SOME THOUGHTS ON THE WARRIORS DISASTER.

For an old Warrior, it was excruciating to watch my Warriors get beat down they way they were by the mountain Griz -  7'4 Eddy and 6'11 Jackson & company. The Warriors addition of Denis Schroder didn't improve the recent Warriors' skid  = 2 out of 11. Coach Kerr is a patient and intelligent man, so I was not surprised when he did not fall on his sword after the game. However, he must be wondering. The initial idea of surrounding Steph Curry with a group of solid veteran players seemed to work at first, but in the last 14 games, it is not proving to be as effective as it did earlier in the season. I suspect this has a lot to do with opposing coaches figuring out defenses to challenge that group-win strategy. It seems to me the Dubs' hierarchy are back to the drawing board, or should be. 

These are their options going forward as I see them:  

1) They can continue to tinker. Schroeder is a good pickup. Put Kuminga back as a starter. (He appears to have a "starters ego," Perhaps they should bring in another 3 point shooter? God knows, the NBA is 3 point shooting game these days. Then hope last years' talented draft choices, who had such successful freshman seasons, perk up the rest of their sophomore year. Does that get them to the conference finals?

2) Trade your rising stars for a couple of veteran all-stars such as Jimmy Butler or Branden Ingram, who seem to possibly be available. Add to that another big like the Bulls' Vucevic or a banger like Wizards' Valancuinas. Do either of these possibilities guarantee the Dubs can get to the conference finals?  Perhaps with either Butler or Ingram. But obtaining either of these two players is going to require the Warriors give up their young core and I suspect first round draft choices as well. Giving up first round draft choices is totally risky for a team with its stars close to retirement. 

So, what's the third option?

 3) The Warriors would have to make a very, very tough decision to strategize for the future: Trade their stars while they are still valuable for first-round draft choices and/or first year and second year players with potential or both. If you out there in hoop-land ask me, do I mean Steph Curry? I'm afraid I am saying exactly that. Curry is the one major guaranteed asset the Warriors have. Imagine what teams would give up to have a star like Steph on their team, even for only a couple of years. Then ask yourself what you could get for Draymond and Wiggins? Enough said, I'm hearing the slings and arrows coming my way. I'm only pointing out options. Frankly, I'm not sure Curry would be that upset. Steph knows basketball, and growing up in an NBA family understands the league. He is a realist. I'm reminded of the Godfather l scene when Michael Corleone is speaking to his brother, "It's not personal, Sonny, it's business." 

I don't see a fourth option.  Maybe there are other players like Butler and Ingram, that are game changers. I can't think of any. Am I being disloyal suggesting the third option? I don't think I am. As much as I adore Curry and understand what he has done for the Warriors.  My loyalty is for the team I played for and that honored my number by retiring it and placing it in the rafters. I remember back in my playing days, at the height of my career, Coach Alex Hannum, whom I greatly admired, saying to me, "Tom, you know I love your game and think highly of you, but make no mistake, if I could make my team a contender for a championship by trading you, I would do it." I was certainly startled, but after thinking about it, it made perfect sense. Team is Everything. 

REMEMBERING STEPH CURRY   by Tom Meschery

One small change and the line begins: Good luck,
Timing, and the stars. This morning I’m still seeing
Curry’s three float through the sky of the arena
Reminding me of a lesson in geometry:
An arc is a segment of the circumference
Of the circle – from foot (the flat plane of release)
That travels in silent degrees over the moon.
That it drops into the hoop is a matter
Both of mathematics and imagination.

Imagine that, both sides of the brain in tandem,

And we in the stands, fans, marveling, marveling.  

 

MISSING THE POINT and etc.

