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Basketball from a fans perspective

He didn’t just drop out of the sky

I’m unsure how many times the Nuggets were the featured team on national television games, I don’t believe it’s been very often. Despite this fact even though most were unaware they have been a very good basketball team for a number of years. The 2023 championship validates just how good they are especially Nikola Jokic. The Joker has been the NBA’s MVP for two consecutive seasons and could have won for the third time in 2023, he is a walking triple-double machine. I held a discussion with a fellow basketball fan and we both agreed.

Jokic doesn’t appear athletic in fact he appears rather ordinary as he moves around the court. He’s got an assortment of unorthodox shots that cause you to say to yourself, “How did that go in the basket?” At 6 foot 11 Jokic is probably the best 3-point shooting Big Man in the NBA, I believe he’s more accurate than Joel Embiid from distance. Nowhere is it written you must be athletic to play at this level, Jokic is proof you make best use of the tools you have. Basketball remains a team game but without the play of Jokic this Nuggets team loses to the Heat. We are asked about starting a team and who you would choose. I have no issue if given a choice of a center I’d have no issue in picking Nikola Jokic.

High school talent in the NBA  

What might you suppose is the city/metro producing the most NBA talent? Naturally larger population-based parts of the nation will generate more talent that’s to be expected. The research presented is not mine, it’s about three years old but the numbers are probably close to current. The Los Angeles metro is the second largest in the nation in population so it seems natural. The overwhelming wealth of high school talent that’s led to the NBA. These home-grown products from Los Angeles include Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson and James Harden to name just a few, that’s number 1.

We head to the middle west and the Chicago metro, again a highly populated area that produces great numbers of NBA talent. The home-grown talent from this part of the country is named Anthony Davis, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade and Kendrick Nunn and others. Coming in at number 2 in producing NBA talent is the Chicagoland metro. This might be surprising to some; it was for me Philadelphia at number 3 has displaced New York City as a hotbed for high school basketball into the NBA.

In Philadelphia we begin our count with the Morris twins, Markieff and Marcus, Kyle Lowrey along with Jameer Nelson and a host of other past talent. The Dallas-Fort Worth metro is another highly populated part of the country, DFW is number 4 in producing high school talent. Julius Randle, Chris Bosh, Marcus Smart and Myles Turner and several past NBA players grew up in the metro. Closing out in the number 5 position is the Seattle Washington area which has also produced an abundance of high school/NBA talent. Zach LaVine, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and Dejounte Murray are just a few of the names.

It's a new league

The 2023 NBA draft will feature twins Amen and Ausar Thompson, both are projected lottery picks.  Amen is probable as a combo guard while brother Ausar is listed as a shooting guard, both stand 6 foot 7 in height. This is not a focus on the twin brothers but rather the league, Overtime Elite where they continued polishing their basketball skill. We are accustomed to talent arriving in the NBA from the G-League and Australia however this is different, it’s a new league. Overtime Elite or OTE was born in the 2021-22 season, and there are a number of benefits OTE offers over that of some of the other leagues. As an example there is NO requirement to finish high school although encouragement is offered in the form of an academic program.

In addition there is pay, players receive $100,000 plus a signing bonus. There are a number of other benefits for the participants ages 16-20. On reading this I have concerns; my hope is proper guidance is provided to avoid players from “over-spending.” In addition there is chaperoning of these young men. It should be noted that the OTE board of directors consist of former NBA players Pau Gasol, Carmelo Anthony and Jay Williams. Another former NBA player Damian Wilkins is the general manager and head of basketball operations. A contract was signed in November 2022 with Amazon Prime Video to telecast 20 games a season for the next three years. OTE continues to sign American and international players for this upcoming season, the 6-team league’s foundation appears solid and it would look as if they should be operating for quite a while.

Intuit Dome update

Construction has continued at a steady pace at the southeast corner of Century Boulevard and Prairie Avenue in Inglewood. The address is the Intuit Dome soon to become the new home of the Clippers. The Intuit Dome will be completed in time for the 2025-26 NBA season, 2024-25 will become the last time the Clippers share space at Crypto.com arena. This project is more than just constructing an arena, it will be the centerpiece of a 28-acre mixed used development. This future would include a 150-room hotel along with ancillary retail with parking for over 4,100 vehicles.

The cost tag of the arena alone is projected at $1.2 billion which makes it one of the most expensive NBA arenas to date. In the 40 years of operation in Los Angeles, unlike the Lakers the Clippers have never had a “home” for an extended period. In addition the Clippers will be owners unlike the Lakers and Kings who are tenants at Crypto.com arena. This arena project initiated by owner Steve Ballmer will move the Clippers from the shadow of the Lakers. Of course many in Clipper Nation will argue they have never had an issue but don’t believe it. Anytime retired Laker jerseys are covered during Clipper games tells us a different story.