Basketball from a fans perspective

Published daily except Tuesdays & Thursdays

Sounds right

I am guilty of this practice, if I read or hear something that appears correct I often don’t conduct a fact check. I must admit it is a shortcoming of mine however maybe I’m not as alone as I might believe. In any event this is what I read that didn’t surprise or shock. “Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has missed 50% of the games the teams played since he was drafted in 2019.” Could that be correct, surely that must be an error I thought before checking. This is the information I discovered, Williamson played 24 games his rookie year, year two witnessed him in action for 61 games.

He missed the entire season in his third year, year four he played 29 games. Last season was the high water mark, Williamson played in 70 games during the regular season. The ESPN NBA page list he and other Pelican players out, as for Williamson the time as to a return date is unknown. Let’s dive a little deeper into the issue, I probably couldn’t locate anyone who would deny the talent of Zion Williamson. There is one problem all the talent in the world fails to help or improve the Pelicans if he’s constantly sitting out with injuries. Williamson is not the only “brittle” athlete this is an occurrence that exist in the sports world. The team sport of basketball requires all its best players available come game time. For the Pelicans since drafting Williamson that’s not always been the case.

I wanted a workout 

Jayson Tatum went on the record and expressed his disappointment, Tatum indicated the Lakers didn’t invite him for a workout. Of course you are aware of the history, the Lakers, with the second pick in 2017 chose point guard Lonzo Ball. The Celtics through a trade held pick number three which they used to draft Tatum. You might remember this as well, Magic Johnson was still associated with the Lakers and made the decision to choose Ball. I have been critical of player moves however I can see why the Lakers didn’t extend an invitation to Tatum.

Magic says, “We had Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr., we had enough forwards we needed a point guard.” That was the decision behind the pick, with the 3rd pick the Celtics through a trade chose Tatum. None of those forwards is with the Lakers now and Ball is in Chicago after being first traded to the Pelicans. If I look at the 2017 draft from the present I must say the Lakers were losers, they could have had the talented Tatum in their lineup. One by one all the forwards that prevented the Lakers from looking at Tatum are gone, so too is Ball. With this explanation so goes the story of why they failed to work out Jayson Tatum. Magic Johnson the superstar player was not a superstar in the front office assessing talent. 

That’s their belief

Lenny Kravitz had a hit tune titled “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over” in 1991, the lyrics have only a slight connection to the developments in Philadelphia. As reported in this blog as recently as yesterday the ongoing effort to okay a new arena for the Sixers. The Sixers desire to “own” their building rather than pay a lease as they do at present with Wells Fargo. The city council passed the bill on Thursdays allowing the Sixers $1.3 billion arena 76 Place to move forward, the vote before the full city council was 12-5. The mayor is behind the project so are labor units and now the council is too, everything would appear to be moving in a positive direction.

We are moving toward a groundbreaking date and eventual construction start…but wait there is more. Despite passing the bill a number of citizens groups remain opposed to the arena and made their voices heard at the council meeting. As reported previously no taxpayer funds are utilized opposition appears to be location more than anything else. As for the gathering the protesters attempted to disrupt the vote with a voice protest, it’s clear they believe the fight over the arena is not over. What occurs going forward is advancement and it looks as if a 2031 arena opening is possible. The only unknown will the citizens group file an injunction to pause the proceedings, as I indicated yesterday of the three projects (OKC, San Antonio) 76 Place continues to be the shakiest of all.      

This will have changed

A portion of Off the Dribble is written ahead of the published date, that is the case here. Although Wemby’s Spurs lost I saw his blocked shot total for the game was 7, I wondered if he was still leading the NBA. Yes, sure enough his name was at the top with 3.5 block shots a game but then I checked out the balance of players. The list continued with centers and power forwards, there was one small forward and one point guard in the mix. Tied at number 34 is point guard Derrick White of the Celtics, interesting in that his per game block shot total is ahead of several well-known and taller NBA players such as Karl-Anthony Towns and Draymond Green. We held a discussion on the subject at work and Keenan said, “Blocking shots requires effort.” That statement is certainly fact however, it’s my belief its more to it than that.

It’s been my contention that scoring the ball might be the easiest component of basketball and the simplest measurement for most observers of the game, that’s why a number of players are outstanding yet other facets of their game are often lacking. Rebounds, blocked shots and “belly button” defense in my view require effort sometimes only visible to the most ardent. When discussing a game we almost always focus on a players offensive total rather than other portions of his or her game. There is an obvious reason why we can see the point total easily, I include myself too. What’s the first thing usually asked about a game…” How many points did (insert a name) score?” It’s not done intentionally but we tend to ignore other facets of the game, I will give you a quick answer why I love guys like White. Not only does he play the game defensively but we can look at his 17 points and nearly 5 assists a game to point out his value to the Celtics.