If you spent your last New Year’s Eve watching the Nets and Bulls, then you saw Derrick Rose’s only post-up basket of the season. According to ESPN Chicago’s Jon Greenberg, he wants to do more of that.

Rose, the reigning Most Valuable Player, has a lot to lose, on and off the court, from the lockout. His ascent from All-Star to MVP was quicker than anyone anticipated, and now he’s become an international marketing star. He’s also a gym rat. The 6-foot-3 point guard has spent the summer developing a better post-up game.

Via Derrick Rose Frustrated By Lockout, 10/16/11

It’s not the first time this has come up – Rose mentioned that he was developing his post game in an interview with HoopsHype a couple of months ago. This surprised me – there aren’t a ton of point guards who post up these days and I figured Rose would make mention of defense and outside shooting before any other kind of improvement. It’s kind of a scary prospect, though, right? With his strength, size, and touch, Rose should have an advantage over almost any point guard on the block. He showed so much improvement last season that it’s not crazy to imagine him coming back with more weapons. The fact that he wants to learn how to operate on the block at age 23 is encouraging — LeBron James avoided post play for years and, despite being incredibly effective down there, still doesn’t do it enough at 26.

While it would undoubtedly help Chicago if Rose can go down low and draw more fouls, create good shots, and free up shooters, It’s fair to wonder whether this should be his focus – Henry Abbott suggested that in LeBron’s case it’s more important to improve away from the basket.

James has fairly consistently made about a third of his NBA 3-pointers. Somewhere around that percentage is the point where you’re bad enough that defenses want you to shoot 3s.

As you improve from 33 percent, however, every opportunity you get to take an open 3 is likely to improve your whole team’s offensive efficiency. Open 3s for 40 percent 3-point shooters win games, and defenses know that and go to great lengths to prevent shots like that. Making more 3s would give James a way to move defenders away from the rim — which has the potential to vastly improve the entire team’s offense.

Via The Post Is Not The Priority, 6/15/11

Rose made 33.3% of his three pointers last season. Yes, this was a huge jump from previous years and it means he was no longer a self-check behind the arc, but opponents would still much rather he settled for a three instead of getting into the lane. Just ask Luc Richard Mbah a Moute:

Letting him go to the basket is a mistake. He’s going to score no matter who is on him. But if you make him take a jump shot, over a bigger player, you have a higher chance of him missing those shots.

Me personally, I’ll play off of Rose because I know I’m long enough to contest his jump shot so I’ll give him a lot of space. He’s so quick that you can’t be tight on him, he’s going to get past you. You have to give him space and make sure you contest his jump shot.

Via Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s Scouting Report, 5/17/11

Part of Abbott’s point about James is that things would be different if the Heat were full of consistent three-point shooters. For Chicago, the same applies – Luol Deng improved last season and Keith Bogans’s percentage looks fine, but neither of them are fantastic floor spacers. Kyle Korver is money, but only plays 20 minutes per game. While it’s generally a bad idea to make it easy for opponents to double James and get the ball out of his hands, it’s an awful idea for the presently-constructed Bulls to have anyone other than Derrick Rose try to create. Putting him in the post could create some easy scoring opportunities, but against good defenses it might also put his teammates in uncomfortable positions.

For the Bulls to improve their offense, the obvious solution is finding Rose some help at the two-guard spot. With few quality wing creators available, however, it may be up to Rose to top his MVP season. I’m positively giddy picturing Derrick Rose with, say, Dwayne Wade’s post game, but perhaps his team would benefit more in the short run if he could duplicate his lights-out December for an entire season. Here’s hoping he’s still working on those threes.

“God taught Louie how to shoot, and I took credit for it.” – Adolph Rupp, University  of Kentucky head coach

Via “They Said It” by Robert H. Boyle

Years Active: 1968 – 1979

Career Stats: 15.9 ppg, 4.9 apg, 2.6 rpg, 0.8 spg, 44.4% FG, 82% FT, 35.8% 3PT

Accolades: 7x ABA All-Star (1968-70, ’72-’75), 4x All-ABA 2nd Team (1968-70, ’74), ABA All-Rookie 1st Team (1968), 1975 ABA Champion (Kentucky Colonels); ABA’s All-Time Leader in Points, Assists, Games, Minutes, Field Goals Made and Attempted, and 3-Pointers Made and Attempted

If the Lord Almighty taught any ball player how to shoot, Louie Dampier is indeed a fine candidate. His release was divine. The stroke heavenly. The touch transcendent. Dampier’s jumper wasn’t just long-range, it was fluent from downtown. His early years in the ABA were a prophetic oracle of what was to come in the NBA 25 years later.

