Basketball from a fans perspective

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Nonagenarian

I ain’t that smart, I had to look up the term, the definition for the headline, “A person who is 90 years old or between the ages of 90 and 99 is called a nonagenarian.” That term applies to this former player and coach and longtime ESPN analyst Hubie Brown. Brown had birthday number 91 in September, it’s likely while celebrating he was preparing for his umpteenth year behind the mic for ESPN’s NBA telecasts. The mind is as sharp as ever pointing out the intricacies of the game. His degree of communicating to a television audience leaves you thinking wow, I didn’t know that. On the other hand you it could be a thing you are familiar with however Brown provided a different slant.     

Sadly, I must communicate to some of you that this will be his last season working the game. Brown could have retired 30-40 years ago if he desired but he continued on and I believe for one reason…love of the game. Just a few honors that have come his way over a lifetime of basketball. Two time inductee in the College Basketball and Naismith Hall of Fame, in addition ABA champion coach. Twice Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year (1978, 2004) and 2017 witnessed him receiving the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Basketball Coaches Association. No wonder he is such an accomplished conversationalist Brown has miles and miles of stuff to fall back on regarding the sport. I for one will miss your commentary, thanks Hubie Brown for a lifetime of work.  

The worst team in the NBA

Nobody wants that tag, the worst but it is true. The Sixers were expected to compete in the East against the vaulted Celtics, they find themselves with 2 wins and 12 losses as this is written. They acquired free agent Paul George in the off season, they had young guard Tyrese Maxey plus Joel Embiid. They were ready to compete at least that was the thought but its yet to come to fruition. Part of the problem is Embiid being sidelined for much of the season. I’m unsure as this is written if all three have been in the lineup at the same time.

It’s not good news when we read reports that Maxey had to call out Embiid for his tardiness to meetings and other stuff. It certainly is possible for the Sixers to right this ship, the only problem is the deep, deep hole they find themselves in. When healthy and on the court the trio plus the remainder of the roster could contend for a playoff berth. As for competing directly against the Celtics I don’t believe that is possible at least this season. I have no method of judging the Sixers fan base but they are accustomed to good basketball, how long will they show up at Wells Fargo Center and not become upset with a mediocre performance by the Sixers.

I searched the record book

Dalton Knecht had an outstanding scoring game however I wanted to break down portions of it. The first is high game scoring, although 37 points is an excellent number for a rookie it’s not close to a team record, that honor belongs to Elgin Baylor. The number is lower than the 55 points Elgin Baylor scored February 25, 1959, in his rookie year versus the Cincinnati Royals. Truth is Knecht’s point total places him in 8th place alongside other Laker players, Baylor also sits in second place with 41 points scored. Knecht’s 9 three point baskets also tied him with three others in NBA history.

Not a rookie record however he managed to become the 4th Laker in team history to score 9 3’s. The others are D’ Lo, LeBron James twice and Kobe Bryant four times. Most are aware Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a game the second highest in the NBA behind Chamberlains 100 point game. In case you are curious why Bryant’s rookie scoring is not listed in the totals he was a reserve player. Despite the talent he would later display the Lakers were a playoff caliber team which meant the 18-year old Bryant played few minutes. This was unlike the development much later in Cleveland, 18-year old LeBron James was inserted into the Cavs starting lineup immediately.

Their issues are similar

Building plans for new arenas have hit a snag in San Antonio and Philadelphia. First the issue in The Alamo City home of the Spurs, it’s been reported since the arrival of Wemby the city wanted to take advantage of that fact. The plan was to include a baseball diamond along with the arena, they even had a location chosen and the project appeared to be moving along swiftly and then came the unexpected unwelcome news.   

The Texas Historical Commission designated the Institute of Texas Cultures a state antiquities landmark, so eventually an arena will be built but probably not at the designated location, we shall see how this eventually develops. In Philly there is also a delay but it is possibly more involved than exists in San Antonio. The mayor has an agreement with the Sixers, there is at least one group opposed to the plan. In the second day of city council hearings it appears the basketball team is facing some opposition. So we have two separate NBA teams wanting a new arena and there are issues holding up the progress. We have a question which moves to a point of approval by the city first.

It's going to take awhile

These newly created supersized conferences create difficulty for me. Do you realize the Big 12, which at one time was a Midwest Conference, now comprises teams in all 3 time zones? UCF, Cincinnati and West Virginia are Eastern Time locations, the balance of schools are Central Time. BYU is Mountain Time along with Arizona and Arizona State which joins the conference next fall. I’m not just picking on the Big 12, let’s check out a couple of more. The Big 10 once an upper Midwest Conference (Central Time) now includes UCLA, Southern Cal, Oregon and Washington all Pacific Time Zone schools.

The Pac-12 thought to be going away gained new life by adding a contingent of schools once considered mid-majors in Boise State, San Diego State and Gonzaga. There is an indication the Pac-12 is not finished nor is the Big 12, in fact I read an interesting story. The Big 12 commissioner has backed down to a point but it was reported he wants it to eventually become a 16-team conference. Of course we realize the driving force behind all these moves is financial. In addition some believe these moves are being made because the NCAA is powerless these days. The number of changes can be quite confusing as you can see.