Basketball from a fan’s perspective

He said

“There’s nobody on this team that doesn’t want to pass me the ball and there’s nobody I don’t want to pass the ball to.” Those are the words of Spurs wunderkind Victor Wembanyama, you remember the story don’t you? A few weeks ago a report circulated teammates were reluctant to pass the ball to Wemby. The account was unconfirmed so was it true, we have no idea however it was reported teammates were jealous of the media attention toward Wemby. Let’s just say he’s an incredibly talented player on a not so good team, check these numbers out. Over his last 8 games Wemby is shooting 50.8% from the floor and 34.1% from 3pt. It’s 87.2 from the free throw line 8.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists and 3.6 blocks a game.

Keep in mind despite the numbers he’s on a minutes limit and is coaching restricted to playing back-to-back games. It should also be noted that this 20-year-old rookie is leading the NBA in blocked shots. Still not convinced yet of his potential, a number of you refuse to acknowledge his talent. I’ve read fan letters claiming, “He should be scoring more” or this one “At 7 foot 4 his rebound numbers should be higher.” I’m going to mention weight here, Wemby is a reported 210 pounds which is thin based on his height. Remember back to the time Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo arrived in the NBA. Durant couldn’t power lift a specific weight and Giannis weighed slightly more than Wemby currently. As I continue to preach, I’m not worried about the weight issue for him my concern is the health of this youngster. He will be a SUPER STAR barring injury based on what I see presently so you might not agree with me but that’s okay.

A different age

This wasn’t intended, I had no plans to continue the discussion but felt it necessary. On Sunday I wrote of the Bulls Ring of Honor unveiled in the United Center. I also detailed some of the fans hearing the name Jerry Krause decided to boo when his name was announced, this was upsetting to his widow. Reading the story and the accompanying responses I couldn’t believe some of the comments. I attempted to point out the good Krause accomplished while GM of the Bulls during those championship years. One of the writers reported a majority of folks might have been basing their response having seen “The Last Dance.”

I can admit the ESPN documentary didn’t paint a complete portrait of Krause however most of those gathered in the United Center might not have realized Krause died in 2017. There is no doubt the former GM was a lightning rod for controversy based on many of the actions occurring while he was in charge. At least one writer claimed it didn’t matter Krause died “He deserved the booing based on breaking up a championship team.” My question I wonder if this writer holds a grudge for something that occurred in 2003? Evidently that might be the case based on his view of Krause. If we take this guy’s opinion on a subject whatever occurs negative it’s never to be forgiven. It’s really terrible to make a widow cry, I hope you are proud Chicago.

Basketball in the UK

If I were a betting person I would place a large wager on this fact. Did you know there is a professional basketball league in the United Kingdom? This is the British Basketball League and it began play in the 1987-88 season, the league is comprised of 10 teams spread throughout the UK. The northernmost team is the Caledonia Gladiators who play in East Kilbride Scotland, while the Plymouth City Patriots in Plymouth are the most southern and western team. The London Lions are in Stratford, East London England. I caught a game between the Manchester Giants and London Lions on Bally Sports Midwest, the league’s website indicates TV partners are Sky Sports and YouTube. Similar to the NBA the BBL is also expanding, three teams are pending inclusion. Edinburg in Scotland, Birmingham England and Reading about 40 miles from London will be added at a future date.

Warp speed

Trekkies need to be of assistance to me, is warp speed the fastest the Starship Enterprise could travel? Whatever the case Steve Ballmer is moving at that velocity and maybe a little bit more. As you are aware the Intuit Dome will be ready for play in the fall of 2024 for the Clippers. The Intuit Dome will serve as the location for the 2026 NBA All Star Game. In addition the former home of the Lakers the Forum will also be utilized for a number of the weekend events, the arena known as the Kia Forum today was purchased by Ballmer in May of 2020. As for the Kia Forum it was believed at the time of purchase the building would be demolished however that certainly has not been the case.

This is disappointing

The Lakers season thus far has been a huge disappointment to me. I believed prior to the season this was a team prepared to contend in the May-June playoff time. Instead of being contenders they are pretenders to bigger and better things. I’m unsure where the disconnect is located, is it the roster alone, or is the problem Darvin Ham? I remember back to last season, all the finger pointing was aimed at Russell Westbrook. The talented guard still can’t shoot from distance but suddenly it appears he wasn’t the problem. If we look deeper is LeBron James the obstacle, I can’t address that for this reason alone.

Throughout his career it’s always appeared LeBron was a willing passer, it was never necessary for him to take the last shot. That ability to defer to a teammate is certainly different from most players of his caliber. I may have mentioned this previously I am not an NBA League Pass subscriber. I prefer instead to view the Lakers on TNT/ABC/ESPN platforms however a strange thing has occurred. The last two games on one of the networks mentioned I haven’t seen, I’ve been home. I’m unsatisfied with what is presented on my television, rather than air my complaints it is easier for me to simply ignore the outcome of Laker games. Have I given up my allegiance…of course not, let’s just say I am a disappointed member to this date.