A basketball fans outlook

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Can you believe it 

The Lakers came to play, of course they did but this extensive road trip has witnessed them compete against playoff caliber teams. A quirk in the schedule saw them play the Rockets twice in Houston both games resulting in victory, from there it was on to Miami to play the Heat. The truth of the matter after winning 7 games in a row I figured they would be road weary and succumb to the well-rested Heat. That’s not exactly what occurred, the evening concluded with the Lakers winners again, this time it was a 134-126 victory. Luka the Don went off with a sizzling 60 point performance.

In 38 minutes of action LeBron had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, by the final score you might understand the Laker defense was not quite as proficient as previously. I’m going to offer the excuse of tired legs and weary travel. Although this game might have been a shooting exhibition the Lakers continued to play tough defense once again. Over the last 10 games the Lakers have won 9 of them, I don’t believe anyone could ask more of this team. Are they superior to the teams they defeated on this road trip…are they better than the Spurs or Thunder? Only time will address that question however this is certain, Laker Nation is excited once again based on the on-court action.

There is no reason, but maybe there is 

The Big 12 tournament is not the exclusive property of Kansas City Missouri. A history lesson is required here to provide how it landed in the city. The conference members (Big 8) held a pre-season tournament which eventually evolved into a post-season one long before other conferences across the nation. In any event the conference had somewhat of a regional basis with Colorado being the furthest distance from Kansas City. Missouri is no longer a member, Nebraska no longer a member and now Oklahoma and Texas have moved to the SEC. At the time the Texas schools joined the conference it was decided the tournament would be moved, in 2003 and 2004 it was held in Dallas.

In 2006 it returned to Dallas again but 2007 and 2009 saw it moved to Oklahoma City. In 2010 it was returned to Kansas City where its remained to date. The primary reason for the return to Kansas City is simple, the tournament failed to attract the number of fans it had previously, as for Oklahoma City I’m unsure what occurred with that. The argument now the current location only benefits Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State. As for travel Las Vegas would be beneficial to the Arizona teams along with BYU that’s about all. No decision has been reached as this is written due to the length of the present agreement. The tournament is committed to Kansas City through the 2031 season, that should allow plenty of opportunity for the city to make its case.

Single proprietor

While many are familiar with the headlines regarding NBA ownership, it is important to note that most businesses, including NBA franchises, are typically no longer owned by single individuals. Sole proprietorship in the NBA has become quite rare; currently, Steve Ballmer, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, is believed to be the only sole proprietor now among NBA franchise owners. Recent transactions in the league highlight escalating franchise values—most notably, the sale of the Boston Celtics for $6 billion and the stated sale of the Los Angeles Lakers more recently at a cost of $10 billion. The purchase price for sports franchises have risen significantly over the past several years.

Furthermore, expansion franchise fees are estimated to range from $7 billion to $10 billion. These figures suggest that ownership groups, rather than individuals, are increasingly necessary to assemble the required capital, and the number of partners often correlates with the total cost of acquisition. However, multiple ownership partners can complicate decision-making processes. Notably, any NBA expansion requires affirmative votes from 23 of the 30 current team owners. Presently, Seattle and Las Vegas are considered the leading candidates for potential expansion franchises. Should the decision be positive its reported it would be 2031 before the new teams begin play. NOTE: As this account was being completed came LeBron James’ news. The Laker great indicated his associates will not back him in the purchase of a Las Vegas franchise. James is a partner with Fenway Sports Group and the following information I uncovered in the Atlantic publication: 

“One of those sources, who was not authorized to speak publicly for Fenway, said the global sports investment firm was out on NBA ownership in Las Vegas because of the expected cost — the league is reportedly seeking expansion fees as high as $8 billion per team.” I’m not going to pretend I have inside information regarding the financials of James however he’s like most of us only with more money. As an example my net worth is considerably larger than my available cash on hand. In addition if my net worth is $8 billion as an example would I be willing to leverage $3 billion-$4 billion on an investment that may or may not prove fruitful? For his sake, it’s my hope that James is able to purchase the Las Vegas franchise in the future or perhaps another.

Don’t you find this interesting

High Point beat Wisconsin in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Several might be asking the same question, “Where the heck is High Point?” Fortunately we have Google search and it indicates High Point is located in High Point North Carolina. The schools’ enrollment is a little more than 6,000 students and according to the Princeton Review “as a top institution for innovation and student experience.” I believe we can now add winning basketball as well. As for Virginia Commonwealth it’s a much different story, VCU is well known especially after defeating North Carolina on Thursday. There were plenty of examples of lower seeds beating those seeded higher but I wanted to focus on this fact alone.

In the 1986 movie Hoosiers the basketball team was unaccustomed to playing in a large arena once they qualified for the state championship they were overwhelmed initially. This is a reminder to all, the basketball bounces the same height in the 21,000 seat Dean Dome as it does in the 4,500 seat Qubein Arena in High Point. There is no doubt that the athletic budget for The Ohio State swamps that of Queens University, the advantage to one is the ability to recruit and spend more lavishly on student facilities. It fails to make the basketball overall any better in my view. Over the next few weeks upsets are likely to continue but it has more to do with desire and effort than anything else, of course similar to anything else I could be wrong.