A Fan’s View of Basketball

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San Antonio Arena news

Step one in the effort to replace Frost Bank Arena is done, the city council approved the plan 7-4. With so many “moving parts” it’s my desire to provide a clear explanation of events. Although a November vote by the people remains it appears the project will now move forward, a link to news events follows:

https://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/project-marvel-spurs-20823047.php

The other “New York team”

Reading the headline some of you are asking the question…New York has another NBA team?” Well not exactly, it’s difficult to think in that manner since the team has Brooklyn on the front of their jerseys. It is easy to unfollow a team with 56 losses this past season so what did they do? First they hired Jordi Fernandez as head coach back in April, Fernandez has international and NBA experience as a coach so he’s not exactly a novice. With pick 8 in the first round they chose Egor Demin, a 6-foot 9 combo guard from BYU.

The following scouting report is from RotoWire.com, “Demin projects as a floor general at the NBA level, someone who can organize the offense and set up his teammates. How far he can go beyond that will depend on his shooting development. His size will always be an advantage, however, and other players have made it work despite minimal 3-point skills. Comparisons can be drawn to a player like Josh Giddey and Anthony Black.” I hope citizens of Salt Lake City are not expecting Demin to come in and immediately move the team to the next level. Despite that fact he is an intriguing figure regardless of only one competitive year of high level basketball at BYU.

Vintage basketball arenas

There are plenty of them across the country, basketball arenas which have built in reputations due to age. The first one to check out is Cameron Indoor Gym home of the Duke Blue Devils. Opened in 1940 the arena only seats 9,314 fans, which makes it among the smallest in the nation. In addition to coach K. and now Scheyer building talented teams there is an intimidation factor for visitors. Next up we check out Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Indiana, it opened even earlier than Cameron (1928). Although the Butler Bulldogs have not been as successful on the court as Duke in recent years there was a time when they were feared by the opposition, especially in Hinkle.

Pauley Pavilion home of the UCLA Bruins opened its doors in 1965, which makes it one of the newer basketball cathedrals. Although it’s been quite a while UCLA continues to lead the nation’s college teams in NCAA in championship wins. Was it built influenced by Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar), that is a question we cannot answer. Lawrence Kansas is home to the Kansas Jayhawks and Allen Fieldhouse, the arena was named after Dr. Forrest Clare “Phog” Allen. He alone was responsible for the winning tradition established by Kansas basketball, Allen was basketball coach from 1919-1956, a sign inside the building reads “Beware of the Phog.” Located in the Bronx New York is Rose Hill Gymnasium home of the Fordham University. The arena opened in January 1925, similar to the others its small in numbers hosting but 3,200 spectators. The Palestra located in Philadelphia, this “tiny” arena has a capacity of 8,722, it was opened in January of 1927.

The arena is home to the Penn Quakers and St. Joseph’s, in the past it’s also been the home court for Temple and LaSalle. I am closing this brief look with the following from AI. “Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri, has a rich history with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, hosting 83 games and 10 Final Fours. It ranks second all-time in games hosted by a city, and is tied with Dayton for hosting the second-most NCAA tournament games overall. While it hasn’t hosted an NCAA tournament game since 1964, it remains a significant venue in the tournament’s history.”    

I don’t have the ability

Over the course of this summer a number of stories have circulated regarding LeBron James. All seem to point to the fact he “desires to play for another team.” We have no idea if that is true, it’s no secret he and Steph Curry are friends but that is almost an impossible move. LeBron remains under contract for now, this is me the only roster member I’d desire is Curry. It would serve no purpose (in my mind) to acquire Draymond Green and 3 players plus draft choices as an example. Next season might be a different matter, at that time LeBron becomes a free agent and could simply sign with another team.

Would the Lakers allow LeBron to walk away without receiving any compensation, I doubt it? The headline simply states neither you nor I have the ability to “get inside LeBron’s brain to determine what he wants.” I’ve written this previously and will cover it once again, this truly is the sunset of a brilliant NBA career for LeBron. He’s played at a high skill level far beyond any of his contemporaries of the past and present. The Lakers are building for the now, for me that says to LeBron come on with us. Despite the invitation it’s also stating, “You will no longer be the focus of the offense, you will be part of it.” I have no idea if LeBron is willing, no doubt he remains able. Nevertheless we shall see what unfolds over the next few weeks and months.