A basketball fans perspective

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What is a dynasty

What constitutes a dynasty depends largely on one’s definition. For me, it means winning consecutive championships over a sustained period. By that measure, the San Antonio Spurs deserve tremendous respect for capturing titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014, but they would not qualify as a dynasty because none of those championships came in back-to-back seasons. Keep in mind the championships you are about to read are not in any order of winning years. The strongest example remains the Boston Celtics, who won eight consecutive titles from 1959 through 1966, albeit in an NBA with far fewer teams.

Other notable examples include the Minneapolis Lakers, who won three straight championships from 1952 to 1954; the Chicago Bulls, who completed title runs from 1991 to 1993 and again from 1996 to 1998; and the Los Angeles Lakers, who captured three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. The Lakers also dominated much of the period from 1979 to 1988, consistently reaching or winning the Finals, including back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988. More recently, the Golden State Warriors reached the Finals every year from 2015 through 2019 and won consecutive championships in 2017 and 2018, while the Miami Heat followed their 2006 title with back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. That is my standard for a dynasty, though others may define it differently and that’s okay.

“Nobody roots for Goliath”

The headline above is a statement once uttered by the late Wilt Chamberlain. When he arrived in the NBA in 1959 the league had never experienced such a prolific scoring machine. Naturally, something had to be done to curtail the high volume scoring of Chamberlain, opposing teams began to contest his effort with physicality. He complained stating game officials offered little protection for him, he believed they overlooked this due to his size and ability. Chamberlain’s frustration regarding opponents finally boiled over and resulted in the headline you read at the beginning of this account.

Basketball Network reminded us of an elbow by Ron Artest in an April 2012 game which resulted in suspension. Artest then playing for the Lakers had swung his elbow connecting with James Harden Thunder guard. The result, a 7-game suspension by the NBA for his action, part of the reason the league indicated was the role Artest played in the Malice at the Palace in 2004. Fast forward to last Sunday, Victor Wembanyama pulled down a rebound and Naz Reid along with Jaden McDaniels double-teamed him. Watching the game on television I was unable to determine at what point officials blew the whistle, Wemby then threw an elbow striking Reid in the jaw/neck area. After a review Wemby was assessed a Flagrant 2 which is an automatic ejection plus free throws awarded to the offended team. I hope no one assumes my view is the correct one but hear me out. In addition, I’ve read several fan letters claiming to “get inside Wemby’s head,” they have provided us what he was thinking. Friends I ain’t that good to make such a claim, despite that fact there is a bit of knowledge I wish to convey to you.

I have viewed enough games over his brief career to understand Wemby is a force to be dealt with, based on that fact alone opposing teams are going to manage all kinds of attempts to inhibit all aspects of his game. Did I say physical play on the slender built Wemby? As for the suspension fair or unfair Ron Artest had a history of aggressive play, no one is capable of making a similar statement regarding Wemby. As this is written I have no idea the outcome of further punishment however I believe a one-game suspension is more appropriate than suspension for the entire series. What do I know, I’m only a basketball fan?

Is it time

The NCAA or some entity needs to step up and address the issue of Portal Transfers. I believe it is vital for athletes to change schools, this is necessary for a variety of reasons. Before fully deviling into the issue let’s take a look at what I view as the problem. I’m not going to pull any punches here, Shaw Phillips Jr. who played for Missouri is the example I wish to cite. He spent his freshman year at LSU, his sophomore and junior season at Arizona State and his senior year at Missouri. The question becomes why so many transfers, he’s not the only athlete this profile fits but it provides evidence of a growing problem. Earlier we had a player actually drafted by an NBA team, he played in Summer League.

Because he never signed an NBA contract initially he was allowed to return and play college basketball before another judge said no. I am sure there are cases where a player arrives at a school and decides there are issues with the coach or how many minutes he’s promised versus what really occurs. In closing at the beginning of this exercise I indicated there was no issue for me regarding players transferring. This is my proposal (which ain’t going anywhere but here) a player is allowed ONE transfer unless there are extenuating circumstances. I have no idea what those occasions might be, however, for those cases this is what should occur. An independent adjudicator with no connection to either school should be the decision maker. I don’t know if it works or not however on paper it sure appears superior to what we see at present.