A fans perspective 

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NBA preseason

I watched the two previous Laker games, one on NBA TV and the other ESPN. The two games were both losses with LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves unavailable. Sunday night would be different because Reaves would be available. As you are aware LeBron is sidelined due to a sciatic issue and Luka was “resting” once again. Despite these issues apparently the Lakers played much better as they beat the Warriors 126-116. The Sunday evening game was not available on a national broadcast so I can only make a guess based on the box score.

The Good: the win despite the fact the season is yet to start. Dalton Knecht was a starter, it sure appears to me he is more comfortable in that role. In 34 minutes of action he scored 16 points 4-9 from the floor (44.4 %) and good from the tree line (40%). Much has been written about the fact Deandre Ayton is yet to play with LeBron or Luka, I believe that is not the problem members of the media would like us to think. As for the upcoming season I believe the Lakers will be winners. As for the total number of wins I intend to approach this question with a high and low number. Keeping in mind the Western Conference is a land mine on the high end the Lakers win 57 or 58 games. On the low end its 51-53 so you can see I’m full of optimism.    

Is there a legacy

Before you begin tossing rocks in my direction hear me out, I saw a photo of Kevin Durant recently, in each frame Durant was pictured in a variety of different team jerseys. One photo placed him in a Sonics jersey another had him with a Thunder jersey while another had him in a Warriors jersey followed by the Nets and then the Suns. When the season begins this month he will wear a Rockets jersey, in fairness the Sonics/Thunder jersey are sort of the same, he was drafted by the Sonics and played his rookie year in Seattle and then moved with the franchise when it relocated to Oklahoma City. Did you lose count on the number of different jerseys Durant’s worn or will soon as in the instance of the Rockets, has he created a legacy in your view?

“A person's legacy is the impact, memory, and lasting imprint they leave on the world and others long after they are gone. It encompasses both tangible elements, such as property, funds, or bequests, and intangible aspects like memories, values, wisdom, character, and the positive change they inspired in people and communities.” It seems in the NBA more than any other professional sports players move through free agency more than trades. Durant has been traded three times in his brilliant NBA career, the balance of moves were made during free agency. The early days saw players only move due to trades, free agency changed that. Did you notice nowhere in this exercise did I cast doubt on Durant’s talent, he is headed for the Naismith Hall just as soon as he is retired 5 years.

Could they

New York City (8.478 million) and Los Angeles (3.97 million) are the two largest populated cities in the United States. Both cities have two NBA teams, in New York of course it’s the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. As for Los Angeles it’s the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers but what about Chicago? The Chicago Bulls has long held the city excluding the metro of 2.6 million to themselves, could a second NBA team exist in The Windy City? I cannot answer the question but could look toward other sports.

The baseball White Sox and Cubs have divided the loyalty of its residents for years, once upon a time the city had two NFL teams, the Bears and the Cardinals. The Cardinals are in Arizona but that was not always home, the initial home was Chicago. From 1925 through a move to St. Louis home for the team was Chicago. Poor attendance and a poorer record caused the team to move in 1960. My home Kansas City is much smaller in population than Chicago yet we have professional teams with overlapping seasons. NBA basketball remains popular in Chicago despite the fact Jordan, Pippen and Phil Jackson have long left the scene. Could Chicago support a second NBA team, I really have no idea but believe it might be possible.

The Bulldogs

Gonzaga basketball has existed longer than most of us realize, truth is the Spokane Washington school first began play during the 1907-08 season. From that beginning in 1907 through 1958 I could find no evidence of the school’s level of play. In 1958 the Bulldogs began Division I play without a great deal of success. The 1966-67 season would see them finish with 21 wins in the Big Sky Conference, despite the ending there is no indication of post season play. That would change in the 1994-95 season as they won 21 games again but were invited to the NCAA Tournament, they would lose in the First Round.

In 1998-99 they were winners of 28 games and played in the tournament once again losing in the Regional Final. That team was led by Dan Monson, he would be replaced by Mark Few the next season. Since that year, the Bulldogs have played in the tournament every season except the 2019-20 season, this despite winning 31 games that year. Under Few they have been perennial tournament participants. Although the number has been small several players have arrived in the NBA who played at Gonzaga. The most recent example is Thunder power forward Chet Holmgren. Others include Laker Rui Hachimura, the Kings Domantas Sabonis, Jalen Suggs of the Magic just to name a few. There you have it a brief look at Gonzaga Bulldog basketball.