Basketball from a fans perspective

We are almost there

Basketball in the same manner as other sports is 24/7 365, despite that statement there is a slow period. Generally after NBA Summer League and NBA free agency everything in the association begins to crawl news wise. As for the college game it reached that stage a few weeks after the NCAA tourney. There is a small amount of news but even at this level there’s not much to report. Words eye View will be reduced from a 7-day publication to a 3 or 4 times a week news source. At this point it will probably be a Sunday-Wednesday-Friday and maybe Saturday supplier. To those of you who are long-time readers of Off the Dribble thank you for your continued commitment. As for newer readers I hope you continue to use this as one of your basketball sources.

Another one bites the dust

I can hear the Queen pop tune playing in my head, but it is true another one bites the dust. After hearing reports mid-season or so the Pistons would fire Monty Williams they did just that. The Pistons join the Lakers in scouting for a head coach but there is a difference. The Pistons were a terrible team and Williams was expected to come in and change the culture in a little over a year. Who is capable of performing such a miracle certainly none of whom I am aware.

Lately that’s been the gauge for Williams, he's hired by one team…he last awhile and then fired. This time his head coaching job with the Pistons might be the shortest on record and to be honest I don’t believe it was fair this time. In 2019 the team finished with a .500 record, from that point under the departed Dwayne Casey it was all downhill. 20 wins another 20-win season and then 23, in his last season the Pistons won 17 games. How does management justify firing Williams after only one season? I guess Williams might be the real winner here, he’s still owed $65 million on his contract.

It might be a money issue

Does the Buss family trust have enough financial clout? I listened to a discussion on the Laker-Hurley issue and what occurred. We have been informed by the media that the Lakers offered Hurley a low dollar figure on a contract, I cannot address that however there remains a question. Over generations NBA ownership has changed as one group of owners left they were replaced by “money guys.” These folks appear to be investment or hedge fund guys, they got rich and said, “I think I’d like to own an NBA team.” Unlike hedge fund dudes the only business conducted by the Lakers trust is basketball.

Dr. Buss made millions in real estate, by comparison he might fall short in today’s NBA. Does this fact make a difference when attempting to hire a coach, I don’t know since the books are not available. This I do know, the Lakers (at least on paper) have never come up short when acquiring or paying players. Have coaches of the past been paid below the standard of other NBA teams? According to figures I located the Laker franchise is valued at $6.4 billion, they rank behind the first place Warriors and second place Knicks. As for Jeanie Buss she’s reported to have a net worth of $500-$700 million. That question can never be answered because the Lakers would never confirm it. Jeanie and the Lakers need to move on from this setback and look toward the future whatever it holds.

He's got a new job

Once upon a time Jeff Van Gundy’s name was mentioned it seemed every time an NBA coaching job became open. After he was fired as Rockets head coach in 2007 he went to work for ESPN as a color analyst, this would become the role most NBA fans begin to see Van Gundy. It became a mic in his hand rather than a coaches clip board, he went from diagramming plays for his teams to diagramming plays for a television audience. Van Gundy and Mark Jackson almost became an institution for the network and then it occurred. It all came crashing down in June 2023 as he and several others were let go by the network.

At a point in time I had issues with Van Gundy, not his basketball knowledge but how he managed to broadcast the game. All that went away the last few years as I became accustomed to his work. I must admit this past NBA season was different with him and Mark Jackson missing. Recently it was announced Van Gundy would be taking a new job, he will become the lead assistant for the Clippers beginning next season. Will he be seated on the bench, my guess is no. I imagine with no confirmation he will meet with Lue and other members of the coaching staff to provide his input. In addition this might include time with the team, of course all this is speculation on my part. Van Gundy can bring a wealth of basketball knowledge to the game and aid the team in their pursuit of a championship.