A basketball fan’s perspective

Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Meanwhile….

The Kawhi Leonard-Aspiration fiasco should be over by the end of summer. That’s the deadline commissioner Adam Silver has placed on the investigation of the work around method of paying the former Clipper forward. I believe (and I could be wrong) if the judgement is rendered in favor of the NBA the Raptors should face no penalty. It’s the Clippers who will face punishment. Whatever occurs I believe the trade will be consummated and Leonard will play for the Raptors again. 

The Wizards shut down No. 1 draft pick AJ Dybansta after only two games, but the decision was not injury-related, it was simply a matter of caution. The Wizards had already seen enough of him to know Dybansta could handle himself on the court. His brief showing offered all the evidence needed that he was ready for the rough-and-tumble world of the NBA. Of course Dybansta’s play is in Summer League but it does provide us a degree of his ability.

Da Bulls, some might be surprised with this news, the Bulls have the 4th best NBA championship record. If we begin a count of NBA championships it’s the Celtics (18), Lakers (17) Warriors (7) and Bulls (6). Each of the teams has won it all more recently than the Bulls, who last won an NBA championship in 1998. Since Michael Jordan and company left the Windy City the team has changed coaches 7 times, drafted and traded for a number of players but has failed to compete for a championship. During this time the best record by the Bulls was the 2010-11 season, they won 62 games but lost in the Eastern Conference Finals. Are they a historic NBA franchise, I believe they are based on the number of championships?

There are times you have the opportunity to do good without expectations of a return. That is the case with this story, the Lakers drafted Ronny Turiaf in 2005 from Gonzaga. During training camp it was discovered Turiaf had a heart condition, according to Gary Vitti longtime Laker trainer the team was yet to sign Turiaf to a contract. Despite this issue Dr. Buss owner of the team paid for the surgery out of his pocket close to $1 million according to Vitti. Turiaf recovered from the surgery played for the Lakers three seasons and a total of 10 years in the NBA. This from Wikipedia, “In August 2009, Turiaf set up his “Heart to Heart” Foundation to provide medical care to children who do not have health insurance and cannot afford the care they need.” Turiaf began paying it forward after his retirement.

NBA Europe 

Speaking of the Lakers comes this brief bit of news I found quite interesting. We discussed NBA Europe and the indication the league will begin play in the fall of 2027. The news report indicated the league was seeking owners for its franchises and the Buss name made the news. As most are aware the late Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers and they remained in the family after his death with daughter Jeanie heading operations. A little over a year ago the Buss family sold the team to Mark Walter of TWG Global a diversified holding company.

Jeanie remained in the role of NBA Governor despite last year’s sale. Regardless of the fact the Lakers are now in the hands of a new ownership group it appears the family is not out of the basketball business altogether. Joey and Jesse Buss brothers of Jeanie have placed an ownership bid to purchase the London franchise. Locating a team in the capital of the nation should prove interesting from several aspects. I’ve read (and maybe you as well) basketball is not as popular in England as teams on the continent, perhaps the indirect connection to the NBA will grow the game. Check you “Why UK is So Bad At Basketball” from The Hoop Files on YouTube.

What’s the best path

As we’ve discussed the college basketball landscape is ever evolving. Almost immediately after the end of the college season a significant number of athletes announce they are transferring to other institutions. With the advent of portal transfer and immediate eligibility we’ve seen an increasing number decide the “fit” at a particular school is not good for them. In checking the resume of several players it is not unusual to discover by their junior year they have played at three schools. Of course the chief reason portal players have become so important there is little if any lag time. Unlike a former high school senior making the leap to Division I it’s quite different.

Portal players have experienced one to three years of collegiate play, there is still adjustment required but nothing close to what an incoming freshman player might face. With that said how about recruiting high school talent, does it remain paramount for coaches? Only a coach can truly answer that question however my belief is simple, it’s a 50-50 proposition. A coach needs to place equal value in both areas of recruiting, portal and high school. I have been an advocate for a commissioner of college sports for a time, one person at the top will not resolve all the ills of college sports however it can began a very serious study on how to fix stuff. That’s one area not presently being covered in my opinion, what do you think?