Basketball from a fan’s perspective

What is going on

I’ve held off covering the NBA television issue because I wasn’t sure of the outcome. It’s still not resolved yet everyone is writing about the dramatic change the NBA is about to undertake with its broadcast. I’m not going to approach the dollars because that too appears fluid at this time. This is my belief, the ABC Network and TNT will no longer have the NBA broadcast. A deal is reported to be in place that will see the NBA aligned with NBC Network, Amazon and ESPN and this is the part I truly don’t understand. Disney owns ESPN and ABC, so they intend to remove one of their broadcast arms if this is indeed the case. Listen friends, I tried to hold off on this as long as possible. I did this with the hope some of the confusion would clear up but that apparently is not the case. Will the NBC portion be over the air or a streaming service? That’s just one of many unanswered questions.

Two years in a row

This is a re-visit of an earlier account, we are weeks ahead of the 2024 NBA draft. Will the nation of France lead the way again having the top pick in the draft class is the question? I mentioned his name previously, as a reminder he is Zaccharie Risacher another French youngster aged 18. Risacher is a 6-foot 9 200-pound small forward who currently plays for JL Bourg in the city of Bourg-en-Bresse. He’s got a 6 foot 10 ½ in wingspan, it should also be of note he turns 19 in April.

Just in case you wish to know the city is reported to be 70 km northeast of Lyon. The only question might be does Risacher believe he’s ready for the stiff competition the NBA will provide him? It would appear the mock draft sites think he’s ready, his name is listed on the three I use for insight especially with international players. Don’t be surprised to hear his name announced in June by commissioner Silver, if drafted all indications he’s a first-round choice. This becomes more evidence of the growth of the game internationally.

Do you want a job…well maybe

I cannot speak to the NHL because I am unfamiliar with how the league operates. As for baseball and the NFL and NBA the job of head coach/manager can be difficult. The first difficulty…the money, you are often called on to lead, cajole athletes earning three or four times the salary you earn. The second most difficult piece, convincing the roster to follow the plan you’ve laid out for them. In high school and college it’s a different manner, generally the teams going to follow the coaches’ lead no matter the circumstances. In the NBA that might not always be the case.

It was said Darvin Ham lost the Laker clubhouse, I don’t know that to be a fact but once players turn a coach or manager off there is no return. Not only must you please your roster members it’s the front office too. The Bucks fired Adrian Griffin despite the fact the team was over .500 in their performance, he was replaced by Doc Rivers. The Bucks finished two games below .500 and were quickly eliminated in the playoffs. The Bucks did face injuries to key players but that becomes an excuse for not succeeding. What’s most interesting, despite the negatives I’ve laid out and others overlook there is a line. There are always those seeking to become a head coach in the NBA so perhaps the financial reward makes up for the other stuff who knows.

No basketball here

Can you believe it, at one time the State of Missouri had two NBA teams. The Hawks arrived in St. Louis and departed prior to the Kings moving to Kansas City. The Hawks moved from Milwaukee to St. Louis in 1955, they were successful even winning the 1958 NBA Championship and then it all came crashing down. The baseball Cardinals had always called the city home, we had teams playing a summer schedule (Cardinals) and one a winter (Hawks). That would change in 1960 with the arrival of the NFL Cardinals from Chicago, it didn’t stop there in 1967 the expansion NHL Blues arrived on the scene the sports dollar shrinking even further.

Ben Kerner owner of the team at that time saw the handwriting on the wall, although the Hawks were a good team their attendance suffered. Kerner later indicated he attempted to find a local owner to sell the team but failed to locate one. He then sold the franchise to an Atlanta group in 1968 and the Hawks left St. Louis for Atlanta. Even more interesting the other sports franchises, since that time, the Cardinals left for Arizona and the NFL Rams arrived from Los Angeles but several years later returned to California. I’ve always maintained hockey fans are not basketball fans and vice versa. Did the arrival of the Blues signal the end for the St. Louis Hawks… perhaps not but the competition for the sports dollar shrunk considerably. The city has lost a sizable portion of its population however the metro contains 2.8 million persons. Could St. Louis support an NBA team today, with the right set of circumstances I believe that to be the case.

From basketball to actor  

It’s common for a few retired athletes to move into the realm of entertainment. This move could cover a wide range in that industry news, television or movies just to name a few. If the names are unfamiliar to you no worry, they long ago left the gridiron or basketball court. The late Jim Brown former running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns heard the call of Hollywood. Ed Marinaro spent his most productive NFL years running the football for the Vikings, after retirement he moved into television becoming an actor. Of course most of you are familiar with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, the former wrestling star who is now a movie star. Depending on your age you might be more familiar with the son over the father…more on that later. His name is Mike Warren, he was the point guard on those Lew Alcindor UCLA teams.

Warren was much of a scorer however he led the Bruins from the point guard position as directed by his legendary coach John Wooden. He was a member of two national title teams 1967, 1968. Apparently the NBA was never in his plans although he played at UCLA four years, instead of heading off to an NBA team he began attending casting roles hoping to break into a television role. Warren did just that, he landed the role of a police officer on the television series Hill Street Blues (1987-1981) portraying officer Bobby Hill. Although retired now Warren had several television roles over the years his last was Anderson’s Cross where he played the father of the lead character. Mike Warren never had a professional sports career as the others, apparently there was no desire on his part for an NBA career. The relative is Cash Warren his son who is a film and television producer.