Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Haters be hating…why?

Hakeem Olajuwon was forced once again to defend the back to back championships of his Rocket teams. The Houston Rockets won in 1993-94 and repeated in 1994-95, I didn’t read the account but it’s probably similar to some of the others I’ve read. The championships were won at the time Jordan retired and was playing baseball, of course he would un-retire but that’s another story. This one you’ve been hearing since 2020, the NBA championship won by the Lakers shouldn’t count. If you remember back to the time the covid pandemic was ravaging the world and this country. The NBA’s solution the playoff games would be played at one site with no one but the players and coaching staff in attendance.

I’m unsure why some folks just love to rain on your parade, if you say “30th street runs east-west they will claim it’s a north-south street.” I can offer you no explanation as to why this thought process exists, this has been my experience. There have been teams in all professional sports I personally disliked, I can acknowledge the fact they won without disparaging their accomplishment. The Nuggets have beaten my Lakers two seasons in a row, one year they even went on to win the NBA championship. I’m disappointed because they beat my favorite team but I cannot pretend the accomplishment was not legitimate. Bottom line, people get over it that team you love to hate won, doesn’t matter if you are fond f that fact or not they are winners.   

He’s been quiet until now

It’s been so long a time I almost forgot his name, he’s a father and promoter. LaVar Ball has surfaced once again to let us know he’s still around. Upset with the Lakers he’s attempting to secure roster positions for his three sons. Recently he allowed the world (and Steve Ballmer) he wanted Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo to unite as teammates on Ballmer’s Clippers. There’s a little thing called a contract and ability that might prevent his desires from ever coming to fruition.

Lonzo played a total of 35 games in the 2021-22 season however injuries have sidelined him since then, he is reported to be ready to play for the Bulls in the 2024-25 season. After several training camp tryouts LiAngelo has never been able to secure a spot on an NBA roster, the question remains is he a genuine NBA prospect. The youngest brother LaMelo I believe might be the most talented of all the siblings. He’s signed a 5-year contract, the Clippers must make a trade if they hoped to secure his services. I’m always “Never say never,” all three Ball brothers could wind up with the Clippers. I have serious doubts it will ever occur this is just a father’s wishful thinking or his attempt remain relevant.

Timing

There is an old adage that says, “Timing is everything,” I am not going to attempt to dissect the statement, I’m only here to report on this story. Coach Penny Hardaway at Memphis fired 4 coaches, the act in itself is not that big a deal. Assistant coaches leave programs all the time, this one is a timing issue. Generally speaking coaches are replaced at the end of the season, with school in session and the college season less than two months away this is certainly different. There are unconfirmed reports indicating Memphis basketball is in serious trouble with NCAA violations.

Several websites are reporting facts behind the termination, until there are more particulars available I intend to reserve further commentary. In addition anytime the NCAA is involved in an investigation in recent years I have questions. Remember the Kansas fiasco, supposedly Kansas basketball committed 5 egregious violations of the most serious nature. The end result after a 2 ½ year or so investigation was a simple slap on the wrist by the NCAA. On the surface it would appear the coach and the university might be facing problems connected to the departed coaches however can we really be sure? Over the next few weeks we should be able to better determine evidence of specific events.    

38,387

The number above represents the accumulated points scored by Kareem Abdul Jabbar. The point total established by Wilt Chamberlain was broken by him on April 5, 1984. The scoring record stood for 38 years until LeBron James exceeded the Abdul Jabbar number February 7, 2023. The skyhook did not represent the entire point total however certainly the vast majority of Abdul Jabbar’s points were scored in that manner. How did this almost impossible shot come into his inventory, my research uncovered an interesting fact.

I’m sure standing nearly 7 feet 2 inches in height this next statement will astound you. Questioned on the shot he said, “It was the only shot I could shoot that didn’t get smashed back in my face,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “So I learned to rely on it (skyhook) early, and it was always something that I could get off, even in traffic.” This reminds me of another shooter who developed an unorthodox shot to avoid the block, that would be Jamaal Wilkes. The Wilkes shot was attempted with the ball on top of his head toward the rear, he said a similar thing to Abdul Jabbar…to avoid an opponent’s attempt to block his shot. Back to Abdul Jabbar, this is no effort to mislead those who never saw him play, every skyhook didn’t result in a basket. Opponents would often attempt to push him off the block due to his 230 pound (104.326 kg) weight.

For those who might not have read an earlier account or may be unfamiliar with how the skyhook became part of our lexicon allow a brief explanation. At the time Abdul Jabbar played for the Bucks broadcaster Eddie Doucette had a different angle. Unlike today the broadcasters for the team sat in the upper portion of the arena. Doucette said, “When he (Abdul Jabbar) took the shot it appeared to come out of the sky.” There you have it…the story of perhaps the only field goal effort rarely blocked, missed yes, blocked hardly.

There is basketball too

Anytime there is a discussion of Canadian sports our minds focus on hockey. Hockey, more specifically the National Hockey League, then it becomes football Canadian style. Football in Canada is played on a wider and much larger field than what we are accustomed to in the NFL. From there we’d probably move onto the NBA and the Toronto Raptors but wait there is more. Are you familiar with the Canadian Elite Basketball League…I wasn’t? This startup pro basketball league had a 2017 birth and began play in 2019. Presently the league consists of 10 teams spread throughout 6 provinces of the nation, at the present there are 5 teams in the Western Conference and 5 in the Eastern.

Eastern Conference

Brampton Honey Badgers                      Brampton, Ontario

Montreal Alliance                                    Montreal, Quebec

Niagara River Lions                                St. Catherines, Ontario

Ottawa Blackjacks                                  Ottawa, Ontario

Scarborough Shooting Stars                  Scarborough, Ontario (Toronto)

Western Conference

Calgary Surge                                       Calgary, Alberta

Edmonton Stingers                                Edmonton, Alberta

Saskatchewan Rattlers                          Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Vancouver Bandits                                 Langley, British Columbia

Winnipeg Sea Bears                              Winnipeg, Manitoba      

There is a mix of players with a contingent from American colleges, Canadian and international players. The CEBL mandates 70% of a team’s roster must be Canadian.

The CEBL has a number of television partners:

TSN/TSN+

Fox Sports (Australia)

TapGo (Philippines)

SingTel (Singapore)

Astro (Malaysia)