A fan’s perspective

Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Big Man basketball

His name is Cherif Millogo, the Rivals website indicates he’s 7-foot 5 inches in height and 250 pounds. Millogo is rated a 4-star prospect in the Class of 2027, he attends St. Francis HS in La Canada Flintridge California. The youngster is yet to make a declaration on his college of choice, among the offers are Southern Cal, Arizona, BYU, Kentucky and Alabama. I’ve not witnessed his play but I’m posing the question what kind of game should we expect from him? Will it be of the low post variety or similar to most today drifting out to the 3-point line?

Are there camps today Big Men can learn to play the game at a high level. There are at least two, Rick Mahorn former NBA player operates one. Another was run by the late Pete Newell but now by a successor. Both camps focus on the same issues, footwork, the importance of balance when shooting and reverse dribble and jump stop. Passing out of the post is also emphasized.  I was asked my view and used Victor Wembanyama as the example. He is the best 3-point threat based on his frame (7-5), despite that fact he’s playing down low more if I’m his coach. What do you think, is there still a requirement for low-post play in today’s game?

Family Feud

This is no reference to the long-running television quiz program….but it is a family feud in a sense. I figured it was time to check Dallas to see if there was any movement on the proposed new arena for the Mavs. Mavs ownership group had indicated they would leave American Airlines Arena when their lease expired. That was then, this is now, the proposed move is on hold and the Mavs indicate AA will remain home through the 2030-31 season. So what occurred, according to what I’ve read a real life “Family Feud.”

The City of Dallas owns the building however the partners the NBA Mavs and NHL Stars have a corporate agreement in place that indicates both teams share the lease. Dallas Sports Group, the company that has controlling interest in the Mavs sued the Stars indicating the Mavs were prepared to spend millions in upgrades however the Stars were blocking the move. “In June, a Texas judge ruled in favor of the Dallas Mavericks in their lawsuit against the Dallas Stars, handing over control of the American Airlines Center to the Mavs.” Do the Mavs still intend to build a new arena in North Dallas, stay tuned for further developments?

Exclusive club 

We’ve heard the phrase for years, “Change is in the air,” nowhere is that clearer than the NBA. Last year the Lakers were sold and were the last “family” of NBA owners. The meaning of family in this instance says basketball was their only source of income, allow me to inform you of something without offering you proof. Corporate individuals and groups have long been a part of the NBA from its earliest days, however, the types of owners have changed over the last several years. Once these owners were bankers, mortgage and automobile dealership individuals or corporations. They now come from the ranks of venture capitalist, entertainment and media fields. One might ask the question, is this change bad for the NBA?

The answer would be  probably not however its clear the type of NBA owner has changed. They have deep-deep pockets to spend on their teams, the downside their expectations are sometimes unreal. The worst of the bunch are those who believe “I made a billion dollars in the work place I can make an NBA team successful.” Of course it doesn’t work in that manner, instead of allowing the basketball people to run the team they become directly involved in order to attain their vision of success. This should not be considered an indictment of all “new-breed” owners however a few certainly fit that mold. Laker owner Dr. Buss once stated he’d made a trade without his GM being involved. He indicated it turned out to be successful but he vowed to never do it again, Buss said after that he left those type of decisions in the hands of his front office.

Enjoyed the game versus loving it

The NFL Chiefs have a player on their roster who reminds a few of Andrew Bynum. Bynum was among the last high school players drafted into the NBA, he was made the 10th pick by the Lakers in the 2005 NBA draft. He would become the starting center for the Lakers at the beginning of the post Shaq era. He was asked early on the difference between his play and that of Shaq; “The difference I hit my free-throws” which certainly sounded arrogant. He’s arrived in the NBA as a 17-year old the youngest ever and that might have been a contributing factor in his apparent arrogance. By his third year in the NBA he was on his way to stardom, his 7th year in the league he was selected to the All-Star Game and made the second team of NBA All-Pro.

A knee injury caused Bynum to miss the 2012-13 NBA season and upon his return was never the same player. An assortment of injuries saw him move from Cleveland to Indiana and at the end of the 2014 season he was done at 26. This from AI Overview; “Andrew Bynum’s career ended abruptly by severe reoccurring knee issues , waning motivation and off-court behavioral issues.” Take note of the underline words in the previous sentence. Was his issue maturity or the fact he enjoyed the game rather than loving it? I doubt if any fans desire someone risk their health to play the game however the expectation of any player….he’s got a work ethic. Bynum today is retired with a lucrative income and has no desire to be associated with the game which made him a wealthy person at age 25. Perhaps I’m being unfair to Bynum however a portion of what you read is fact.