5ZO5a0h

I love Austin

Some might remember the late Tom Heinsohn, former Celtic player turned broadcaster. At some point during a Celtics telecast Walter McCarty would do something exciting and Heinsohn would say “I loveeee Walter.” At this point I am about to borrow the term and say, “I loveeee Austin.” I’m discussing Laker shooting guard Austin Reaves who’s made quite an impact in his second season. Reaves journey to the bright lights of Los Angeles began in Newark, Arkansas. Newark is a tiny populated town of 1,170 according to the 2020 census, it’s location is about 100 miles northeast of the capital city Little Rock.

Cedar Ridge High School won back-to-back state championships while Reaves was a member of the team. He committed to Wichita State although there were offers from South Dakota State and Arkansas State. A high school injury impacted his time at Wichita and maybe play so Reaves transferred to Oklahoma where he began a steady improvement in his play. This part of the nation we receive a great deal of Big XII basketball and this is interesting for me at least. I don’t remember seeing Reaves in an Oklahoma Sooner jersey. I believe all were aware he arrived in Los Angeles as a free agent but there is more to the story. It turns out Reaves indicates he was a Laker and Kobe Bryant fan growing up, with that information we know why his NBA journey began in the manner it did.

Misleading

Sometimes the information provided can be true, however sometimes it might be a little misleading. Misleading in the fact all the evidence is not part of the equation. As an example I spotted this recently, regarding Kyrie Irving. It was pointed out the Nets are 13-14 (and playoff bound) while the Mavs are 9-17 (missing the playoffs). Some might refer to this as the “Kyrie Irving Effect” but not me. The first evidence we know is despite his offensive skills Irving is not a great defender.

At the same time not included in the scenario the Mavs willingness to include in the trade Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith in order to acquire Irving. This issue will be debated until July 1, of course on that date Irving and others will become free agents. In addition to pointing a finger at Irving considering this fact, I was able to view the game. A key shot here or there and the Mavs win and earn a playoff spot despite having no Doncic or Irving in the lineup. Despite the fact the game often focuses on superstar players it continues to remain a team sport as we are aware.

Load Management

The other day I wrote a positive outlook on the NBA we love, that was the pro…this is the con. The results we witnessed on Friday evening by the Mavs was embarrassing, not just for the Mavs but the NBA as well. Load Management has become a profanity anytime we hear it mentioned. It is understandable, the NBA season is long for a large number of teams. From September to June a player is in action for that period, we say the season is 82 games but if we count exhibitions, regular season and playoffs it’s more like 100+ games. We add coast to coast and sometimes international travel to the mix and it’s easy to see why players become worn-down.

I’m unsure when load management first came into existence or who might have started it, however it’s become an ugly look for the NBA. Players not available for the next night game which has nothing to do with injury, they don’t play back-to-back games. Does a fan dare plan on purchasing tickets for a game unsure if that star player is available without first consulting the team website. I’ve mentioned this previously but the CBA recently signed should have addressed the matter. We have no idea what it contains except it was signed between the NBA and it’s players. As this was being completed a headline reads, “NBA investigating Mavs for sitting key players.” A short-term solution is not going to fix this, Commissioner Silver needs to call a meeting of the Board of Governors to fully address the issue and produce a resolution.