Basketball from a fans perspective

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No swoosh nor 3 stripes for him

The headline is pointing toward Nike (swoosh) and Adidas (3 stripes), those are the symbols associated with the apparel and shoe giants. Despite Nike being the leader followed by Adidas Duke’s Cooper Flagg decided to go another direction. Flagg has signed a deal with New Balance which includes his NIL year at Duke and multiple years in the NBA. I along with most of you were aware Flagg hails from Newport Maine. This is the portion of the account that was enlightening for me and maybe you as well. 

New Balance has a shoe manufacturing plant in Skowhegan Maine about 25 miles from Newport. No $ amount is indicated in the news release for Flagg but you can bet there will be large sums of money headed to his bank account. This in a related story was a little confusing for me but I’m going to report it anyway. Paul George when questioned hinted Flagg’s capability to that of Michael Beasley which I thought rather odd. If you remember Beasley had no issues scoring there were other facets that kept him from reaching his full potential. Is George indicating he sees portions of Cooper’s game similar to Beasley? Wait there is more, former NBA player and podcaster Gilbert Arenas had a comment on the Cooper shoe deal. You realize of course Arenas has an opinion on practically EVERYTHING. 

Arenas hinted he was surprised Cooper didn’t sign with Nike, “Evidently they saw something they didn’t like.” He makes this statement despite the fact Joel Embiid has a Sketchers contract and Steph Curry’s with Under Armour are well compensated. This is what I don’t undertake, I never want to spend someone else’s money. I cannot be sure of this statement however should the Skechers or Under Armour agreements expire Embiid and Curry are headed someone…maybe to Nike.

Can they do that?

Currently twice NCAA champion UConn is a member of the Big East Conference…maybe not for long. As you are aware several sources are reporting the team is possibly moving to the Big XII Conference. The reason I use the term possibly is one party to this move is not so pleased. Allow a further explanation, Fox Sports has an agreement in place to broadcast Big East basketball and that is the issue. If UConn moves to the Big XII the broadcast agreement will not disappear, it’s more than one team leaving the conference.  

With Georgetown basketball no longer what it once was UConn has now become the crown jewel of Big East basketball. A pause now, if you are a student, fan or alumni of Marquette, Creighton, Seton Hall, St. John’s and others this should not be taken as me being critical of your teams. This is strictly a dose of reality for some reading this, UConn, a two-time NCAA champion is the main focus of Fox Sports. Based on this issue alone Fox has gone on record indicating they oppose this move, what might occur in the future? I ain’t no attorney however the broadcast agreement is with the conference not an individual team (UConn), 

Big East basketball is likely to continue to exist although that is not assured. We need look no further than the Pac-12 which apparently is on life support at this period. This is another basketball case that might be settled in court rather than on the court. In addition according to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports all presidents are not in favor of adding UConn. The reported number indicates there are 8 unidentified schools in opposition.

Wow, I didn’t know that

I read an article that claimed the State of Texas has the 3rd most billionaires in the nation. Could that be a partial explanation why there are three NBA teams in the state? That fact probably has little to do with basketball but let’s check out the history briefly. The team with the longest tenure is one you might not have considered the Spurs. The Spurs were an ABA team originally having been founded in 1967. San Antonio was not their original home, it was Dallas (yes I wrote Dallas). The Dallas Chaparrals played in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro but had trouble drawing fans.

The owners tried to market it as a regional team playing in Fort Worth and Lubbock. A new ownership group purchased the team and moved them to San Antonio for the 1973-74 season where they have remained to date. The second team to play in Texas was not born in the state either, in 1967 the NBA expanded to San Diego, the Rockets called California home until 1971 when the franchise moved to Houston. The last Texas team, unlike the others, always had Dallas across the front of their jerseys. The Mavericks were an NBA expansion team who began play in 1980. All three teams have tasted success over the years, all have won NBA championships however I must say the Spurs sit above the others. The Spurs lead the way with their 5 championship wins.

More is expected

The Spurs won only 22 games last season, this record was recorded despite Wemby. You know his full name its Victor Wembanyama NBA Rookie of the Year, he should have been Defensive Player of the Year as well but that’s another story. In any event the Spurs were active over the summer in the NBA draft and free agency. They signed point guard Chris Paul and small forward Harrison Barnes two veteran players who should be worth an additional 15-20 wins for the Spurs.

As for the draft they selected 6 foot 6 inch combo guard Stephon Castle from the NCAA champion UConn Huskies. Returning from last season is shooting guard Devin Vassell now beginning his 4th season at the ripe age of 24. The Wemby we saw at the end of last season should be enhanced even more with the addition of Paul to the roster. The remaining question is depth, the reserves appear adequate however season play will be the final determinator just how good. The coaching of Gregg Popovich will be a key as well to Spurs success.