Although drafted by the Cincinnati Royals, Dampier took to the ABA’s Kentucky Colonels during that league’s inaugural season, 1967-68. His rookie campaign was solid: 21 points, 3.5 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. Just good enough for an All-Star appearance and placement on the All-Rookie 1st team. Pretty good. But the next two seasons really saw Dampier go to town.

(more…)

“Those responses are condescending, self-serving, one-sided, and generally full of the sort of “we-will-crush-you” self-satisfaction that has defined the league’s approach to the lockout. Apart from the fact that it’s ridiculous to suggest Stern is only doing interviews because the union has willfully lied — because, you know, Stern effectively gives an interview every time he makes a public appearance — it’s insulting for him to suggest that the rank-and-file members of the players’ union are too stupid or ignorant to know that their interests aren’t being protected. Even if that were true, it’s awful to condescend so egregiously.”

Via “David Stern Engages in Media Blitz, Pretends We’re Fools” by Eric Freeman

Well that delectable roasting of Commissioner David Stern was elicited from Eric Freeman by Stern’s pompous interview with Dan Patrick. In case you missed it, there have been several other interviews given by Stern in his whirlwind tour of the United States and surely more to come. So don’t you fret. He was on ESPN, CNBC, NBA TV, Fox News, the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, and a  special sitdown with Nick News’ Linda Ellerbee. Busy man, that Stern.

Little was accomplished except the spread of gloom and doom. Especially as he threatened to cancel Christmas if no deal is reached in the Tuesday meeting which will feature the newly-appointed federal mediator. As we all continue our collective facepalm…

Let us rejoice in knowing that Stern would never have been able to slip this bitter pill of a news blitz past the great James Brown. Soul Brother #1 would have called out his jive talk on the spot. David Stern has spent the entire week  (entire lockout?) acting like a dull knife that just ain’t cuttin’. He’s done a whole lot of talkin’ but said nothin’.

 

This is the 4th installment of the Amnesty Tango series, where I allow one player per team to wiggle out of his underpaying contract.

Previous Tangos: Northwest Division -- Pacific Division -- Southwest Division

(Note: All salary information provided by Hoops Hype. Furthermore, it will be assumed all player and team options are in full effect.)

Atlanta Hawks

Sadly for the Atlanta Hawks, no member of their team is underpaid. There’s the $120 million man in Joe Johnson, but Uncle Joe has some company in the overpaid department. Josh Smith for all of his all-around spectacularism has yet to justify his $13 million a year price tag. Marvelous Marvin Williams is another twinkling star in Atlanta’s constellation of horrible contracts. Hawks fans should thank their lucky stars Al Horford is on board for $12 million a year till 2016. That may be a bargain when it’s all said and done.

Charlotte Bobcats

There’s a nagging voice that says D.J. Augustin’s current rookie deal ($3.2m) is inadequate, but his play last season may have been due solely to someone having to sop up the point guard production. We’ll wait and see. In the meantime, Gerald Henderson gets to steal away to a new deal much better than his current one ($5.35 million over two years). Speaking of Gerald Hendersons and steals…

Miami Heat

There doesn’t appear to be a franchise we’ve looked at yet that has all its players paid so in tow with their on-court worth, so far as the old CBA dictated. LeBron and Wade should be making Uncle Joe type money, but that will come in their next round of contract extensions. In the anti-Stern spirit (i.e. giving) let’s free up Udonis Haslem to make a few more hundred thousands. He’s pretty boss.

Orlando Magic

If there’s any magic left in Orlando it’s of a fiendishly black variety. Gilbert Arenas and Hedo Turkoglu soak in over $30 million a year combined until 2014. The only bargain basement deal here is Ryan Anderson making $2.2 million next year. It’s despicable when comparing the three that Anderson makes 1/10th of what Arenas does and 1/5th of Hedo’s money. Free Ryan Anderson! And strip Otis Smith of GM duties!

