A fans perspective

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December 13, 1977

29 people boarded the chartered DC-3 for the University of Evansville, the team was bound for Nashville where they were scheduled to play Middle Tennessee at Murfreesboro. At 19:22 CST the plane crashed killing the head coach Bobby Watson and 14 members of the men’s basketball team along with several others who boarded the flight. An investigation uncovered the fact that the crash was due to pilot error.

Wikipedia: “The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the crash on the pilot's failure to remove gust locks on the right aileron and the rudder before takeoff, as well as an overloaded baggage compartment. The NTSB report said that the plane might have been able to stay airborne had only one of the problems existed. As it was, the extra baggage shifted the plane's center of gravity to the rear, and the locked rudder and aileron made it impossible to control the overweight aircraft. Tragedy would strike the campus two weeks later. David Furr an 18-year old freshman player was not on the flight, he’d suffered an ankle injury and had remained at school. Furr along with his brother were both killed in an automobile accident two weeks after the air crash.”  

I’ve witnessed both

Recently ESPN.com provided us ‘The Top 25 under 25,’ they ranked players based on their future potential. They rated Victor Wembanyama the number one player in the group, which is certainly no shock to anyone reading the account. I have no plan on stealing their thunder, I simply ask you to walk with me for a brief period. I believe my perspective on basketball and the NBA in general might be distinctive. One view of the game is clearly in the past while one is in the present and to a degree the future. With that said we shall proceed with the discussion. It is my belief the NBA is about to move into another ‘Golden Age’ period similar to the Magic/Bird/Jordan era. The Oklahoma City Thunder as this is written appear invincible of course much of the season remains plus the playoffs prior to a second championship.

For you NFL purest I have no argument with you…the NBA will not supplant the NFL in popularity however it will rise above its present stature. As I believe 99% of my view is pure assumption based on the ESPN.com account and my long held belief that the NBA is on a plan that continues to elevate. This is no attempt on my part to blow smoke in your face, anytime there are human beings involved in anything the possibility of problems will exist. An example might be the gambling issue being investigated along with player for pay issues involving the Clippers. Although you might have serious doubts about my next statement its true, NBA players of today are better conditioned than many in the past. In addition sports medicine has made giant strides over time, athletes in all sports have been able to return to action from injuries that once caused immediate retirement. Truth is I am a ‘glass half full’ guy rather than a ‘glass half empty.’ I repeat it again, I believe the best is yet to come for the NBA in the future.

Rui…Rui

Chances are real good you might never hear a Crypto.com crowd yell his name. His full name is Rui Hachimura and he plays power forward for the Los Angeles Lakers but that’s only part of his story. In 2019 Hachimura was made pick number 9 in the first round by the Washington Wizards. He spent his first 4.5 years with the Wizards, January 23, 2023, Hachimura was traded to the Lakers where he’s became a fixture at the power forward position. How he arrived with the Lakers is easy to explain, his arrival in the United States a different matter altogether.

Hachimura was born in Toyama Japan, a city on Japan’s main island, Honshu, his father is from Benin and his mother Japanese. Gonzaga University in Spokane Washington always active scouting international prospects offered him a basketball scholarship. What does Hachimura do…almost everything the Lakers ask of him. If its scoring he does that, if its shooting threes he does that as well, his lowest average from distance was the 29.6% he shot his first year with the team. If its rebounding the basketball the 6-foot 8 230 pound Hachimura can do that and in addition play tough hard nose defense. Coach JJ Redick loves the guy, he’s said on more than one occasion “Rui does whatever I ask of him.” Hachimura is not the type of player fans will chant his name…he just does all the right stuff to prove he’s a winner.

A look at the Eastern Conference

It’s early, only 25 or so games played as this is written, what is apparent thus far from my perspective? The Boston Celtics have been much more competitive than I would have thought when training camp began, no Jayson Tatum but the 15-9 won-loss record places them in third place. The Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks were expected to be near the top so their winning play so far is certainly no surprise. Surprises…there are plenty of those beginning with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In this instance I cannot provide the why of the “average” play of the Cavs to date I have only witnessed them in action twice. As for the poor effort of the Milwaukee Bucks has been two-fold, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been injured so that’s part of the problem. The other portion perhaps the team has not progressed at the level some of us might have believed.

After checking the past history the Chicago Bulls (9 wins 14 losses) are in the position we should have anticipated. Last season it was 39 wins and 43 losses, the year prior to that it was also 39-43. The Philadelphia Sixers are 13-10 but so far they appear to be no worst nor better than last season. Again the reminder, its early however a smooth start certainly is the hope of all teams. As an example last season the Lakers were somewhat stuck in neutral until February or so. Whether it was the Luka Doncic trade or something else a stretch run saw them finish with 50 wins. With that statement in mind all is not lost for any team, I’m going to use February as the starting point with this statement. If the performance is poor to average at that stage let’s just say they should begin vacation plans. Finally this note, this is written from the perspective of a fan, it represents an opinion and not fact.