Published Monday thru Friday    

Basketball from a fans perspective

He’s arrived

On Monday of this week a flight landed at Newark’s Liberty International Airport from Paris France. The aircraft contained hundreds of passengers including a 7 foot 5 inch guy by the name of Victor Wembanyama. Wemby arrived on these shores in preparation for tomorrow night’s NBA draft. According to news reports there was a host of fans waiting for him, there were requests for autographs which he gladly acknowledged. 

I thought it interesting one report indicated Wemby signed a Spurs jersey. Can he do that, sign the jersey of a team he’s not been drafted yet LOL. This might be the most exciting draft since 2003 when LeBron James was made the top pick that year. Wemby had time to check his ability at another sport, he was asked to toss the first pitch at a Yankees baseball game. Is there anything this guy can't do, he wiil become a marketing bonanza in my view similar to what's occurred with the NFL Chiefs Patrick Mahomes. 

76 Place

Drawings were provided recently detailing the planned new home of the Sixers. The 18,500-seat arena will be constructed with private funds but there is opposition to the plan. 76 Place is to be constructed  in the Market East District of Philadelphia, this area is the Chinatown section of the city. That issue will be dealt with and hopefully resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. The question might be asked, why such an early start on a building with a 2031 planned opening. This is what I discovered:

2022-2024: Approval of construction permits from city and state

2024-2026: Stadium engineers and developers design arena

2026-2027: Portions of Fashion District Philadelphia demolished

2028-2031: Construction of 76 Place at Market East

Why do the Sixers need a new arena, after all Wells Fargo Center opened in 1996? Probably the key issue, Comcast Spectacor owns Wells Fargo Center. With no ownership stake the Sixers derive no revenue from events held in the arena, with their own building that goes away. The information listed indicates there will be adequate public transportation to 76 Place.

*A portion of the information, courtesy Wikipedia

Number 2 worldwide

Despite the comments of cynics basketball remains the number 2 sport in the world. Only football (soccer) is more popular throughout the world. As for the other professional sports inroads have been made. In baseball Latin America has continued to produce talent from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela and a host of other countries. At one point the roster of the Royals listed a player from Brazil, a nation producing few major league baseball players. As for the NFL and football the story is much the same. There have been a few foreign-born players taking up the game and several have experienced NFL careers.

The number in baseball and football is small potatoes compared to the amount of talent in college basketball and the NBA. Some have suggested the U.S. is no longer producing basketball talent at the rate it once did. At the same time they point toward the ever-increasing numbers of foreign-born players. That’s a topic for another time and place. I maintain the best basketball in the world remains here and not overseas anywhere. If we looked at one area it would appear the Balkan Nations of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia are producing the bulk of college and NBA talent. I welcome foreign born players be it college or the NBA.

SMH

We have a local sports radio host who made this statement about John Calipari. “He’s too busy recruiting NBA talent so his Kentucky team suffers.” Those are not the host exact words but close on hearing this comment I almost drove onto the sidewalk. I thought for a moment that doesn’t make sense, if Calipari is recruiting NBA talent exclusively that says his Kentucky teams should be superior to others. That is not the case however some of the talent recruited failed to play at the level the coach wanted. Before I proceed any further allow me to state I’m a fan of Calipari, I’m unable to judge his coaching philosophy however his coaching record provides proof he’s a winner at three schools.

Cal’s won 790 games over the course of his coaching career, I guess radio guy is assessing the coach based on his last two seasons at Kentucky. The last two teams earned NCAA berths although they didn’t advance very far in the tournament. Hey radio guy, coach Cal hasn’t forgotten how to coach despite what you might desire your listeners to believe. As for those stories circulating the coach is in trouble with the AD and administration. I’m just not too sure there is more smoke there than fire. It’s my belief the coach will not be fired, he could decide to take another job however I find that a little difficult to believe. Kentucky basketball is at the top of the mountain, coaching anywhere else might be considered a step down.  

I don’t think so

As you are aware Joel Embiid was the 2023 NBA MVP, he finally was able to eclipse that of Nikola Jokic although Jokic continued playing at a high skill level. As for Embiid although he’s now an American citizen his birthplace was Cameroon on the African continent. This continues a trend; the previous two MVP’s were won by Nikola Jokic and prior to that Giannis Antetokounmpo won two consecutive MVP’s. We have been witness to the ever-increasing number of international players in the NBA. Despite what many see as a positive others see it as a negative.

Panic began to set in heard from coast to coast, north to south. “We are not producing basketball talent as we once did, the world is catching up with the American game.” That last statement is partially true in my opinion, the European and African continent are certainly producing skill talent in greater numbers than previous. There is no worry on my part I believe the talent produced abroad can only make the NBA game that much greater. What is so funny to me many Americans claim the game but it really doesn’t belong to us. Dr. James A. Naismith who invented the game was a Canadian he just happened to begin the game in Springfield Mass.