Basketball from a fans perspective

Josh Giddey

There have been several opinions expressed “Why is Giddey still playing?” The answer is simple, as this is written Giddey the subject of a criminal investigation is incomplete. Up to this point he’s not been formerly charged with anything therefore neither the NBA nor Thunder can do anything but play him for the time being. Naturally any resulting investigation leading to criminal charges being filed will demand an NBA suspension. As for the media portion of this story I turned off Stephen A. Smith in the middle of last summer. His over the top persona finally got the best of me, I figured it was time to extricate myself from him on ESPN’s First Take and his NBA coverage.  

Up to this point I neither liked nor disliked Malika Andrews because I rarely view the pre-game, half-time and post-game programs she is a part of, she’s been virtually unknown to me. The last week or so I’ve discovered in videos and posts I don’t like her. All of us realize there are plenty of negatives existing in the NBA and world for that matter. It appears, notice the word I used, Andrews presents the viewer with negatives that could be omitted from the story. Am I stating censor the news…of course not that would be the worst thing in the world. On the worst day of former NBA player Andrien Payne shot dead at age 31 in reporting his death she includes his past indiscretions. Don’t take my word, find the YouTube video and see what I’m talking about.

No ring

Former Laker, Knick and Heat coach Pat Riley might be the culprit. He coined a phrase which has become synonymous with winning championships, “No rebounds, no rings. I’m unsure how the conversation began however Carmelo Anthony began a discussion on the subject, “No Ring”. Right at the beginning he named Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller and himself, I can agree all of them had outstanding NBA careers.

How good were they, well Barkley and Miller are enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame and it’s not based on their collegiate years it’s the time they spent in the NBA. I’m sure at some point in the future Anthony will be enshrined as well. In any event Anthony details how the ring issue probably came into being with the Magic-Bird championships. Later it was the 6 rings Michael Jordan won playing for the Bulls, what I find interesting Anthony could have mentioned Bill Russell but didn’t. Russell won 11 rings during his brilliant career with the Celtics. Back to the subject at hand I guess the ring has become a symbol of success which is certainly understandable.

The AARP assembly

Young men play the game but for the most part the coaches they play for are qualified for AARP membership. For those unfamiliar with the abbreviation it stands for American Association of Retired Persons, in order to join the organization one must be 50 years of age. Consider a few of the well-known names, Kentucky’s John Calipari is 64 years old, Bill Self Kansas coach is age 60 and Mark Few Gonzaga’s coach is also 60 years of age. The other AARP qualifiers are Tom Izzo Michigan State (68), Rick Barnes Tennessee (69), Kelvin Sampson Houston (68), Dana Altman Oregon (65) and Rick Pitino St. John’s (71).

Dan Hurley who led UConn to the 2023 NCAA Championship is a “youthful” 50 years of age while Jim Larranaga Miami (FL) is 74, and up the road at Florida State Leonard Hamilton had his 75th birthday this past summer. This is Jim Boeheim’s final season coaching Syracuse basketball, he will retire at the end of the year, Boeheim celebrated his 79th birthday in November. There are a number of young and upcoming coaches, hopefully no one will misunderstand my intent here. There is no effort to state young coaches are unsuccessful, the intent is to simply point out these grizzled veterans are still loving the game. We could ask the question why would one go through the motions doing something just for the pay.  

A double meaning

When I was a kid I’d hear adults on occasion say, “_________ painted himself (herself) into a corner.” I thought it was so funny, how could someone paint the floor of a room and not make provisions for an exit. As an adult I now realize there was a double meaning with their statement. I now take it to describe a move or moves to aid oneself that winds up being the wrong decision, it comes back to bite you in the butt. That’s what appears to have occurred with the Clippers and their acquisition of James Harden.

Once again there is no argument from me that Harden is an incredibly talented basketball player. He’s a basketball player who almost demands the ball be in his hands the majority of time. On any other team other than the Clippers this might be okay however there is ball dominant Russell Westbrook plus less prevailing Paul George. I’m probably leaving out someone but you understand the direction I’m headed. This becomes a make-or-break year for this Clippers team, next season they move into the Ballmer Palace the Intuit Dome. Other than to view the inside of the arena how does management expect to draw fans based on play thus far this season? A brief look toward next season, The Claw, Kawhi Leonard will be 33-years old, Paul George will have turned 34 and Russell Westbrook turns 35 in November.

Harden’s 35th birthday will have occurred earlier in August. This Clippers team MUST win it all this season…period end of story. I genuinely believe they cannot win in 2025, they will be too old a team by NBA standards. To compound this “painted into the corner” picture they have little to offer in trade. I could be wrong regarding what I just composed, perhaps by the time this is read the Clippers will be several games above .500 and truly competing in the Wild, Wild West! UPDATE: They are not above .500.