Basketball from a fan’s perspective

A good week

This has been a good week for yours truly, I celebrated another birthday and my wife implemented a surprise party for me. As for the nation’s Top 25 basketball teams that might be a different matter. I’m unsure if I ever remember the top three teams all losing within a two-day timeframe but that’s what occurred. It began on Tuesday evening with two upsets, I’m unsure which teams played first but this is the result. Iowa State upset number 2 Houston 57-53 but it didn’t end there was another shocking development.

Nebraska was able to defeat number 1 Purdue 88-72. A day later Wednesday evening to be exact we saw UCF beat Kansas 65-50. As I stated at the beginning I’m not going to take the time to research the matter but I don’t believe this has ever occurred. The top three teams all losing in the same week and maybe something like 48 hours apart. Ben wanted to remind me this might have been two losses in a row for Kansas except for game officials. He pointed out the officiating which likely aided Kansas to win a tough game in Allen Fieldhouse last Saturday versus TCU 83-81.

Bits n Pieces

The future is wide open for Victor Wembanyama, barring injury he will become a superstar. How do I know, I actually don’t know that to be a fact however it is what I believe. Since tweaking his ankle Wemby’s been on a minute restriction on his play by the Spurs coaching staff. The restriction did not prevent the youngster from recording his first triple double. On Wednesday evening against the Pistons Wemby had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, the NBA leader in blocked shots registered a fat 0. As for my earlier pronouncement…the anointed one is based on Wemby remaining relatively injury free.

I cannot worry about the future, what exactly am I discussing? The 0-2 start by Mizzou in conference play has some worrying in a different area. I’ve read letters where some in Mizzou Nation are claiming the less than stellar start might have a ripple effect. If you remember Mizzou had the number 3 recruiting class for 2024. Look friends I cannot worry about the future in this instance. Prospects decommit all the time, what attracted them in the first place besides the coaching staff and the school? Despite what some might believe whatever occurs does just that. I’m sure Mizzou will replace anyone in the Class of 2024 that changes their mind. Will they be as good as the departed, that question would remain unanswered for now.

The best combo guard in the NBA takes few shots from three, he’s got in my view the best mid-range game in the NBA. Who do I speak of so glowingly, it’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder. As this is written Gilgeous-Alexander is shooting a sizzling 55.2% from the floor and since he takes so few three’s its 35.2% from distance. Shooting like that translates to a 31.4 point per game average and he’s been one of the keys to the rise of this Thunder team. If you remember the history the Clippers drafted him with pick 11 in the first round of the 2018 draft. After his rookie year he was traded to the Thunder along with draft picks for Paul George.

Diminished returns

We have an arena under construction, at least 2-3 other arenas planned for the future. This is not me alone, I consulted two sources for a portion of what you are about to read. The chamber of commerce, the mayor’s office and some on the city council present the proposal. They go into detail how much the new arena (stadium) will benefit the community, the question becomes is it true? Can I say yes to a degree but not the revenue generator we are often led to believe.

1.“Proponents claim sports facilities improve the economy in four ways. First, building the facility creates construction jobs. Second, people who attend games who attend games or work for the team generate new spending in the community, expanding local employment. Third, a team attracts tourists and businesses to the host city, further increasing local spending and jobs. Finally, all the new spending has a “multiplier effect” as increased local income causes still more spending and job creation.” What you just read makes a great deal of sense however there is a downside to the issue. “Unfortunately these arguments contain bad economic reasoning that leads to leads to overstatement of the benefit of stadiums.”

I realize the information above is a great amount to reason and there are unanswered questions. In the early days of computers we heard the term “garbage in garbage out” in use to indicate the information utilized is not always concise or accurate. This I believe to be the case whenever these projects are presented to the public, the key for me is their vested interest by the party presenting the proposal should always be at the top of the list? If this appears to be double-talk that is not the case it simply says the public must do as thorough a job as possible prior to affirming a vote for a new arena or stadium. Taxpayers are on the hook for millions of dollars over a 20–30-year period.

 1.  https://www.brookings.edu/articles/sports-jobs-taxes-are-new-stadiums-worth-the-cost/

June 1, 1997