A fans perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday through Sunday

National Lampoon’s European Vacation

This is no reference to the 1985 film on the further adventures of the Griswold’s. This vacation will be Los Angeles Laker guard Austin Reaves, at this point we are unsure if the trip will be solo. In any event Reaves has continued to raise the level of his NBA play and to provide evidence to you I will submit portions of his Thursday night game against the Toronto Raptors. Laker Nation was aware there would be no Luka, The Don was in Slovenia awaiting the birth of his second child. 

We had an “aging” LeBron and no Luka plus the Lakers were facing the Raptors who were playing very good basketball. The game was somewhat an even match as both teams went back and forth in the lead until the end with the Lakers winning 123-120. To borrow an old line from the early days of ESPN SportsCenter Reaves was en Fuego scoring 44 points shooting nearly 70% from the floor with 46% of it from the three line. Wow, I almost forgot he also found time to dish out 10 assists. Despite the tremendous game registered by Reaves it was Rui Hachimura who sealed the victory with a 3-point basket as the clock expired. Reaves doubled-teamed passed the ball to LeBron who spotted Hachimura in the left corner…splash, game over.  

As for the movie reference its aimed at Reaves, the sharpshooter has indicated he plans on traveling to the central European nation of Slovenia. I guess the planned journey denotes the budding friendship between Reaves and Luka. They have become the NBA’s newest BFF’s. By the way did you realize Reaves is number 6 in scoring in the NBA with a 28.9 point per game average. To prove its not about scoring he dishes out assists at a 6.8 per game clip. He’s shooting at 52.6% from the field and 42% from three.

It's that time again

Tomorrow afternoon one of the longest running basketball rivalries in history will occur again, this time the University of Missouri will face the University of Kansas at T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City MO. This is considered a neutral site however Lawrence Kansas is a shorter drive (44 minutes) than Columbia Missouri (1 hour and 57 minutes). As for the teams, Missouri has a better overall record (8-1) over Kansas (6-2) however based on play to date Missouri will likely be considered the underdog in this age old rivalry. The two schools were first matched against one another in a 1907 basketball game. The game was once labelled the Border War which harkened back to the civil war days when Missouri a slave holding state fought pitched battles against Kansas a free or non-slavery state.

Today’s term for the game is Border Rivalry which sounds not so adversarial. For those unfamiliar with the history these two schools played twice a year while in the old Big 8 Conference which eventually became the Big 12. After Missouri left the conference there was a long period when neither school scheduled the other however that changed in recent years. I must verify this next statement, its my belief this is the last basketball game between these longtime foes unless an extension is forthcoming. At one time the revival of the game meant little to me however in recent years my mindset has changed. This intense rivalry exists on the western side of Missouri only, it’s my understanding the eastern portion of the state looks at the University of Illinois being the greatest rivalry.

I respect his view…but

Max Kellerman is one of those sports voices I’ve listened to over the years. In making that statement I can say I respect his view but don’t believe he is correct in the instance I am about to detail for you. The shorten version of the story Kellerman expressed his belief that he thought the Knicks cannot win a championship with Jalen Brunson as the team’s leader. As in all cases, Brunson in a manner similar to others has strengths and weaknesses. Now if Kellerman has come to his conclusion there is nothing I can say to persuade you otherwise. It’s my belief the Knicks came up somewhat short due to the coach.

Tom Thibodeou is a good coach however overtime the primary complaint in some circles is his starters play far too many minutes. It’s clear last season the Knicks lost to a better team however the heavy minutes starters played certainly has to be considered a contributing factor. Brunson is the clear leader of this team despite having KAT, Mikal Bridges and several others on the roster. The offense clearly runs through him, on the other hand its possible the Knicks might have dipped a bit defensively but we can’t be sure until the playoffs. As this is written December 4 the Knicks have won 14 games losing 7, in the eastern conference they are in third place one game behind the Raptors. We shall see what eventually develops going forward.

Kansas City is not alone

The NBA departed from Kansas City, Missouri in 1985, as the Kings relocated to Sacramento and played their inaugural game there that October. While Kansas City lost its NBA franchise, it is not alone in this experience. The Cincinnati Royals had moved to Kansas City-Omaha in 1972, where they were rebranded as the Kings. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Hawks transitioned to Atlanta in 1968 due to declining revenue and the city's reluctance to renovate facilities. In New York State, the expansion Buffalo Braves who began play in 1970 relocated to San Diego in 1978, becoming the Clippers. In 1984, the franchise left San Diego for similar reasons and became the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Vancouver Grizzlies, another expansion team, moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 2001. Seattle's franchise was transferred to Oklahoma City in 2008 and subsequently renamed the Thunder. Notably, many of these cities are major metropolitan areas, yet for various reasons, their residents now only experience NBA games through television or personal viewing spaces. Unlike Charlotte, Minnesota and soon Seattle, the have seen or will witness the NBA return, these cities have not been as fortunate. Given the rising costs associated with NBA franchises, there are serious doubts whether cities such as San Diego, Cincinnati, Buffalo, or Kansas City will ever see an NBA team representing the city again in the foreseeable future.