A King's B-Ball Legacy

The Phoenix Suns won their series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. That should be the focus. Instead, the talk became more about Laker LeBron James. A lot has been made about his poor showmanship in Game 6 and the legacy altogether. The legacy part being ridiculed by many people, especially a lot of the obnoxious Michael Jordan fans. There isn't a lot to say, so I'll try to stay brief.

Being eliminated in the first round for the first time ever does impact James, but not too much in the short run. For his career, there is the doubt of the legitimacy of last year's championship. Compared to Kobe Bryant or even Tim Duncan (Duncan I think gets overrated a tad), he is a notch below them right now. Yes, James' volume of stats do elevate him, but with championships, this elimination makes him out as a bit of a weakling.

For a guy that is supposed to be a leader and a "role model", he put off a bit of immaturity. It's more than just that that makes James polarizing and hated quite a bit. His fanbase is very awful, but so are the Jordan fans. Without getting too deep, the fans on both sides that swear by them go beyond delusion to make their player look perfect. It undermines some of the other legends that came well before them. The elimination could make a difference in ratings getting a boost or cratering. Some heavy favorites are still in. Who do you think advances to the conference championships? 

Too Much Bron?

You could look at this in many ways. Ratings for the NBA Finals first game was not good. Step up above the Conference Finals, but still nothing the league should be proud of. Less than eight million viewers. You could point out multiple things. Obviously, September into October, there's other sports going on regularly. The political aspect doesn't help. But I have a theory of my own. The oversaturation of LeBron James and the LA Lakers probably sweeping.

With James, I think most people are tired of seeing him in the Finals. I don't know what it was like in the 60s with Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics, but they weren't as big a problem compared to James. James is also a very divisive person. Like any mega star, has his fans and haters. But he also doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. Any other year, it would be a win for the NBA because people want to see him win or lose. Haters will want to see another failed championship attempt. Losing six Finals in your career is not something to be proud of compared to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. I'm sure criticism could be said for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but his Laker teams were able to rebound and get Finals wins.

I think that's the other part of my theory. If it were Lakers vs. Celtics, or Toronto, I think there'd be a more competitive Finals. Miami has a great team, but with the performance in game 1, it leaves a lot of questions. Heading into the season, Los Angeles was said to be one of the favorites to win a championship this year. You see more of these type of games, it will be a turn off for the NBA. Some of the MLB favorites will be more of a ratings grab as the baseball playoffs go on. There's a time to watch LA sports, but this may be like it was back in 2010.

Whatever the case, this is going to be something the NBA will look at when they negotiate deals with networks. They were struggling earlier in the year, but the complications make it even more harder. Adam Silver should anticipate some lost revenue and start looking to fix things that will help his bottom line. And I believe it will start with not giving players and teams all this freedom. Ratings do dictate a lot of things for a sport.

A Mamba's Legacy (Reaction)

This shit feels surreal. It's going to dominate the headlines this week and maybe next week. But the fact that this happened, the disbelief is through the roof. Like many, the shock is still there for what happened to NBA legend Kobe Bryant. As the story has filtered in, he was on his way via helicopter to a travel basketball game with his teenage daughter Gianna. Something happened and the copter crashed, killing all nine people. Too early to determine until the NTSB investigates and puts out their report whenever that happens. Other casualties are reported to include Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli and his family, which the daughter played for Bryant's team.

Quickly on his career, Bryant was drafted in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets. However, the LA Lakers got him via a trade, trading away Vlade Divac. At that point, they were playoff contenders, but a far cry from where they were at the start of the 90s. With young guys and additional talent like Shaquille O'Neal coming from Orlando, the franchise was back, winning three Finals in a row. Even through struggles, Bryant found redemption after rape allegations. With better understanding, he was back in form at the end of the 2000s, winning another two titles before injuries late in his career, which he played his final game in 2016.

Before I say my reaction to what happened, obviously there is the basketball side we have to talk about. For guys like me in their late 20s, early 30s, this was the Michael Jordan of our generation. I'm not the biggest basketball fan and not huge on the Lakers, but you can see why they are coveted and hated. Bryant always had that knack for being in the tightest situations and delivering most of the time. One example is the 2006 game against the Toronto Raptors, scoring 81 points in the victory. It's hard to turn it into words, but there was a drive to him that made him put everything on the line just for the sake of championships and creating that legacy that inspire youth to be him.

When I heard about it, I was stunned. And at work, word spread. It's hit home to a lot of people throughout the world. You don't need to be a fan of sports to know how devastating this is. When you add in Bryant's daughter to the casualty, that makes it ultra sickening. Come mid April, and it will mark four years since his final game. This is the kind of shit that makes you reevaluate life. Not to mention that at 41 years old, there was more he was prepared to do. I think that's the most saddening thing about it. Someone that young to be killed without reaching his full potential in a post NBA life.

