Basketball from a fans perspective

Published daily except Tuesdays & Thursdays

Every game matters

Although the Chiefs have played every day of the week except Tuesday this season the NFL remains a once a week sport. NBA teams play every night of the week unlike the NFL, despite this fact at most there might be back to back games. This discussion leads into the Christmas games by both leagues, to no one’s surprise the two NFL games swamped the 5 NBA games in viewership. Obviously, the NFL is pleased with the number however from my perspective it’s not that big of a deal.

It’s simple math, 82 versus 17…the figures represent the number of games excluding playoffs played by the NFL and NBA. With the limited window of NFL football every game played carries significant weight on a team’s possible playoff berth. An NBA team could have a losing record in the middle of January yet be in the playoffs in April. Every game played in the NFL is critical to the outcome, with 82 games in the NBA it’s less so. It’s okay if the NFL powers wish to boast about beating the NBA on Christmas that’s okay. Those of us who are fans of the NBA remain steadfast in our love for the game with the round bouncing ball.

Help Wanted

There is no Help Wanted sign at 1 Frost Bank Center Drive in San Antonio, that address belongs to the home arena for the Spurs basketball team. Victor Wembanyama is filling up the box score yet the Spurs have a two game losing streak despite his strong play. In the last two losses one against the Sixers and the other versus the Knicks these are the Wemby numbers for both games. 68 points 27 rebounds, plus 12 blocked shots. He accomplished these totals in addition to shooting 46.2 and 37.5% from the three line.

Despite the losses the Spurs are slightly better than last season, they have a 15-15 record, if we check last year’s total they only had 4 wins. With coach Pop missing the improved play can partially be attributed to Wemby the coaching of interim Mitch Johnson and the addition of 39-year old Chris Paul. Despite his advanced NBA age Paul has shown leadership that was not in place this past season. If we look at their roster Paul and newcomer Harrison Barnes are both 30+, the balance of the roster is made up of 20 somethings. As you can now realize the Spurs have a noticeably young team however they still require a veteran presence. It’s hoped the presence of Wemby will attract free agents to the team.

Has the product been cheapened

A declining audience caused major league baseball to innovate, several new processes were put in place to speed up the game. Baseball a slow game had become even slower in the early part of the 21st Century. The NFL is constantly searching for changes to its product, some changes are good while others leave the public scratching their heads. We arrive at the doorstep of the NBA, is it time for change once again, has the game not evolving in the manner hoped?

That question might be addressed by fans, players and those who played the game in the past. I’m old fashion, my preference is post play not a 7-footer at the three line jacking up shots. While on that very subject I’ve found an ally…Shaq. The Big Aristotle who rarely took them claims there is far too much emphasis on shooting threes. When did it become too much for me, the first time I witnessed a player driving toward the basket but stopping at the line taking the shot with the opposing team nowhere near the basket. I blame this on the Warriors, they became successful with the Splash Brothers bombing from distance. As the old saying goes, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” if you do it and are successful I can as well. It pains my soul anytime I hear of a player sitting out a game and hear the term “load management.” I along with other fans understand the meaning of the definition but hate it.

Eastern Conference teams play a home and home series against their Western Conference foes, imagine this scenario. This Laker fan paid $178.00 plus parking for he and his wife to see the Grizzlies and Ja Morant. Once they arrive at Crypto.com arena that evening they discover Morant’s not playing…load management. The NBA season could be shortened however that’s highly unlikely to occur. Those are just a few of the changes I’d like to see implemented for the future and the NBA.

This is why

Some are aware there is an NBA Academy on the African continent. It’s not just there for show it’s to train an ever increasing number of African youth the game, some might not earn an NBA invitation but the training is invaluable. Over time the best of the best has got to be Hakeem Olajuwon, his college and NBA career led him to be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame, as some are aware Olajuwon is originally from Nigeria.

Also in the Naismith Hall is the late Dikembe Mutombo, his place of birth the Democratic Republic of the Congo before Georgetown and the NBA. Please note, the academy was founded long after these two retired from play. A number of NBA players were born in the U.S. after their parents immigrated here, the number is much larger than you might think. Of the number the majority probably didn’t attend the academy however a few did and are a part of the count. The following are just a few of the countries on the African continent whose players have spent time on an NBA roster. This fails to take into consideration those who played the game in college but never earned an NBA promotion, with that said here are the all-time numbers:

Nigeria 30

Senegal 14

South Sudan 9

Cameroon 7

Democratic Republic of the Congo 6

Ghana 3

Ivory Coast 3

Mali 3

Egypt 2

Gabon 2

Libya 2

Uganda 2