A Few Quick Thoughts about the Opening Games of 2020/21 Regular Season

 As I watched Warriors rookie center James Wiseman play last night, I wished Curry, Thompson, and Green were 3 years younger. Why? Because it's probably going to take this young man a season to fully realize his Hall of Fame skills. The question is by then will the trio of Dubs that brought the first NBA Championship to the Bay Area be able physically and mentally to make the most of Wiseman. A season doesn't seem like a long time, but you have to take into account Thompson will be coming of his second season ending injury. Steph and Draymond will have to live through what looks - taking into account what I saw on the court last night - the brunt of opponents defensive emphasis. In other words, they're going to take a physical beating. I don't doubt they'll be up for it; they top gun pros. Still, a beating is a beating. And takes it's toll. 

BUT, Imagine our trio of vets three years younger and James Wiseman one year older. Oh boy!.

I don't mean to be negative. It's just that age is one of the relentless realities a professional athlete must take into account.  

Okay, the reality check noted, let's move on to a little MAGIC. Imagine if Wiseman comes around faster, say after the coming All Star break, and his presence lessens the stress on Curry and Draymond. Or Oubre Jr and Wiggins play up the their talents (Wiggins sure didn't last night) and help to take the pressure off Curry and Draymond. And, on top of that,  the bench becomes a tough minded defense, also taking pressure off Curry and Draymond. At which point the Warriors surprise the league by making the playoffs and maybe, more surprises, going a little further. And, And, And, the following year Klay Thompson comes back with a fury, and Wiseman is now a full year older in terms of experience. You see what I'm saying?

Some thoughts to consider. Am I making myself clear. WISEMAN IS GOING TO BE MAGNA-GREAT... 

Some other consideration about the Net's game. I usually don't agree with Sir Charles, but he was right to point out that the Nets have the best bench in the league. And though I might have mis-heard, there was some talk by the Talking Heads of a rumored trade of James Harden for a bundle of Net's players. If true, my response: DON'T DO IT. The chemistry will be a stink bomb. 

Of he Laker/Clippers game. Hard to tell. I think the Lakers will wind up missing Green's steady 3 ball. But's still AD and King James until further notice. The loss is indicative of nothing.

SPORTS     By Tom Meschery

Three days ahead have been predicted HOT
Dangerous, one writer warns. Air quality unhealthy.
Below the weather, the obituaries from the previous page:
Rita Feldman, a nurse for thirty years, a mother
of four and a grandmother of seven boys.
Two photographs, one young, the other old.
Why is that? A reminder that the past is not
so long ago? In both photographs her face is sweet.
John Thompson Jr. died, then Chadwick Boseman
and Tom Seaver. All made the front page.
Death, these days, is stifling. We wear masks
with the insignia of our favorite sports teams.
My wife's O for Oregon, my W for Warriors.
Yesterday I saw a mask that read I CAN'T BREATHE!
The Climate is changing as we speak, too danse,
it's like water too thick to drink. I've turned to prayer.
Boseman played Jackie Robinson on the screen
and made us see a black man with our hearts.
I tried an elegy for John, but found my white man's
dictionary lacked sufficient words. For Seaver,
he possessed a wicked fast ball and a slider
that drove batters of two decades nuts.
Later, I hear Cliff Robinson, of the Blazers
died, which made my three dead athletes, a quartet.
Outside, the temperature is climbing.
The Fed Ex Championship is on T.V. 
The major leagues are swinging for the fences
and in Florida the NBA is playing in a bubble. 

NBA 2020/2021 Season

If you have been reading my blog, you've noticed I shut down about the same time the NBA shut down. I could have started up again for the Orlando Bubble, but I didn't. No logical reason why I didn't. I watched the games, of course, but the ambiance depressed me. I began to hate the virtual one dimensional fans. Started having cardboard nightmares. Yes, the NBA did the best they could, and there was no getting around it, the Lakers were the best team, although if Miami\had one more big to guard the Lakers' bigs, especially AD, the outcome would have been different. To me, the Heat were much more fun to watch. The difference being sort of like watching leopards and elephants. LeBron at his age is a miracle, but I'd still take MJ over him to build a team around. Monsieur Le Bron just doesn't possess the same finesse as Jordan.  

A few Bubble takeaways: Until Antetekumpo learns to shoot an effective 3 ball, championships will continue to elude the Bucks. What would it take for The Greek Freak in his present non-shooting state to win an NBA Championship? Place him on the Warriors with Steph and Klay or any team with such stratospheric 3 point shooters to open up the middle. At the moment there are none on the Bucks. So look for 3 point shooting teams with tons of cap space to go hunting for the Greek at the end of the season. He'd be wise not to sign the max with the Bucks and wait to see who's bidding. 

The Suns demonstrated "watch out for us" next season. I believe Paul will help. He was a total pro with the Thunder. He'll give the young Suns some real stability. 

The Clippers demonstrated they blew up their chemistry from the previous year by adding Kawhi and George, but didn't do the work in the lab to find the right formula, so they looked always out of sinc. 