 Today's The Athletic featured an article about the Cleveland Cavs building a "state of the art" player and team practice center overlooking the Cuyahoga River, you know the river of kept on burning fane, All right, I admit to a bit of snarkiness. Cleveland did a great job cleaning the river and good for them. Snarky, however, has a lot more to do with the planned facility. The ground-breaking occurred recently with gold played shovels. The center  will cost beaucoup gold. Once finished, it will house two courts, a player fitness center, player and employees restaurant and on and on and on. The Cavs are not the first to build such extravagant stand alone facilities. They are just the most recent, and they claim they will be the creme-de-la-creme of all such structures. The way I read the article, most of the emphasis was on how wonderful such structures were in general, with little WOW factor about the actually on the physical fitness aspect except to say all of the latest gadgets like ice baths, X-ray and MRI machines, etc. will be available to help players stay on the court. It does make it clear to me that such buildings have less to do with sports and more to do with making the ownership money. This is missing the point comes in. As far as I can tell, such facilities, many already in place, have done little to keep players from suffering injuries in a league that courts injuries by its high flying style of play. I want to hear is how these new fitness centers will keep players on the court. This morning i read Franz Wagnor is out with an oblique tear. The Magic's other super star Paolo Banchero has been out for the last three weeks and is not expected back soon. Emid, George, Kawhi, Haliburton, Zion, Podzingis, Jamal Murry, Scottie Barnes, and now Brandon Ingram, the list of capable injured reserves goes on. Chis Middleton has been out a full year and just returning. We'll see how long that lasts? Games lost to injuries this early in he season has increased dramatically. This increase caused one wit to ask if older players shouldn't have a "Sell By Date?" But such wits are missing the point. Injuries are increasingly affecting the younger players as well. I have been expressing my opinion that the league begin exploring more creative forms of physical fitness training. I have suggested the league look into the training martial artists and ballet dancers go through. For example, ballet dancers focus a lot of their training on flexibility, balance, ballet dancing techniques and plyometrics rather than isometric exercises. Plyometrics is characterized by short intense burst of activity that target fast-twitch movement in the lower body. It is very helpful for agility and the take off and landings so common to ballet dancers, and I might add to the modern day basketball player. I have also suggested that NBA trainers and league look to other sports world wide for more creative techniques to help keep the NBA players on the court. It strikes me that any eyeball test would result in the conclusion that Joel Embid's running gait is clumsy. I'd bet an orthopedic doctor would tell Joel Emid that he does not run with his body properly situated over his hips. I might be wrong, but Embid always looks to me when he runs that he is going to fall forward. All right, enough said. You all get my drift: Enough with "State of the art" and more about "state of the athlete." 

Here's a little something about life. I don't know if you, my readers, are as annoyed as I asm of pop-ups as I am,  but I'm wondering if there isn't a class action suit that could be brought against whatever inter net company that controls these nuisances. 

ETC.

Speaking of eyeball tests, it seem to me it is time the Warriors start Kuminga and let him prove what he can contribute as a consistent starter, at least until All-Star break. Kuminag is the Warriors best pure athlete in a league that is clearly dependent on athleticism. But, let's also be clear that,  Kuminnga or no Kuminga, without Curry, Green and Wiggins on the court all season long that the Dubs have little chance of competing in the West. 

AT 85    by Tom Meschery

My doc says my spine 
is a curve ball that drops
like a sinker. My doc
believes he's a comedian,
In dark humor, I tell him. 

LITTER LESS SPORTS AND MORE ABOUT LIFE

 The title to my Blog is: Meschery's Musing on Sports, Literature & Life. I cover the basketball part and the poetry part reasonably well, I think. The life part recently has been consumed by the election and was toatlly stressful.  So much so that I've given up all news except PBS and not always their news regularly. 

But life goes on and considering it is part of my Blog, I too go on with life. 

Often sports and life come together as in this example of total idiocy. The Pelican management is allowing Zion to play at 295 lbs. Are you kidding me? Zion is 6'5". With his history of inuries, this weight is rediculous.. Zion should not weight more than 250. You don't need to be an orthopedic doc to know that. Zion's problem only magnifies an ongoing problem facing the NBA - INJIURIES, not only to stars but to rfeserves as well. One obvious way to help reduce injuries is to reduce the number of games played per season. But, since this will cost the NBA and owners too much money, this is a "mute" solution. 

That said, the other possibility is drastically improving the physical training that NBA players go through. Without giving up these tradional methods, the NBA needs to research outside the box to see what other foms of physical fitness strategies are being used around the world. What do professional dancers do? What about martial artists? Circus acrobats? Contortionists? I can't be sure, but I'm betting not enough emphasis is placed on flexibility. Has enough attention been paid to diet? 

In the meantime, I'm curious why owners are willing to pay huge max or close to max contracts to stars with injury history. 

Here's a small thing that falls into the Life/ Sports category: Dark basketball court floors for the NBA cup don't work as it is difficult to see the ball. 

Another small gripe. Peacock NFL games freeze in the middle of plays. It happened last season and it is still happening. When is this problem going to be fixed?

ONE MONTH INTO NBA SEASON COMMENTS

With one month into the season, here are a few observations about some of the teams and the league in general. Lets begin with the NBA League. 

It should be clear to the League by now that injuries are a serious problem for all teams. The absence of star players makes for unpredictable team building - and fan building.  There is no doubt that the way the game has evolved into such a high flying acrobatics that the season is too long.  Additionally, the first round of the playoffs is too long and should return to a five game series. It is also time for the NBA, as the Daddy of the teams, to do in-depth research into physical fitness training for its children with the emphasis on what kind of training is best suited to today's players. There needs to be creativity by trainers who think outside the box. I simply refuse to believe that teams can't do a better job of keeping players free from injuries. Look at cross-training, ballet dancers and other types of dancing. Look to martial artists, track and field. Look to Flexibility training, etc.  

