A basketball fan’s perspective

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He said it much better

Although I went on record indicating it was time for LeBron to move on I am not upset with him. I’ve listened as members of the media have criticized the move voicing the belief Bron was “ring chasing.” One of the loudest media voices has been that of former player and media guy Charles Barkley. Well I happen to not share the same view as Barkley. Of course he’s a well-known former NBA player and television media member, my view in defending Bron comes from a fan, what might another player say? The word came, it was uttered by former Laker guard Derek Fisher recently while being interviewed on 97.1 The Fan LA.

Fisher said; “You’re not ring chasing when you’re the guy that creates the rings. Go back in NBA sports history, It’s not about what team the guy is on, it’s about where he is, not the city or the team. Lou Alcindor (or) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — he didn’t chase rings. Where he went, the rings followed. When you look at the history of all of the greats, it’s where they are that the rings go. It’s not the other way around. It’s not like a ring is sitting in Philadelphia and he’s going to chase it. His addition will increase the chances of them getting it. Yeah, they look good on paper without him, but they may not win it without him either, and they could also come up short with him.” There is the brief response to Sir Charles and others. 

The House that Ruth built

I didn’t bother checking the history of the previous stadium however the headline refers to the old Yankee Stadium under Babe Ruth. It was said the home run hitting Ruth was responsible for construction of the stadium. Of course that’s an oversimplification of how and why the stadium was erected. Fast forward some 70 years or so, the United Center opened in Chicago and it too was nicknamed “The House that (Michael) Jordan built.” In a manner similar to what occurred in the past the NBA Bulls had tasted a great deal of success thanks in part to the exploits of MJ. Where am I headed with this story, at the feet of Stephen Curry Warriors point guard.

All of us realize Curry is on the downhill side of his NBA career however there is a “but.” The but, Curry is eligible to sign a two-year, $136.7 million contract. Curry’s been among the principle reasons why the Warriors have been so competitive the last decade. Chase Center located in San Francisco could also be titled “The House that Steph Curry built.” If the Warriors had succeeded in signing LeBron James the team might have held championship aspirations. With a still vital Curry and Draymond they certainly could earn a playoff berth but it’s highly unlikely they would be considered in the championship category. With LeBron headed to Philadelphia he might have been a difference maker however all that’s changed now, it does make for a question---do the Warriors extend 38-year old Steph Curry?

A Simmons surprise

Many readers may already be familiar with the name Bill Simmons, he’s a longtime media figure whose focus has largely been the NBA although he’s an admitted Celtics fan. Even so, a recent podcast comment from him surprised me. In his latest episode, Simmons said Kansas City should be considered for either an NBA expansion franchise or a relocated team, citing the city’s recent success on the world stage as evidence it is ready for another major professional sports franchise.

Of course, he was referring to the metro’s role as a World Cup host. A newspaper headline like that naturally produced a flood of letters, and while I didn’t read them all, the ones I did see were generally supportive. I had not planned to revisit the subject of the NBA, or professional basketball, returning to my hometown because I thought the idea was dead on arrival. Apparently, that may not be the case. What many people fail to realize, even those in the Kansas City metro, is that times have changed. We shall see whether the Blazers, Pelicans or Grizzlies might relocate to my home town.

kansascitystar.com

This is a little different

It’s been mentioned in the past of the Washington Capitols were the exception. The Capitols head coach was Red Auerbach, yes that Auerbach whose claim to fame would occur later as head man of the Celtics. In 1948 they would join with the NBL forming what became the National Basketball Association. In their five seasons of existence the Caps finished in first place twice and earned playoff berths twice. The 1948-49 season they played in the BAA Finals but lost to the Lakers 4 games to 2. Time plus limited information has failed to provide a clear photo of what caused the Caps eventual demise.

The history indicated Auerbach wanted to retooled the team and the owner declined his proposal whatever it involved. Based on this issue the coach resigned and would later take on the role of Celtics coach. The Caps went out of business in January 1951 but wait there is more. The franchise played the 1951-52 season in the American Basketball League but closed for a second time. This portion of history is documented; *“The main reason why the team folded for the second time was related to them and the ABL being sued by the NBA if the new Capitols tried to take the NBA team name’s history from them as well.” So there you have the history of Washington professional basketball prior to the Wizards.

*Wikipedia