A fans perspectives

Published Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

It’s gonna happen…just when

Expansion is coming, as the headline indicates we just don’t know when. Currently there are 15 teams placed in the Eastern Conference and a like number in the West, Seattle and Las Vegas being added would make 17 teams in the West. Two teams currently in the Western Conference are headed east, who are they? Before you entertain the prospect of who the teams might be a brief history reminder. The Grizzlies are located in Memphis Tennessee, the city is located east of the Mississippi River in some circles the dividing line between east and west. Hint, there are no Grizzly bears in Tennessee however they exist in Canada.

The expansion franchise was born in the City of Vancouver, which placed them in the Western Conference. At the time the team was sold and re-located the NBA retained them in the Western Conference. How about others who might be close to the imaginary division between east and west, the Minnesota Wolves and New Orleans Pelicans? Maps indicate the river flows through both Minneapolis and New Orleans so it’s a tossup which team moves. If the decision is mine alone I believe the Pelicans should be the team to move to the Eastern Conference. My view is based on a single fact, historically the Minneapolis Lakers played in the Western Conference. Regarding each team’s roster, they have 15 players; among these, only eight can be protected. With seven unprotected player per team across 30 teams, there are a total of 210 unprotected players. The process following the establishment of rosters with 15 players being chosen the remaining number of unprotected players are retained by their respective teams.

He is forgotten NBA history

Who is the only player to lead the NCAA, ABA and NBA in scoring? If you have the answer before I place it in front of you that’s good, as for others his name is Rick Barry. He played for the San Francisco (yes) Warriors and in the ABA returned to the Warriors and ended his career with the Houston Rockets. Barry began his rise in the game at the University of Miami, in his senior year (1964-65) he led the NCAA in scoring with a 37.4 point per game average. Drafted by the Warriors in 1965 as the second pick that year he hit the ground running and in his sophomore year he led the NBA in scoring (35.6 ppg). In 1968 he would join the ABA Oakland Oaks although a court order by the Warriors prevented him from playing for one year.

Barry’s been a lightning rod of controversy for teams, and some teammates over his playing career. Despite this fact he still managed to win two championships one in the ABA and another later with the Warriors on his NBA return. His last two years were spent as a member of the Houston Rockets. Barry was prolific from the free-throw line, 4 seasons in the ABA witnessed him shooting .880. In the NBA he was even better, in 10 years with the Warriors/Rockets it was .900 from the line. In 1987 Barry was enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame, at the time the College Basketball Hall opened he was honored there as well. There was a brief try as an analyst but that was not long term, CBS, which held the NBA rights, failed to renew his contract. From Wikipedia: “Producers later cited the general negative tone of his game commentary, which did not sit well with some players and agents around the league as being the reason he was not brought back.”

This is not 1987

Of course you are aware of the year, apparently Gilbert Arenas might be unclear. This former NBA player on a recent podcast said this, I paraphrase: “The Lakers are just picking up any players nowadays.” I didn’t listen to his podcast in its entirety but I guess he was expressing his belief the Lakers didn’t make any major moves leading up to the NBA trade deadline. The reference to 1987, the Lakers acquired Klay Thompson’s dad Mychal in a February 1987 trade. Thompson would prove invaluable in aiding the Laker cause as backup to Kareem Abdul Jabbar. I certainly wasn’t holding my breath figuring the Lakers might be able to swing a trade to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Bucks.

In the case of Arenas I am sure part of his statement was for “entertainment purposes” and to get guys like me to respond. A couple of reminders for Arenas, you have an opinion which is okay but the other part (contracts, balancing trades etc.) you haven’t a clue because you have no expertise in the management workings of an NBA team. You were on the other side, your agent explained the intricacies and you either agreed or disagreed with your agent. It’s far easier to sit around with your homies discussing the NBA and its players, it’s a far different matter when you are responsible for the day to day operations of a team. I’m certainly not trying to imply Arenas couldn’t handle the duties however I believe Rod Pelinka has a degree of work in the area that Arenas lacks.

It was a special night   

Fans tend to reflect on those occasions they witnessed a historical event. An NBA, Super Bowl or World Series clinching championship, we all remember. Not only a team effort but individual as well, Magic Johnson leading his Michigan State Spartans over Larry Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores. Michael Jordan with flu symptoms led his Bulls team to victory against the Jazz. Kawhi Leonard for the Raptors helping provide the way for the only championship the franchise has won. The 100 point scoring game of Wilt Chamberlain, 5,000 fans were in the stands but over the years thousands more “claim they were there.”

Second, to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game there is the 81 point effort by Kobe Bean Bryant. This game against the Toronto Raptors occurred the winter night of January 22, 2006. These are numbers for you to mull over, in the game he rarely rested except for timeouts, he played 42 minutes of the 48 minute game. Kobe shot 61% from the floor with 54% from the three line, he shot 20 free-throws and was 90% from the line. Despite the fact he logged all that time on the court Kobe only managed to have 3 TO’s the entire game. Of course his 3 steals negated the TO’s, in the second half of the game Kobe actually outscored the entire Raptors team 55-41.