A fans perspective

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This is the last Off the Dribble published until next Monday December 1. Those who observe Thanksgiving, enjoy your family and friends and safe travel for those of you flying or driving to a distant destination. Please stay with me as we continue to explore the world of basketball the balance of this year and into 2026. 

The change

I was hesitant writing this, even personnel issues that impact athletes cause me difficulty. Allow me to provide you an example, in the NFL a rookie Chiefs tackle was “missing” for an extended period this season. The Chiefs announced, “He was dealing with a family matter at home in California.” That was enough for me but not for others including some in the media. Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers being investigated is a far different matter for me. Although I still don’t have all the information I had no qualms about covering the story. With that said let’s proceed to the Lakers and the Buss brothers. By now you are aware both Joey and Jesse Buss have been fired as scouts by the team.

Rest assured once the team was sold to new owners changes would be made, were the brothers dumped for no reason? I don’t have the answer the only statement I can make is the same all over corporate America, new owners desire to have their hires in place. The Laker organization was a dinosaur in a sense, the last family only NBA franchise remaining. All the others have owners who made their fortune the old fashion way and it had nothing to do with basketball. The Buss brothers have been replaced by two individuals who worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers, did I mention the new Laker owner is the majority owner of the Dodgers. It’s bad in a sense however I have no method to prove it but believe the Buss brothers share of the sale provided adequate compensation for them. I look forward to the changes forthcoming for the Los Angeles Lakers.

He's got his own opinion…but so do I 

Where is he, the guy I read who made the statement, “I’m not impressed with Cooper Flagg?” The writer was not a member of media I guess he was an NBA fan. I thought for a moment, the Dallas Mavs Flagg is 18 years old, he should be in his freshman year of college yet he’s battling grizzly NBA veterans. These are the numbers the last 4 games for this 18-year old, 19.8 ppg, 7 rebounds, 3.8 assts, 1.8 steals and 54.2% shooting. I am reminded of an earlier column written prior to the season, I don’t remember it word for word but this I retained. “Don’t expect Flagg to come in an dominate, he will shoot the ball when called on, snatch a rebound or dish out a nifty assist.”

It appears with the hype surrounding this fan may be thinking the “second coming” Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. Both athletes had significant impacts on the Lakers and Celtics upon joining their respective teams. In the autumn of 1979, the Lakers were already performing well, having recorded 47 wins and 35 losses in the previous season. With the addition of Magic Johnson, their record improved to 60 wins and 22 losses, culminating in an NBA championship. Similarly, the Celtics benefited from the arrival of Larry Bird, increasing their win count from 29 to 61 and reducing their losses from 53 to 21. Comparing eras remains a challenge, as the NBA of the 1980s differs substantially from the league in 2025. Ultimately, this analysis serves as a reflection for fans; those who are currently unconvinced by Flagg’s performance may find themselves expressing similar sentiments later in the season.

It's just a number

You’ve heard the statement “father time remains undefeated.” It’s certainly understandable, as players age no matter the sport they are unable to continue to play at a high level of skill. Think about this a minute or two consider how many athletes you’ve witnessed become slower and slower as their ability to continue play at a high skill level begins to wane. The slowing down of the game applies to everyone except LeBron James or at least it seems that appears to be the case. December 30, LeBron will turn 41 years of age, despite being elderly he’s not the oldest player to ever appear in an NBA game. That accomplishment belongs to at least two other players.

Vince Carter a.k.a. Vincesanity was 43-years old prior to his retirement but the majority of his high wire act had disappeared over time. Robert ‘Chief’ Parrish retired at 44 years of age; those are but two who managed to continue play after the age of 40. There is no doubt LeBron James is special, special due to his immense talent and special in managing his career outside of basketball. He’s become the NBA’s all-time scoring leader breaking the record held by Kareem Abdul Jabbar. That is one record that will remain unbreakable, no one plays this length of time. It is not particularly important if you are a fan of LeBron or not you’ve got to give him props. By the time this is read LeBron will have returned to the Lakers lineup, however. The 2025-26 season has got to be his last in any teams jersey.

The dunk will ruin college basketball

This from August 2025: The above headline is a statement made by several folks in the middle ‘60’s, they managed to make enough noise a change to the game was made. For those too young or unfamiliar with the events from 1967 through 1976 college basketball players were prohibited from dunking the basketball. Didn’t matter if it were warming up or during the game a team would be accessed technical fouls. The official explanation was the possibility of injury occurring if teams were allowed to dunk. This next statement I can offer no proof just what I believe was the basis. The ban was the result of UCLA’s Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) dominating basketball and this became an effective method of stopping him or at least curtailing his dominance. We are near the dawn of another college basketball season and there are issues to manage. As long as human beings are involved in something there will be issues.

Many of us continue to struggle with the Transfer Portal plus Name, Image and Likeness, it’s my belief the NCAA is directly and sometimes indirectly involved in how these series of changes developed. Am I claiming both are perfect…of course not, as with any issue as they come to the forefront they must be administered. I’ve read fan letters complaining about the amount of NIL money a particular player is receiving, that is a dangerous area for me. I would never place myself in a position to determine the financial reward of someone unless I had direct knowledge and a connection. As for the Transfer Portal I believe it should be addressed in this manner, unless there is an injury issue only two transfers should be allowed. There are instances (including Mizzou) a player might have played at 3 schools by their junior year. I realize this exercise will not satisfy many reading this and it shouldn’t. As I often attempt to explain in instances such as this it’s my opinion if you agree okay…if you don’t that’s okay too.