Why don't I like Jocic? It's body language, I suspect, kind of like do I really have to have energy all the time? And what's with the runny nose? Would the Warriors love to have him? The way he passess, I got to give him that. Curry would average 50 a game. Ok, so Jocic is mixed metaphor. 

Now for the coming season, not in any particular order. Teams now in training camp.

Awful news about Klay. Strong character/will power/he'll be back. A coup for GM Myers getting Oubre as the next best player for the Dubs to replace Klay, and when Klay comes back, hey, why not make this long athletic defense-minded dude a continuing part of the roster? Wannamaker is less known but a gem. He'll surprise. Let's hope Looney has a durable year for once. He's capable until the kid gets his feet wet and takes over. 

If you're worried about Toronto losing Gasol and Ibaka, they maybe stronger with the dudes they picked up to replace them. More pounding/less finesse is not always so bad with their surrounding cast. 

Boston helped themselves some with the Cavs' Thompson. I was hoping the Heat would have signed him. Just what they needed for paint strength. 

Why the Heat paid Myers Leanard big bucks, (unless it's not guaranteed) violates my sense of fairness.

Atlanta might turn out to be the surprise team this coming season in the East. Bogdanovic was a heck of a pickup. I can see an effective tandem at the one and two. Confident they'll sort out the paint log-jam. 

The Nets. It will be the Kyrie-Durant show. Or should that be visa-versa? Consider the importance of team chemistry in this case. Will they run into the same problem as the Clippers? The Nets core players were/are not too bad. K and D will eat up a lot of touches. See what I mean?  I like Nash at the helm. I was sorry they hired D'Antoni. His we'll outscore you philosophy works for season, sucks for playoffs. Man doesn't learn. But maybe as an assistant he can stay focused on the offense without screwing up the total team cosmos.

Recent trade of Westbrook - not my favorite player - but got to come to his defense. The Wiz will be a better team with him than with Wall. No matter what, teams must collapse on Westbrook when he penetrates. Bertrans and Beal should be excited. Dunkers (NBA Samuri) should be poised to be fed. That is, if Westbrook takes this trade as a chance to na-na his nay-sayers. I've never thought of Russell as an underdog, but in this case I'm pulling for him. 

Utah and Denver a little bit better but will it be enough. Nuggets will miss Plumlee. Plumlee blocks and dunks and runs the floor. Should have signed him. 

That's it for NBA for the time being. Now for life;

As athletes we're taught by our coaches the importance of being good sports. If we lose, not to pout, to shake our opponents' hands. We don't have to like losing, but we should never act like a loser. Enter "oh woe is me" Donald Trump. What a frigging crybaby. Obviously he was never an athlete. Cry babies don't cut it. I bet he cheats at golf.  

2,841 PERSONAL FOULS   By Tom Meschery

Even at the age of 82,

when I should know better,

the thought of dying sill pisses me off.

I feel as if I've just been called

for a foul I didn't commit.

I was reading the sports page. Years of fouls

I didn't deserve came back. The unfairness.

Refs missing the elbow that hit me,

but seeing the one I threw to even the score.

This morning didn't I wake up to sunlight

and a warm breeze? Didn't my wife

poke her head into the office 

to tell me she loved me? I flavor

my coffee with honey that is sweet as life.

I should live a little longer.  

 

 

The Bubble #1

Guess I better be legit and say something about the Bubble. I've been reluctant because I believed the league would have been better to have frozen at the playoffs at the start of the COVID 19 shutdown. Yeah there were/has been a few instances of drama, but come on, no way these teams competing for the 8 spot had /have any chance of a an upset. So, we have Blazers instead of the Griz? 

Frankly, I wouldn't have minded if the first round  had been eliminated, or at least made a best of 5 series. Okay, okay, I get the $ thing. In a five game series I still wouldn't have missed that sensational last second 3 by Doncic, And the fifth game would have mercifully ended the series, so we could get to the real competition. While I'm on the Mavs, Doncic is playing with a sprained ankle and Przingis is sitting? It's playoff time, dude! 

Based on what I've seen, I have the Clippers playing the Bucks for the Championship, Probably most fans do, so no crystal ball. I'm a little concerned that teams have figured out how to play Antetekompo's twisting dribble penetration better. Saying that, he's still a FORCE. Both teams are seriously DEEP. 

Boards, defense and bench production are usually the definers of NBA Champs.  

In the West: Lakers have a chance to beat the Clippers. Some have opined, the Lakers don't need Avery Bradley. Wrong!

The Eastern Conference is a little more interesting. The Celtics have been playing inspired ball. But truly weak at the 5 spot. Raptors could make a series of it, if Ibaka and Gasol can be a consistent force on the boards. And then, there is the Miami Heat, my favorite upset team. I say that knowing they're a long-shot. But you gotta love the way they play together with their mix of young and vet players. go Igudala! How about coming back to the Warriors? You don't need the $. Vets max and lots of glory. Retire as a Dub. 

Back to the Heat. This is Spoelstra's best coaching season. He gets my vote for Coach of the Year.  

Another black man shot by police. In the BACK. That's not even right in B Westerns. You shoot someone in the back if you are a coward. The act speaks for itself. BLACK LIVES MATTER MORE THAN EVER. 

