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Basketball from a fans perspective

2023 NBA draft

I have an acquaintance who claims, “I never watch the NBA draft.” This same person admits he’s more than a casual fan of the NBA. This is not me; draft night is one of the highlights for me and I almost always try to ensure I’m parked in front of my television. Two rounds and 60 players, there are a few noteworthy events of this draft. No way can I provide information on all. To no one’s surprise we witnessed the Spurs choosing Victor Wembanyama as the top pick. The second pick would be a mystery, mock sites had a mix of who that might be, would it be Brandon Miller or Scoot Henderson.

Turns out it would be Miller chosen by the Hornets, Henderson at three would be the choice of the Blazers. The Thompson twins Amen and Ausar were picks four and five by the Magic and Pistons. With that I will turn to the fashion of the evening. As for the fashion choices they followed the stylings of the past. The suit worn by Wembanyama appeared to have a belt across the back of it. The no socks look was evident by most of those in the early portion of the draft. The suit jacket with no shirt was evident but the winner is Gradey Dick of Kansas. Dick was chosen by the Raptors at 13, his wardrobe choice was a red turquoise jacket along with a turquoise shirt. Utah chose Keyonte George, his selection was a suit with a leopard pattern. The draft ended far too late for complete coverage, Monday additional detail will be provided thanks. 

Bits n Pieces

If you caught the latest sports news you are aware Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway’s been suspended for three games. The NCAA is charging him and his program with recruiting violations and violating head coaching responsibilities, the suspension is tied into two home visits by the staff. This was classified as a Level II violation by the NCAA but I have a question. This is not to say the Memphis coaching staff is innocent of the charges but once again a mid-major school is being punished by the NCAA. Needless to say we have probably not heard the last of this, it is being reported Hardaway intends to appeal the suspension.

There is work occurring in arena news other than Inglewood, Intuit Dome has been in the forefront but what about the present building the Clippers occupy? Crypto.com Arena opened in 1999, then known as Staples Center and is now 24 years old. Renovation work was the plan for the home of the Lakers, NHL Kings and for a time the Clippers. Because winter sees the greatest usage of the arena the renovations will occur during the summer months. This refurbished process begun in 2022 will continue through the summer of 2023 and 2024. I’m not going to detail the work but just state once the renovation is complete the tenants will have a practically brand-new arena. The area the tenants notice most are the locker rooms which will be refreshed and reimagined.

For this breakdown of the 2023-24 season I’m excluding the incoming portal transfers for Mizzou. We finally have an idea of who returns versus who left. Hopefully the coaching staff will be able to blend the transfers in with the holdovers. Returning are guards Kaleb Brown, Nick Honor, Jackson Francois and Sean East. Also in the count are forwards Aidan Shaw and Noah Carter along with center Mabor Majak. Honor, East and Carter played starter minutes with Shaw mostly in a reserve role. As for the others, Brown, Francois and Majak saw little action this past season. This member of Mizzou Nation believes these holdovers plus the transfers should make for a competitive team. My anticipation is a Mizzou team capable of competing in tough SEC.

MJ dealing

I probably know the names of 4-5 NBA owners, the other team owners I have no idea of their name. Among the names I could rattle off for you, James Dolan Knicks, Jeanie Buss Lakers, Mark Cuban Mavs, Dan Gilbert Cavs and Michael Jordan Hornets. Jordan is likely the best-known owner based on his time as a player for the Bulls and Wizards. There are probably folks who know Jordan is an owner over that of James Dolan. A portion of this account is not reported as fact, perhaps we’ll be able to confirm it at some point. Recently it was announced Michael Jordan was selling his majority share in the Hornets although he’d retain minority interest. In 2010 MJ purchased the majority share in the Hornets for a reported $175 million.

It’s stated in the recent sale of the Hornets MJ conveyed the majority share of the franchise to minority stockholders. The next part of the story cannot be confirmed although the media announced price of the sale was a cool $3 billion which makes MJ quite a smooth operator. Since I’m not skilled in this area I have no idea if true how much MJ might have earned in this deal. I can say this with a degree of comfort, MJ might be just a tad bit wealthier now than he was in 2010. We hear numerous accounts of professional athletes in all sports squandering their fortune. To this date at least no one can claim that is the legacy of MJ, it appears he along with Magic Johnson and a few others have managed their wealth earned from playing basketball exceedingly well.