Basketball from a fans perspective

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The Celtics can be BEATEN…

In an individual game, a series might be another question. The Man in the Middle Kristaps Porzingis returned to the lineup on Monday against the Clippers. I only saw highlights of the game however his appearance was welcome news for the Celtics. Porzingis scored 16 points on 50% shooting with 6 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, nothing spectacular but a good effort. His total contributed to the 129 to 94 beat down of the Clippers.

The speedy start by the Cavs has been the talk of the NBA and that’s easy to understand. The Cavs have yet to prove they are prepared for June, the Celtics appear to be locked in already. The calendar has not turned to 2025 yet so we have a long, long NBA season ahead of us. Despite that fact a team besides the Celtics must prove to me they are ready to step up. Jayson Tatum led the way with 20 points in a balanced scoring output by the Celtics. There was also support by two Celtics in a reserve role, Payton Pritchard matched Tatum with 20 points and Big Man Neemias Queta contributed 12 points and 9 rebounds.

Bits n Pieces of information

I was aware of this information previously however it was just a number. The Spurs Victor Wembanyama has an 8 foot (243.84 cm) wingspan. For sure that’s why he’s leading the NBA in blocked shots in his second year. Consider the fact that his game is still evolving, will his defensive effort eventually be similar to that of former Celtic great Bill Russell? 

I read this statement by Russell once, he said, “I can’t block every shot but if I allow them to think I can” or similar words. There is no telling how many shots were missed by the opposition fearing Russell was lurking about. The same holds true for Wemby today, I’m sure a number have said to themselves before attempting a shot, “where is he.” Last season LeBron James referred to Wemby as an alien, with the emergence of guard Stephon Castle the duo has now been tagged Area 51. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_CFg9ZhHZA

Jimmy Traina staff writer for SI claims ESPN has no desire to add Stephen A. Smith to the Inside the NBA production next season. According to reports ESPN is the host platform only, the TNT production crew will continue to bring into being the program. Inside the NBA has been a successful pre and post-game presentation on TNT. As you are aware TNT will no longer be a broadcast partner having lost out to the family of ABC/ESPN, NBC and Amazon. A better question might be why would anyone consider it necessary to add Screaming A. Smith to the program, I’m asking for a friend?

A Yes and a No

I am always exploring methods to improve my Lakers, in this instance I’m looking at a yes and a no on trades. In both instances the proposals came from the Sporting News, so with that said let’s explore the NO first. This one had the Lakers trading Austin Reaves and draft picks to the Nuggets for Michael J Porter Jr. On the surface this would be stupendous for the Lakers however it’s never going to occur, the chief reason the Lakers are Western Conference foes to the Nuggets.

What in the world is this author thinking, these teams which have battled one another would all of a sudden become trading partners. As for free agency that might be a different matter however that possibility is in the realm of maybe, the verdict on this one a big fat NO. The YES is quite entertaining for a variety of reasons. The Lakers trade D’Lo, Jalen Hood-Schifino and draft choices to the Pacers for Myles Turner. The 6 foot 11 (210.82 cm) Turner would play center with AD moving back to the power forward and LeBron would remain at small forward, this would make for a dynamic front court. This trade is an emphatic YES however it is questionable it occurs as well.

“I’m sorry”

Seattle wants back in the NBA, the NBA maybe wants a Seattle return. Much has been written over the last two years or so in this blog and elsewhere. Key Arena has been completely refurbished and is home to the NHL Kraken, and as the arena is configured for basketball can accommodate 18,300. How did the city lose the Sonics to Oklahoma City you might ask? The story is far too long and complex to detail in its entirety. Former owner Howard Schultz played a pivotal role in the Sonics leaving for Oklahoma City and all these years later he admits he was misled. The shorten version the team was losing money plus the owner wanted a new arena which at the time was not forthcoming. Schultz decided to sell the team, I’m unsure if there were local interest bidding for the team, he chose a group from Oklahoma.

This is the most interesting part of this story, all these years later he believed the team would remain in Seattle. I’m sure citizens of Kansas City, San Diego and other locations held a slightly different view. In any event the balance of the story is NBA history, the team moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 and have never looked back. In a 2019 interview Schultz admits “Selling the team was a mistake and he apologized on how he handled the situation. It was a mistake, I apologize for it, and I’m sorry.” As a condition of the sale the name Sonics and all team records remain in Seattle, the Thunder are technically a new team. In addition to an intense desire to return to the NBA at least two ownership groups have indicated they plan on bidding for the new “Sonic’s” franchise. In closing its only a matter of when…the NBA will definitely return to Seattle.