Basketball from a fans perspective

Since January

The Lakers have been performing exceptionally well since 2024 turned into 2025. Of the 27 games scheduled as this is written, the Lakers have won 20 of them. There is a distinction to be made before and after the acquisition of Anthony Davis (AD). Before the trade, he played outstanding basketball, scoring and blocking shots, fulfilling the role of a post player effectively. Despite AD’s performance, the Mavericks and Lakers executed a trade, sending him to Dallas for Luka Doncic.

Doncic has been adjusting his game to fit with his new teammates, showing progress. LeBron James has taken a secondary role in distributing the basketball, preferring Luka to take the lead, which appears to improve overtime. The team's defense has also shown improvement. Jared Vanderbilt, returned from an injury which impacted his play earlier, along with Dorian Finney-Smith, has contributed significantly to the team’s defensive effort. Rui Hachimura's contributions have been notable not just in scoring but in other aspects of the game as well. The Lakers' fanbase is optimistic about the improved performance potentially leading to an NBA Championship.

The game remains the same 

The term "mid-major" used to describe schools not associated with major conferences such as the SEC, Big XII, etc., is not frequently heard anymore. With the expansion of conferences, mid-major Houston moved from the American Athletic Conference to the power five Big XII. The Cougars have now won their second Big XII regular season crown, which raises questions about the relevance of the term. An example of significant wins by smaller programs includes Northern Iowa defeating Kansas in an NCAA Tournament game,

The win was notable but perhaps less surprising for Northern Iowa fans than Kansas fans. Another historical upset occurred when Chaminade University, then an NAIA school, defeated Virginia and Ralph Sampson 77-72 in the 1982 Maui Tournament. Chaminade now competes as a Division II school. These types of discussions often bring to mind a scene from the 1986 movie "Hoosiers." Coach Dale's team accustomed to playing in tiny high school gyms was overwhelmed with the vastness of Hinkle Fieldhouse. The coach had them measure the basketball hoop at Hinkle and they were amazed to discover it was the same height as in their gym, illustrating that players' skills are consistent across different levels of competition.

Building blocks

This is a story repeated several times however there is added information just revealed. I’ve mentioned this previously, the Kansas City Kings had an opportunity to draft a young Moses Malone. The ABA dispersal draft would have allowed them to choose Malone if management had only been a little wiser. This is my revised version of events, the Kings choose Malone in 1976 and develop and tailor his game to the NBA. Magic Johnson arrived on the campus of Michigan State in 1977, although just a freshman he excelled with outstanding numbers of 17 points, nearly 8 rebounds and 7.4 assists a game.

The Magic Man told a story few of us were aware, he indicates after this outstanding freshman year he’d received a telephone call from the Kings. The Kings were prepared to offer him a significant amount of money if he declared for the draft, they assured him they would chose him. A discussion with his father killed this effort by the Kings. There the story ends but think about this a moment, the Kings could have Moses Malone occupying the post and Magic Johnson at the point. That Kings team would have become the building blocks of a celebrated team and perhaps Sacramento might have found another route to an NBA franchise. I promise unless another story is revealed this is the absolute last mention of the Kansas City Kings. 

Is this the present & future

In San Francisco, the Chase Center and the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles were both built without public funds. Who is responsible for future maintenance costs is unclear, both projects involved billions of dollars in construction expenses. Meanwhile, in San Antonio, there is a plan to build a new arena and it’s attributed to the presence of Wemby. It is believed that San Antonio will attract more tourists with the tall French player in place.

The proposed replacement arena for Frost Bank Center is estimated to cost between $1.2-$1.5 billion. Frost Bank is located near but not in downtown San Antonio, whereas the new arena would be downtown. The current arena opened in 2002, making it 23 years old, which is newer than Madison Square Garden, Target Center, and several other NBA arenas. Another option being considered is renovating the existing building at an estimated cost of around $20 million. Reports indicate that the citizens of San Antonio and possibly Bexar County might financially support the construction. What do you think is the best direction for the Spurs?