A basketball fans perspective

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It’s that time of the year

Most reporting doesn’t stop completely; instead, it sometimes shifts to a slower pace. That is the case with basketball, the NCAA championship concluded the first Monday in April, the Michigan Wolverines won the Division I Championship 69-63 over the UConn Huskies April 6. The order for the NBA draft lottery was outlined for the 30 members, all that remains is for the draft to occur. June 13, the New York Knicks won the NBA championship over the Spurs 4 games to 1. On Tuesday, June 23 and Wednesday, June 24 the draft will occur at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. As the calendar turns to July NBA Summer League play begins (July 9-July 19). NBA fans will have an opportunity to see a number of those drafted in action on their new teams.

Moving into August, the 14th through the 16th activities related to enshrinement in the Naismith Hall of Fame will occur. Saturday August 15th the Enshrinement Ceremony will occur in Springfield MA. Although generally at work already, the fourth week of September will witness college basketball players begin official practice. NBA training camps officially open in late September. My plan was to provide you some detail over the summer months ahead. There will be a smaller number of events to cover which calls for Off the Dribble to begin a reduced publishing schedule. As this is written I’m thinking twice a week published dates however the days is yet to be determined. As I close this is my hope you remain faithful during this time of the reduced publication. Beginning in mid-September a 5-day a week schedule will be implemented.

Chip(s) off the old block

Spurs guard Dylan Harper has played outstanding basketball during his rookie season, his sparkling play continued into the playoffs. A number of you reading this account might remember his father Ron Harper, the father had a long and distinguished 15-year career playing for the Cavs, Clippers, Bulls and Lakers. “A devastating knee injuries (particularly a major ACL tear in the early 1990s) fundamentally altered his NBA trajectory, transforming him from a high-flying, explosive 20-point-per-game scorer into a vital, defensive-minded orchestrator who won five NBA championships.” The championships won by Ron occurred while he was a remember the Bulls and Lakers. Injuries made him a single digit scorer for the balance of his NBA career after the 1995-96 season.

As for the other chip, it’s his mom Maria Harper, she played Division I basketball at the University of New Orleans. She was Dylan’s coach from elementary school through high school at Don Bosco Prep, that driving ability….thanks to mom. She would allow her son to shoot jump shots a youth. Seeing Dylan in action we see evidence of the game his father displayed and the tutoring of his mom. Proof of his significance to the Spurs, the 6-foot 5 215 pound guard is the first reserve off Mitch Johnson’s bench. Currently DeAaron Fox is blocking Harper’s path toward a starting role, at some future date Dylan will move and began playing starter minutes. Dylan played his freshman season at Rutgers University and was a teammate of Ace Bailey of the Jazz.

They are not returning  

It’s apparent the NBA not only has an issue with returning to Kansas City but that is the case for St. Louis as well. A brief look back at the history, the Milwaukee Hawks moved to the city in 1955 where they remained until their 1968 move to Atlanta. In between there were a few high water marks, the 1958 team ended the Celtics streak of championships although it would continue the following year. Bob Pettit remains with us at the age of 93, he is enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. The history indicates the Hawks owner wanted a new arena which the city never complied. The NHL might have been indirectly responsible for the demise of the Hawks. The arrival of expansion Blues and their success on the ice indirectly led to the Hawks departure for Atlanta. The Hawks made a decision that would likely haunt them for years much earlier.

This from AI Overview: “While the racial climate of St. Louis and the Hawks’ lack of Black players contributed to their willingness to let him go, the Hawks did not technically “pass” on Bill Russell; they drafted him (1956). They immediately traded him to the Boston Celtics in a pre-arranged deal for white stars Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan.” Years later there would be an issue at the time the Grizzlies planned move from Vancouver Canada. Bill Laurie, who owned the Blues (yes, the hockey team) had an agreement in place to purchase the Grizzlies until then NBA commissioner David Stern stepped in. The basis for voiding the sale. according to the NBA, a requirement existed that an expansion team remain in its original location five years. After the proposed sale was rejected Michael Hensley stepped in purchased the franchise kept it in Vancouver for one more season before moving it to Memphis after entertaining several other locations. There’s been no serious St. Louis effort since 2001 and that is likely to remain for the immediate future.

“Sore loser”

There are occasions members of the media might report an incident without being aware of the fact this was not the first time an incident of this type may have occurred. The person reporting the story is too young, the previous time a similar incident occurred was prior to their birth or when they were in their youth. On the other hand they could have just forgotten the incident had occurred previously. I am guessing one of those scenarios would be the case for ESPN NBA analyst Alan Hahn. After the NBA championship was resolved Wembanyama left the court without acknowledging the fact.

Hahn referred to Wemby as a "sore loser" because he didn't shake hands with Jalen Brunson at the conclusion of Game 5. How about a little NBA history for Hahn and those who might unfamiliar with two events from the past, here goes, in 1988 most of the Celtics left the floor without shaking hands after losing a 7th game to the Pistons. Three years later (1988) Isiah Thomas led most of those same Pistons off the floor after being swept by Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Wemby should have acknowledged Brunson and the Knicks’ win, but he didn’t. I’m not making excuses for any player’s actions, but I also don’t agree with Hahn’s view that his action makes Wemby a bad guy. I just love the reaction of Hahn and others in the media, it sure would be ideal if they could transport themselves into the shoes of Wemby (and others).