General Comments about TEAMS:

Wizards: They've made some solid draft choices and the youngsters should get the bulk of playing time. Go young, trade older players for draft choices and build around yout youth.

Knicks: Towns' trade was a mistake. They should have paid Harrkenstein, kept DeVincenzo and Randle.

T Wolves: Towns' trade was a mistake. They were doing fine. They needed tweeking, not a major trade.  

76ers: No way to win with their two go-to stars and their health history. Cut your losses. George is still tradable. Get some youth with the same chops as Maxey. Fewer scheduled games per season should help a player like Embid, who certainly needs a more creative physical fitness regime. To start with he looks overweight to me. 

Pacers: Haliburton's shooting mechanics is odd, so it was eventually going to happen, as teams picked up on it, that his three-ball % would drop. 

Bucks: Lillard trade was awful. But it's too late to worry about that this season. They must stop talking about Middleton. He'll never be the player he was. Look for a trade for a wing defender. 

Warriors: Loss of Melton will hurt, but the emergence of the Kiowa Kid, Lindy Waters, will soften the blow. As for free-throws: How about a practice contest for jelly bellies - a jar for each player.  Fifty free- throws at the end of every practice day available during the season and 20 free-throws at shoot-arounds. Coaches keep the records. Sounds High School but athletes of any age love a competition. 

Suns: Same problem as 76ers. Star players with a history of injuries. They did a good job creating better reserves. If KD and Beale are back to full strength toward the end of he season, they could surprise. Big IF. 

Jazz: Are you going youth or not? Make a decision. The upcoming draft has got a ton of excellent players.

Clippers: How long are you going to wait for Leonard to stay healthy? Hardin is playing basketball in a truly adult way for the first time in his career. He has finally realized he can be a scorer and a point guard at the same time. 

Mavs: I've never been sold on Jason Kidd's coaching. 

Lakers: The Knicht draft choice is paying off. Be patient and get your injured players back.

Kings: I love DeRozen but it may be that he and Fox are not a good fit. The Kings need a better back-up center and more D off the bench. I thought Coach Brown was a D expert? 

 growing youth.   

i JUST COULDN''T HELP IT and etc

  I Promised myself when Adoph won the election, I wouldn't blog about the evil bugger again, but this was too good to pass up. My wife found this on line: A woman wrote the following: I unpacked my Nativity Scene for Christmas and after I'd discarded the Jews, Arabs and the foreigners, all I was left with was a jackass and a handful of sheep. 

You know what's really pathetic about this ? If Trump and his minions read it, they wouldn't get it. Trump probably thinks Jesus was a Norwegian and the people in Israel back then all spoke English. The Trump presidency is going to be the apex of ignorance. Even their favorite evil dictators will be laughing at him behind his back. Har! har! have you heard the latest about Comrade Trump? Har, dee,  har, har! 

ETC:

After the end of the first half, it looked as if the Celtics were going to roast the Cavs. But Les Chevalier came roaring back and cut the game to single digits and a couple of times toward the end to two points. Both teams were missing important players to injury, so that was a wash. Conclusion; Celts still look like number one, but the Cavs will be nipping at their heels the rest of the way. The biggest concern for the Celtics is they rely way too much on their three ball. If they continue to stary the course, there is a good chnace the Cavs will beat them in a seven gaeme series. Notice,, I didn't mention any thoere team in the East competing for he East Championship, because there isnt'. Knicks on the oouted, maybe, but I'm not sold on Twons and never have been. 

My Warriors lost a close one to the Clippers. They were in some sort of brain fog because they kept leting Norman Powell get easy three-point looks. With no hand in his face, no sense of intimidation, Powell is a deadeye shooter. 

Must comment on the 76ers. The ownership needs to reevaluate the team building. It didn't make any sense to trade for a star player with an injury history to help a star player with an injury history. Consider Embid and George for a minute, that's all it will take, would you bet money that these two will be playing together in the playoffs? 

Trump and his sheep wont' get this poem any better than they'd get the Nativity Scene comment, but it might resonate with teachers. The poem is about how we think. It's a kind poem because it doesn't judge; it just makes a statement. 

PROSPECTIVE IMMIGRANTS, TAKE NOTE

 

Either you will go through this door
Or you will not go through.
If you go through
There is always the risk
Of remembering your name.
 
If you do not go through,
It is possible to live worthily,
To maintain your attitudes,
To hold your position.
To die bravely.
 
But much will blind you.
Much will evade you
At what cost, who knows?
 
The door itself makes no promises.
It is only a door.
 
        Adrienne Rich (1929-2012)