Basketball from a fans perspective

Say what

Laker guard Austin Reaves is having a career year, despite that fact his name continues to circulate in NBA circles. He is not being discussed for his play rather it’s a barrage of trade rumors, it seems almost daily Reaves name and several other Lakers are listed in a proposed trade. This is my problem, I don’t want him swapped unless it’s for a superstar type player.

I realize these are simply rumors however several of the names mentioned certainly have not fit the criteria I believe is significant. Allow me to provide you at least two names I’ve read who are okay under certain conditions. Two of the names included are Zach LaVine and Giannis Antetokounmpo, which certainly appeal to me with some exceptions. In the NBA, the salaries must be a condition of a trade, in order to acquire Antetokounmpo one writer had the Lakers trading Reaves along with Jaxon Hayes, Rui Hachimura plus Dorian-Finney Smith. As it stands currently they would trade three starters plus a valuable reserve for Antetokounmpo…that’s far too much for me.

Of course I’m not Rod Pelinka so I certainly have no ability to void such a trade. Unless a move was made ahead of time the Lakers would lose their center a position Antetokounmpo talented as he is does not play. Reaves is no superstar however for someone who was undrafted he’s proven quite a talent. In closing someone wrote “He benefits from playing with LeBron and now Luka.” My response is why not, should a player not attempt to avail themselves of the talent surrounding them.   

Retirement

This narrative focuses on two noteworthy players, although others are mentioned in similar circumstances. Junior Bridgeman, who recently passed away, was an exceptional NBA player during his career. Bridgeman may have been an even more accomplished businessman. Playing from 1975 to 1987, he spent most of his career with the Bucks but also had stints with the Clippers before returning to the Bucks to conclude his career. During his playing days, NBA salaries were significantly lower than they are today; it has been noted that Bridgeman earned about $3 million during his career but never more than $300,000 in any single season.

Nevertheless, through successful business ventures, Bridgeman at the time of his death had parlayed his NBA earnings into $1.4 billion became a billionaire, he even acquired 10% of the Bucks, the team he was a member. Carlos Boozer, another former NBA player, spent most of his career with the Utah Jazz after playing at Duke. Similar to Bridgeman, Boozer wisely invested his earnings, amassing a net worth of approximately $60 million. Other prominent athletes, such as Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan, have also made investments securing their financial future beyond their playing careers. While LeBron remains an exception by continuing his career, it is important to note that most athletes retire by the age of 35 or 36. This leaves a considerable amount of life to live, particularly if provisions for post-playing days have not been made.

Politics

There is a line drawn in the sand and through the headline for a specific reason. Throughout the years of publication of Words eye view now re-titled Off the Dribble I have attempted to refrain from covering politics 99% of the time. This is the 1% because the politics have moved into the basketball world. I am unsure of the timing why this issue was raised Saturday evening while Duke was battling Houston but here goes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent out a tweet indicating visas of Sudanese would be immediately revoked.

There would be no future visas issued for those individuals from South Sudan until deportees are accepted. You are asking the question, “How is basketball impacted by a US government action?” Duke has a potential NBA lottery pick on its team 7 foot 2 250 pound Khaman Maluach. It doesn’t matter if he remains in school or heads for the NBA as a resident of South Sudan he’s got visa issues. The NBA Suns have 7 foot 3 220 pound Bol Bol on their roster, he too is from South Sudan and would also be in danger of being deported. I singled out these two however I’m quite sure there are others on college rosters or in the NBA from South Sudan. How is this move going to impact Maluach, Bol and others in the future only Rubio can answer.

Steve Ballmer

I saw highlights of a Clippers game the other evening from the Intuit Dome, I thought to myself this is how it’s handled. Two teams belong in their own arenas, the Lakers and Clippers sharing Crypto.com all these years was likely inconvenient for all parties. It was reported that the Clippers ranked behind the Lakers, NHL Kings and other events held in the arena at the time they planned their schedule. Consider this fact, at the time the Nets moved into the city I never read anything indicating a shared agreement with MSG and the Knicks. It was probably never approached in that manner because Nets owners at the time wanted their own building. 

Back to Los Angeles the shared arrangement was the choice of former Clipper owner Donald Sterling. The Clippers had played in a number of sites throughout the Los Angeles Metro. Once Crypto.com (then Staples Center) was under construction a decision was made to move downtown. At the time Doc Rivers was coaching the Clippers the most egregious detail was building maintenance covering the Laker retired jerseys at the coaches request. I applaud owner Steve Ballmer for having the vision and the financial clout to have a landmark arena constructed in Inglewood. When I first mentioned this to an acquaintance several years ago he said; “There’s no place in Los Angeles to build an arena” boy was he wrong.

The portal and more….

I am unsure of the number last year, this recently completed college season has seen 1,729 players announce their intention to transfer to another school. In some instances rosters of teams have been literally gutted with transfers. “Okay Houston, we’ve had a problem here” were the words uttered by Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert. We do have a problem however it has nothing to do with Houston or landing on the moon, it’s more an earthbound issue with college basketball.

Do you realize in the transfer portal there are several teams that have lost more than half of their rosters? Losing players to graduation or eligibility issues is commonplace, losing your roster because of transfers is a far different matter. Who is prepared to address this issue? Is the NCAA organized enough to issue guidelines on how the transfer portal should work? It seems it was implemented without much guidance regarding how it was to be put into practice. This list is compiled from 247Sports.com, I decided to stop with the top 8 schools who apparently have lost players to the portal, check the schools and number of players each lost:

Virginia-11

Miami-10

Iowa-10

Maryland-9

UCF-8

South Carolina-8

Florida State-8

Indiana-7