My observations after another week of basketball and retirement…
NBA Controversy- To receive NBA season awards, players must play in a minimum of 65 games. But Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham, and Anthony Edwards all fell below 65 and appealed it. Doncic and Cunningham won their appeals. The NBA rules that because two of Doncic’s absences were for child birth and Cunningham’s included a collapsed lung that they deserved to be included.
The NBA is trying to figure out how to handle tanking and load management. Both are worthwhile goals but obviously it is a work in progress.
NBA Playoff Are Coaching Clinics- I know a lot of people are not NBA fans, but if you want to see where basketball is headed, your best bet is to watch the NBA.
Portal Pay is Up- An article that I read indicates that players salaries in the Portal are estimated to be up 65% from a year ago. NBA rookies have their first year salary slotted based on where in the draft they are picked. The numbers indicate that players drafted in first round but in 20-30 will probably make less money than they will make staying in college.
Fake Controversies- It seems people can’t help themselves, they want to surround Caitlin Clark with controversies. Clark had a bad exchange in college with Fever’s pick of Raven Johnson, where Clark taunted her. Then after the draft, Clark did not respond on social media.
Johnson was drafted as a possible solution to the Fever’s struggles to guard an explosive offensive guard. It makes sense, and as a rookie, Johnson’s minutes probably will be limited.
What Did Fever Learn- One of the problems for the Fever from last year is that without Clark playing, the Fever really did not have a chance to see how their core group would match up vs the best in the league. So it would seem in free agency and the draft that the Fever kind of took the approach of let’s just do it again. We will find out what the holes are this year.
Megan McConnell- I like the signing to a training camp contract of Megan McConnell. I don’t know if she will be capable of making the team but it is a good story. Her brother is TJ McConnell of the Pacers, who is a fan favorite because of his all out hustle. If she can bring a little of that, it will be a plus.
Azzi Fudd Silence- Before the WNBA draft, I would ask other WNBA fans who they thought would go #1 in the draft. Most thought Olivia Miles because Dallas needed a point guard, and others thought Awa Fam Thiam from Spanish, who clearly had the highest ceiling of anyone in the draft. Experts seemed to think the same as the fans.
I posed the following question to my friends, “Don’t you think there will be pressure on Dallas to take Azzi Fudd to keep Paige Buecker happy?” (The two are in a relationship.) Most of my friends thought I was crazy- no team would draft a player just to keep another player happy.
Whatever the reason that Dallas chose Fudd, the media dropped the ball by ignoring the issue. Only Jeff Pearlman of SI mentioned the possibility. I am not saying that is why Fudd was drafted #1 but it should have at least been mentioned and the Dallas Wing management should have been asked if that was a factor. Player’s private lives are private but a team’s decision making process should at least be asked about.
No Accountability- I have waited a couple weeks before bringing up my frustration with the NIT championship game. I don’t follow everyone on Twitter but I follow a lot of sports people. Tulsa was called for a 5 second violation late in the game that ended up deciding the game. Six neutral sports people timed the play and posted on Twitter that the time for the violation was under 4.22 seconds. The six had times ranging between 4.09 and 4.22 seconds. Making that call at that time is ridiculous.
Shrinking- Season 3 of Shrinking on Apple was just as good as the first two seasons. It is light, humorous, and at the same time thought provoking. It gets a two thumbs up!!
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