KINTSUGI     By Tom Meschery

     For Maurice Stokes & Jack Twyman

            When Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage
            by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when a thing suffered
            damage and has a history, it becomes more beautiful.
 
He fell on his head in 1957, which qualifies as history.
The damage was vast, paralyzed from the neck down.
 
You are too far away, too young, still flying through the air
with reckless abandon as if you have grown wings, falling
 
never enters your mind. Your legs propel you. You lift off
You keep your eyes on the spot of glass the ball will touch
 
and drop soundlessly through the net. You will descend
You’ve done this hundreds of times. No harm will befall you.
 
How do we repair our broken country? There’s not enough gold.
So much for metaphor. There was, instead, a teammate’s goodness,
 
a history of care: money raised, hospital bills paid, hands held.
It was the kind of righteousness like a salve keeping Maurice alive.
 
You were too young. Your wings were new to you. You yearned
for flight. It is not hard to imagine youth suspended in air.
 
The goodness was like gold. You could see beauty shining through
his skin. It healed but didn’t cure. The cracks were too grave.  
 

Sir Charles interviews Alt Right Richard Spencer and etc

Barkley: Do you call yourself a racist?

Spencer: No. I don't say I don't like black people.

Barkley: But you don't want blacks in your neighborhood?

Spencer; Right, but. ...

There are no buts, dude, you're a racist. This is me talking, Tom Meschery, but Charles Barkley, I bet is thinking the same thing.

Knowing ahead of time a lot about Alt Right, I didn't expect much else except blatant racism from Spencer, but what  I didn't expect was that Spencer looked like your average college educated guy, clean cut, well mannered, nothing confrontational, who might have played collegiate baseball or been a point guard on a Division Two team, gone on to grad school. Got his degree in accounting. Married the girl next door. Has his hair cut by a stylist. All American boy look. All American boy smile.

And there-in lies the danger.

You look at Donald Trump and there is no doubt he's a con man. You look at Richard Spencer and you see surface honesty. The evil is hidden by his quiet demeanor and non threatening rhetoric. But his soul is every bit as grotesque as the President's.

I watched the entire interview mostly for the stunned looks on Barkley's face. Spencer's arguments would have been comical if they didn't infect so many white men (Mostly men, but white women are not off the hook.)

I wished I could have been there. I would have said, "Dude, you're far behind the times. The vast majority of young people of all races don't give a crap about skin color. You and your ilk are already dinosaurs.

Okay, enough. Last and way more fun than interviews with racists. Congrats to Mahones for the stunning contract he signed. He is indeed the Curry of the NFL. Now, if only he can play golf like Curry. Got to love Andy Reed's good fortune to have a QB like Mahones for the future. Reed in my top five all time NFL coaches.

For all you fishermen out there in the wild, alone, no worries about COVID19, thinking only rainbow trout, here's an Old Rhyme for you:

How They Bite

Wind from the south, hook in the mouth.
Wind from the east, bite the least.
Wind from the north, further off.
Wind from the west, bite the best.

                     Anonymous

Black Lives Matter

This morning's Sacramento Bee ran a story about the NBA Kings' TV broadcaster Grant Napear's twitter gaffe, responding to DeMarcus Cousins' Twitter question what he (Napear) thought about
Black Lives Matter. Napier's answer was "All Lives Matter." A mistake that cost Napear his job. He claimed he grew up believing ALL lives "matter."  Emphasis on the ALL Who'd argue? But that is not the point. It  is common knowledge by anyone who reads a newspaper or pays attention to the news that this slogan is used by conservative racists to marginalize the notion of Black Lives Mattering. Given that Napear is a long time news man, especially one who has been around the NBA, a league with such a high percentage of black players, how is it possible he was not aware of this? Can Grant Napear be that obtuse? Doesn't pas the sniff test.

In the same morning sports page is a reaction to police brutality toward blacks by ex King Thebo Sefolosha, who found himself on the receiving end of police brutality himself, "It's not just a few bad apples." It (racism) is deeper than that... part of a culture. There is no longer any way to avoid this horrible truth.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

      “Baffling distant galaxy proves dark matter.”

               Sacramento Bee, March 30 2018

According to science, dark-matter slows galaxies down.

If dark matter didn’t exist, the cluster of stars

in a newly discovered distant galaxy, would have

spun apart. This, the astronomer claims, proves

dark matter matters. On the next page of the newspaper,

there is the account of the shooting death of Stephon Clark

and the poignant photograph of Reverend Al Sharpton

embracing and being embraced by Stephon’s brother.

What could it possibly matter that we understand

the universe better, when we don’t understand the life

of a young black man standing in his granny’s backyard

on a dark night looking at his cell phone, texting.

Or, perhaps, he was watching the Golden State Warriors

playing basketball without their four stars, which slows

down the rest of the team, making them vulnerable.

I’m only guessing that’s what Stephon was doing.

He could have been writing a poem, checking tomorrow’s

weather, looking at photographs of his children.

But I like the idea that he was, like me, watching

the Warriors, wondering when Curry and Durant

would be back, hoping Klay’s thumb would heal,

that Draymond would return soon - before the bullets. 

                                            Tom Meschery