Basketball from a fans perspective

Published daily except Tuesdays & Thursday

A change I like

I skipped watching the NBA All-Star Game this past weekend because I was tired of the constant format changes every season. I did hear of a proposed change which appeals to me, it’s a change I could certainly embrace. This revision would have Team USA play Team World in an All-Star Game. Team World would be comprised of players from Europe and Africa, Victor Wembanyama (France) could team up with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) or Nikola Jokic (Serbia).

The question might be can it work at a point in time I would have said an emphatic no. It was a belief held by me and maybe others that there weren’t enough international stars for such a format, but that’s no longer true. As an example an American player hasn't won NBA MVP since 2018; it has been Giannis, The Joker, and Embiid. While national pride might be an issue if Team International dominates, this idea is still just a proposal. What do you think, the NBA could make the change without fan approval? There is at least one potential objection the number, several players might not be selected for Team USA in this format was utilized, the question might be will fans embrace it?

HBCU’s led the way

The NBA of today owes much of its foundation to athletes from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). As we observe February and Black History Month, it is important to recognize the contributions of these institutions to the development of the NBA. Unlike the prominent entry of Jackie Robinson into Major League Baseball, the arrival of Black players in the NBA during the late 1940s and 1950s occurred with limited recognition. During this era, America was deeply segregated, preventing Black families from sending their children to universities such as the University of Texas or Georgia Tech. Consequently, Black students primarily attended HBCUs, most of which were located in the southern United States.

Institutions like West Virginia State, North Carolina Central, Grambling, and Jackson State produced many talented players who entered the NBA in the early 1950s. Notable alumni include Earl Lloyd, Sam Jones, Willis Reed, Bob Love, Cleo Hill, and Woody Saulsberry, all of whom developed their skills at HBCU schools. The landscape of the nation began to shift in the 1960s with the enactment of civil rights legislation, leading universities such as Alabama, Florida and Arkansas to begin recruiting Black athletes. This progress in integration resulted in a decline in the number of athletes attending HBCUs. As state universities opened their doors to Black students, many chose to stay closer to home rather than attend northern or western institutions. Consequently, the pipeline of talent from HBCUs to the NBA begin to diminish, and by 2025, there are no NBA players hailing from HBCU schools.

The Kansas connection

Missouri has turned around its basketball program this season as most are aware. On Wednesday evening the Tigers played the Sooners at Mizzou Arena, the outcome was never in doubt. The final score read Missouri 82 Oklahoma 58 as the Tigers won wire to wire. Leading the charge was Mark Mitchell 6-9 230 pound guard, he overpowered several of the Sooner defenders given the task of attempting to contain him. Mitchell’s numbers 25 points and 7 rebounds, he shot 50% from the floor in the game.

As for Mitchell he played last season at Duke and one of the announcers mentioned an interesting story. He said Tamar Bates also from the Kansas City area talked to Mitchell about transferring to Missouri. It should be mentioned that Bates is the leading scorer for these Tigers. We can add Aiden Shaw’s name to the others he’s also from the Kansas City Metro. I don’t wish to give you the impression that the resurgence in the program is exclusively the three names mentioned. Victory thus far has been a mix of those named plus a bunch of others with no area connection to the metro. For those who might not be familiar with the metro it exists on both sides of the State Line, in this instance the three players named are all from the Kansas side of the metro. Hey Kansas, you got anymore guys over there willing to cross State Line Road?

Finally in closing I could mention Wichita, we know it’s not in the metro but it is in Kansas. The truth of the matter it’s about 200 road miles however that’s home for 3-point specialist Caleb Grill also part of the Kansas Connection. How about a “What If,” Grill is not injured for most of last season…John Tonje plays more than 8 games Missouri’s season might not have been so abysmal last year. Tonje transferred to Wisconsin and healthy this season, the guard is averaging nearly 20 points per game.

This is interesting

In all likelihood later this year Las Vegas and Seattle will be awarded NBA franchises. The two expansion teams will probably not began play at the very earliest 2028. In Seattle it’s a done deal, the new Sonics will play in the Climate Pledge Arena which seats 17,000 for basketball. As for Las Vegas there is a different story, for reasons unclear a new arena is being considered. Why I consider this a mystery for several reasons, Thomas & Mack on the campus of UNLV has seating for nearly 20,000. This arena has long served the interests of the NBA for summer league play, why it’s not under consideration makes for questions.

From there we move to the T-Mobile Arena, this 18,000 seat arena opened in 2016 and has also been utilized by the NBA in the past. A former UNLV athlete was in the forefront of a project to build a new arena, according to news sources that effort has fallen apart a portion of it due to financial issues. Ownership has not been identified although several names have been mentioned as prospective owners. One of the names cited has been LeBron James, of course he would be forced to retire. NBA rules would prohibit him from playing for one team and being part of an ownership group in another, we shall see how this eventually plays out.