Basketball from a fan’s perspective

It was more than Westbrook  

Because I wasn’t a fan of Russell Westbrook it was easy for me to fall into the trap, the one generated by the media and several members of Laker Nation. Check this information out I uncovered, this disclaimer I haven’t checked for accuracy but believe it to be correct…here goes. Did you realize this time last year the Lakers had a 19-21 record, as for this year its 19-21. Last season during a bulk of this time LeBron missed 9 games…this season its only 4. Last season during much of this time Anthony Davis missed 15 games, this season its only 2. This causes me great difficulty attempting to determine the issues. There are probably more than one factor affecting play however Laker defense has been suspect.

The latest figures from NBA.com indicate they are number 18 giving up 113.7 points a game, that’s not terrible but its not great either. For a team that was reported to play tough defense based on these numbers that would indicate that is not the case. Excluding injuries the starting lineup appears fluid, the coach cannot seem to determine the best working number. It would appear I’m pointing my finger at Darvin Ham and that’s exactly what I’m saying. I don’t dislike Ham I believe he’s a likable guy but it appears he’s not getting the job done. I make that statement because unless there is another stretch run this Laker team will likely miss the playoffs. In addition even if they earn a playoff berth can they compete in the tough Western Conference playoff picture. In closing I am offering an apology once again to Westbrook, this account clearly indicates he might have been a part of the problem not the problem alone.

His thought

It’s been mentioned more than once the Ring of Honor ceremony held last week in the United Center and the crowd reaction. At the time the name Jerry Krause was announced, a few thought it appropriate to boo his name and reports are his widow was brought to tears hearing the crowd response. What did Krause have to say, how about this statement we uncovered prior to his death. “You know where my image is? It’s hanging from the rafters. That’s the only image I care about.”

The Krause reference was the 6 NBA Championship banners displayed at the United Center. That fails to take back the reaction from a few who decided to boo but I’d bet money the majority of them have no idea of the Krause contribution to championship Bulls basketball. I continue to believe they were probably heavily influenced by the ESPN documentary Last Dance. The documentary was somewhat critical of the role Krause played, the difference for me. Unlike Pippen the production failed to allow Krause the ability to defend himself from some of the criticism aimed at him.

The border war rivalry

Let’s detail a little history between Kansas and Missouri in sports. For unknown reasons its always seemed the rivalry in basketball is more intense in basketball over football. This rivalry between the two border schools existed in the Big 7, Big 8 and into the Big XII. It ended at the time Mizzou left for the SEC but did it end there? The history goes beyond basketball it actually goes back prior to the beginning of the Civil War.

Although Missouri was a slave state it did not join the Confederacy while Kansas was a free state. There were bloody clashes between the two leading right up to the war. A group of southern sympathizers from the Missouri side raided Lawrence Kansas burning down most of the town. So as this brief look at sports might have actually begun almost 170 years or so ago. In closing one more tidbit of information, as I indicated Missouri was a divided state having southern and northern supporters. Once the war started a number battles were fought between Union and Confederate troops all around the state of Missouri. There is one additional sports connection with the history, a group of Confederate soldiers were marching toward Columbia Missouri.

Those Union defenders of the town were referred to as “Tigers,” this would later be adopted by the sports teams for the University of Missouri. As you can see the border rivalry today is not as serious as the past leading up to a Civil War however this is where elements of it began. The “shooting” at this point is strictly exchanges between the two sides which is more evident on this side of Missouri. Folks on the Illinois side claims the rivalry is not as intense there as it is on the Kansas-Missouri border.

“You can’t tell the players without a program”

I’ve read in the early days of baseball before television and certainly radio that the headline was used. It’s reported boys would stand outside the entrance of ball parks selling programs and they used words similar to our title. This is a takeoff on the same premise, however we are discussing NBA arenas under construction or in the planning stage. Although it takes years from development to completion announcements of this type sometimes arrive rapidly.

Arena               Team              Opening

Intuit Dome     Clippers            2024  

Unnamed        Thunder           2029       

76 Place          Sixers              2031

Unnamed        Spurs               unknown

The voters of Oklahoma City approved a tax measure for an arena to replace Paycom Center so its included with a timeline on its completion. Although Las Vegas and Seattle were mentioned previously as far as I could determine there is nothing new to report regarding either location. There is an update from Dallas, Mark Cuban has expressed interest in a new arena for the Mavs. This arena would replace the existing American Airlines Center now 22 years old since its opening. In the preliminary stage is a planned arena for the Wizards and NHL Capitals.

Both teams could be moving to a new arena in Alexandria Virginia by 2028, the WNBA Mystics would remain at Capital One Arena. I’ve never traveled in that portion of the nation the information I uncovered indicates the Virginia location is only six miles from the existing Capital One Arena. This venture has caused controversy as well, notice the distance between present and planned location. The mayor of Washington D.C. indicates she intends to contest the move, in addition Wizard guard Bradley Beal is appealing to the owner to not move the team to Virginia. As there is additional news on both I will attempt to update you.