This is a huge blow for the NBA. Tons of current and former people involved the sport expressing condolences. Everybody and their mother being shocked at this tragic event. And the same can be said for the other victims involved with the locals of the towns that knew them. Hopefully, a thorough investigation finds results for the cause of the crash. Not a good way to almost end the month of the new decade

NBA California 2019

If the Warriors stock hasn't dropped a lot, the Clippers and Lakers has risen.

California might be movies, the beach, and other things, but basketball is cherished. Getting Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to play for the Clippers helps them quite a bit. Even though they have been very good this decade, they can't get past the first or second round. I don't know if it's a lack of players for support or Doc Rivers inability to get further the last ten years, but they look poised to make a good run.

Plenty of new faces are going to the Lakers. Anthony Davis will make a huge impact in theory. There is also Demarcus Cousins and he can be a third guy to go to. Add in some other guys for support and this could be a team that likely goes back to the playoffs for the first time in about six, seven years.  The Pacific Division could be lead with both teams and the Warriors. Sacramento will still struggle.

Keep your sights on whether Houston gets Russell Westbrook via trade. Most of the Western Conference are in contention to make an impact for the upcoming 2019-20 season. At least ten have a chance to make the postseason.

Lake of LA Dysfunction

There was a point where the Los Angeles Lakers were one of the most feared teams in the NBA. The last six years, not so much. Too may issues that have hurt them in recent memory combined with losing seasoned veterans. It has been a small improvement under now former head coach Luke Walton, but the travesty of resignations and partings show how bad the franchise has become.

Magic Johnson stepped down as an executive for the Lakers, and Walton agreed to part ways after three years as a coach. The improvement to what they did last year seemed like a step in the right direction. One of the big issues was dealing with that loudmouth idiot, LaVar Ball, whose son, Lonzo was the second overall pick in 2017 and went to LA. It became a circus frenzy and I don't think Walton and Johnson could take anymore of him.

Of course, you have the signing of LeBron James to come this season to get a championship for the city. It's been roughly ten years more or less since the Lakers won it. The way I view it, James dictates how things go and you can see it in his attitude on how things should go or not go. How he was when they lost to the Knicks was a good indicator of his commitment to the team and how he didn't like a role model, which he never was. He's a freaking head case. That championship year with Cleveland resulted in David Blatt getting fired and Tyronn Lue taking over. Anything that doesn't go James way, some people can lose their jobs or get traded.

It's a mix of multiple things, but it's damning one of the most prestigious franchises in pro basketball is at a crumbling point. Lue could wind up coaching the Lakers and there's a possibility Monty Williams could. They need someone to develop the players and not piss off James. It might be one of the coolest jobs, but the stress, I'm not sure whoever is hired can handle it.

Big Trouble in Little Ball's World 2

A father should be proud of their children. They also hope for them to succeed in society and do their part of working hard. This does not apply to LaVar Ball, the loudmouth loser who hasn't done a damn thing in his life other then keeping his mouth open. This time, he has criticized the Los Angeles Lakers, the team his son Lonzo plays for. The criticism was stemmed towards head coach Luke Walton, who took over last season and ESPN's Jeff Goodman putting up an article regarding the elder Ball and what he had to say.

I don't even need to know how this was going to happen. LaVar is a moron, and teams are finally noticing how much of a head case he is for the NBA. The fact that other coaches like Rick Carlisle are getting tired of this idiot and ESPN's article, which gave LaVar free reign to say whatever he wanted, shows something that could spiral out of control. Even with criticism from TNT's Reggie Miller about saying the other sons, LiAngelo and LaMelo, not having any shot of being in the NBA says a lot as well. This league is banding together to stop a guy, who didn't amount to anything in college basketball, that is trying to cause nothing but trouble. And that's considering most of the family is in Lithuania, where LiAngelo and LaMelo are playing basketball.

Let's be honest. The Lakers haven't done well in the last five years. With a group that is young, it's not always a guarantee that they will be good instantly. This kind of stuff takes time. Walton is going to be given more time to develop them into a solid team. If it pays off, you will see why he was lured away from the Golden State Warriors, where he did very well during Steve Kerr's absence in the 2015-16 season. LaVar needs to understand that. Unfortunately, he is too brain dead to even figure that out. He wants championships immediately and wants to live in the spotlight. The stuff he wanted as a kid and didn't get because he sucked at basketball.

I swear, this guy is going to get him and his family killed. Either that or ruin his boys futures. LaVar is desperate for attention, and unfortunately, is given a huge platform. Hence why I'm writing this. I know I will be writing another one of these in the next month or two because of what will happen during the season and what could come out of his mouth. The NBA has to find a way to curb his behavior. However, the question is, will it be too late? Are they past the point of no return? I don't know. Only time will tell whenever they cross that bridge.