A Fan’s View of Basketball

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Meanwhile…..

The late Paul Allen owner of the Blazers died in 2018, since that time his sister Jody Allen has acted as executor of his estate. For unspecified reasons, the team was never placed on the market for a new buyer until May 2025. On August 13 it was announced that a tentative agreement is in place to acquire the Blazers. The prospective owner(s) are Tom Dundon, who owns the NHL Carolina Hurricanes purchased the team for a reported $4 billion from the estate of Paul Allen. Dundon has two other partners in this acquisition, they are Marc Zahr, co-president of Blue Owl Capital and Sheel Tyer founder and co-CEO of Collective Global. Once again I pose the question, if the NBA was such a losing proposition why are the people with vast wealth “lining up” to purchase NBA teams? Less than three months after the Blazers were placed on the market we have a prospective new owners as soon as they are approved by the NBA Board of Governors. 

Ticket holders have been banned from attending NBA games for years, I didn’t realize it until I read it on ESPN’s NBA page…Knicks owner James Dolan plays a part in banning individuals in fact he’s got an “enemies list.” You can read the piece in detail however I will provide a brief summation from what I read. We heard Ja Morant’s father being banned from FedEx Forum, the same could be said about the father of Pacer guard Tyrese Haliburton at the home arena. I’m sure there are probably other arenas throughout the NBA that have an exclusion list, I’d bet money none are as extensive as the one for Madison Square Garden. Those banned have usually been involved in legal matters against Dolan, MSG and even the NHL Rangers check this out, “over a thousand lawyers across about 90 firms have been banned since 2022.” Once an individual or the firm is banned is it in perpetuity, i.e., forever, I have no idea however it is quite interesting. It appears James Dolan holds grudges for an extended period of time.

A legacy

Depending on when this is read, Bryce James may be departing for Arizona or may have already arrived. Bryce is the youngest son of LeBron James and the brother of Bronny James, and, like his father and older brother, he has chosen to pursue basketball as his life’s pursuit. Standing at 6-foot-6, Bryce is taller than Bronny (6-foot-2), though Bronny currently weighs more (205 pounds compared to Bryce's 185). 

Upon graduating from high school, Bryce has not received as much acclaim as his older brother; he is currently rated as a three-star prospect in the Class of 2025 by Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN100. As Bryce begins his collegiate career, questions regarding his future—particularly about a potential NBA path—are likely to arise. If he demonstrates sufficient talent, progression to the NBA remains a possibility. With Arizona now part of the Big XII, there should be more than a few opportunities to observe Bryce’s development during his freshman year.

There remains time 

As for the time issue, NBA training camps don’t open until early October, there remains ample time to arrange a trade. Whom am I trading, how about Ja Morant of the Grizzlies which might be a shock to some? This is not a talent issue or even a coaching matter it’s the other stuff. For unexplained reasons Morant cannot play an entire season without suffering an injury or suspension. The injuries are one thing the suspensions are a totally different matter. There is no argument regarding his talent the mercurial Morant can do almost anything on the basketball court.

Off the court has presented problems even for his father who’s been banned from FedEx Forum for his rowdy behavior, a change of scenery might work wonders for Morant too. I cannot suggest a team for him since his budding talent indicates he could play for any of the other 29 NBA teams and play successfully. I believe Morant has a limited number of “Get out of jail” cards remaining, the Grizzlies might agree a preempted move might prove beneficial for him and the franchise. What does the future hold for Morant, a considerable number of accolades if only he curtails the other issues which have plagued him during his brilliant but short NBA career.

It might be revised

This was written weeks ago so this account might require an update by the time you read it. Currently the post position for the Lakers appears to be solidified, I can make that statement based on Deandre Ayton being picked up. He will play the bulk of minutes in the post, his backup will be Jaxson Hayes. Although Hayes brings athleticism to the position he was found to be lacking in defense toward the end of the regular season.  In the playoffs he was benched for the most part with the coach failing to play him. 

Based on this fact Christian Koloko (7-0, 225 pounds) was signed to a second two way contract. Koloko had offers but chose to re-sign with the Lakers, also in the mix to play backup is Maxi Kleber who lacks rebounding ability at 6-foot 10 and 240 pounds but is a threat from three. Will a combination of Hayes/Koloko/Kleiber be enough depth allowing the Lakers to escape the cauldron that is the Western Conference? As you can see the Lakers have several ‘warm bodies’ they can send onto the floor should Ayton suffer an injury or illness. The larger question might be can those named provide an adequate backup role which is so vital to the Lakers. The next few weeks leading up to training camp should prove interesting, are there moves still in the planning stages? It appears at least for now that the Lakers are headed into the season with this roster as constructed. 

It was reported they had an opportunity to include Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent (separately) in trade deals but refused. I cannot say in confidence there are no backroom deals being arranged but tend to believe the roster is set into the early-mid portion of the season. There are several unknowns for me, will Jake LaRavia be the shooter off the bench they expect? Will rookie forward Ado Thiero be the sparkplug defensively the coaching staff expects? The Western Conference of the NBA is so very tough aside from OKC its difficult to project any team playing for the NBA championship in June.