Basketball from a fans perspective

A reminder

On Monday July 15 Off the Dribble changes again, pointed out previously the summer slowdown is in full effect. The Olympics is upcoming and there is a trickle of basketball news however publishing 7 days a week is no longer necessary. In addition this change allows me flexibility with my schedule. The blog will begin publishing 4 days a week, exactly how the schedule unfolds will be detailed on Monday. I hope you will continue to be a faithful reader, thanks in advance.  

Hype Machine

Do we go overboard, of course we do…that’s what the hype machine does. A basketball prodigy comes on the scene and the media begins a “construction project.” It could be members of the media discussing the prospect, it could be YouTube highlights of him in action. Suddenly it’s as if the individuals name is known throughout the basketball world. There have been a number of outstanding prospects as youth players however the construction phase was nowhere near what it is today. As an example, we knew the name Kobe Bryant, he played at Lower Merion HS in the Philadelphia metro. We knew he was a 5-star prospect and McDonald’s All American.

Back then we knew as a high school player he could enter the NBA draft however it was a different time. The hype machine was running nowhere near the level it is now. By the time of LeBron James ESPN was in full effect, we had an opportunity to witness his play in high school, more recently we saw Ja Morant and Zion Williamson climb aboard the hype machine. Last season it traveled over the Atlantic Ocean to France, there the hype machine “discovered” Victor Wembanyama. For the upcoming basketball season we must travel to Duke University and their wunderkind Cooper Flagg. We knew of Flagg much earlier, Rucker Park and the AAU circuit. We have no idea of his point total but his scrimmage against Team USA got the hype machine working overtime. I’m sure there are a few names I may have overlooked however I hope you understand where I’m going with this account.

Is he done

As I was preparing the next day’s Off the Dribble I saw this breaking news on a site. “Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard: Withdraws from the Olympic Team” was the CBS Sports.com headline. I did a quick lookback specifically Leonard’s playoff numbers, it was 4 games. 2 games in 2023 and 2 games in 2024, in this instance his limited play was brought about due to injury over the Clippers simply being eliminated. The word is he will return home and prepare for the 2024-25 NBA season however I have a question. Have we seen the last of Kawhi Leonard…I’m not talking about retirement?

My question revolves around him playing basketball at a high skill level. Because he’s been so private throughout his NBA career few outside of teammates, coaches, family and friends are familiar with him. I pose the question is he done based on his injury history and the fact he is now 33-years old. His age is not a huge factor but that along with his medical issues might be a contributing factor to his basketball performance. Just this year Leonard signed a 3-year extension which says he will play through the 2026-27 season. Only Leonard can answer the question but I wonder have we seen the last of “The Claw” and his proficiency on the basketball court.  

He could be correct…however

There are a number of statements I live by, one of them is “Never say never.” With Klay Thompson   leaving the Warriors Steph Curry made this statement. This is not a direct quote but close, “The Warriors are likely the last (NBA) dynasty.” Curry could well be correct however I’m unsure if I’d be brave enough to make such a declaration. The game’s changed in a number of areas which for Curry scream loudly no more dynasty’s. What is interesting I listened to a similar discussion, media members discussed the fact this current Celtics team due to the age of its core players might be just that, a dynasty. Of course they might be and there are other teams capable of winning multiple championships.

You realize of course there is no requirement to win them in succession just in a compact span of time. As an example the Warriors won it all in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. The Spurs have won a number of NBA championships however the gap makes it difficult for me to consider them a dynasty. Check this out the Spurs won in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. I’m going to name names, Jeff Van Gundy during an NBA telecast claimed “The Lakers shouldn’t count the championships won as the Minneapolis Lakers.” That’s one man’s opinion, I wonder if he bothered to check the Warriors, the 1947 and 1956 championship was won while the franchise called Philadelphia home. The Atlanta Hawks show 1958…wait they were still in St. Louis at the time. I’m am going to stop at this point and allow that to marinate with you.