Washington Wizards

Completing what is pound-for-pound the worst division in basketball in terms of bad contracts, we have Rashard Lewis. Forty-five million dollars over the next two seasons. Amazingly that’s better for Washington than still having Arenas around. And there’s young sensation  John Wall! Barring any further injury, the kid is worth much more than his $5.5 million salary next year. Sure by the end of his deal he’ll be entitled to a $9.6m qualifying offer, but this is no time for prudence. It’s time for Mr. Wall to get a fly deal now.

Yup, that’s Kevin Durant! Unfortunately, I don’t have another lockout-inspired music video for you, but look at how happy he is on stage with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City. It’s cool to see those two up there together after having to hear all that garbage about them not getting along last postseason. We should already know by now that everything’s cool between KD and Russ — watching ‘em here reinforces how absurd all the controversy was.

I know I’m not alone when I say the The Thunder are the team I’m most excited to watch if/when the season gets going. If I was putting an enormous list together, I’d have OKC’s emergence as a true title contender as THE most interesting subplot to follow. I’ll be rooting for Westbrook to silence his critics and for Durant to be up there in the MVP conversation. I’ll be looking for the next step from a starting James Harden and for signs that Kendrick Perkins’s relative ineffectiveness last season had more to do with his health than anything else. This is a team that’s impossible not to like and it’s no surprise that its players genuinely love being part of the organization. Here’s hoping the next video we post of a Durant-Westbrook connection takes place on the court.

Everything was quiet and loud at the same time. That much he noticed. Shoes squeaked across the court as he stared forward and all around at once. Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce. There was the ball. And now it came towards him.

It had been a strange year for Jeff Green. The previous year hadn’t been any better, but this one just seemed odd. Coming into the season, he knew the pressure and catcalls would continue. He had been referred to as “Overrated” more often than by his own name in 2011, and he expected no different. The Celtics had signed him as a restricted free agent to a 3 year, $24 million deal. It was a fresh start.

“What do you think your role will be like this season?” The reporter with glasses asked him during preseason.

He gave his textbook answer. It was boring, and he hated saying it.

“However I can help the team win.” He decided to save “Whatever coach needs me to do,” for next time.

“You seemed a little off your game last season after the trade. Are you more comfortable now?”

Inside, he sighed.

“Yeah, I feel great. I’m fine. I’m just gonna play my game, and fit in with the schemes Coach wants me to.”

He really tried. He focused every practice and every second Coach Rivers opened his mouth, his ears He took in every word of advice, churned it over in his brain, and usually followed it. He spent countless hours outside of practice just shooting three-pointers. He spent even more  timeworking on defensive footwork, running drill after drill. No way was he going to be the “letdown guy” on an aging team.

When they reached the midpoint of the season, Green still wasn’t sure if the work paid off. It seemed like he was playing better, his numbers were up, the team was doing fine….but the same questions got asked. The perception was the same. He wondered if they’d write “Jeff Green: DISAPPOINTMENT” on his basketball tombstone. And then there was the meeting in Doc’s office.

“Hey, Jeff. Sit down.” Rivers pointed.

Jeff sat.

“How are you feeling? Knee still bothering you a little?”

“It feels fine, nothing I can’t work through. Is that what we’re talking about?”

“Well, how do you feel in general?”

“Good. We’re winning, and I’m playing. It’s good.”

“All right. Media not bothering you?”

“It’s just talk.”

“You know we love what you’re doing here.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

“All right, just wanted to see how it was.”

“Ok.” Green pushed his chair back, eager to leave. He didn’t enjoy talks like these. Doc was well-intentioned, but it was just another reminder.

“Oh, and keep working on those cuts. I like the way Rajon is finding you, but you’re opening up a little too early on the inlet. Hold it for a second.”

The most important game of the season for Green occurred on a day no one asked him any questions. This wasn’t a marquee matchup, certainly, just a showdown against the improved and middling Pistons. Doc
had told the team they’d be going small for this one.

It was a weird game by all accounts. Rodney Stuckey was making nearly every three-pointer, KG couldn’t do anything, and Jonas Jerebko made a huge impact. Richard Hamilton even got to play, scoring 12 points in a first half that mostly consisted of barely missed passes and awkward put-backs after offensive rebounds.

But, somewhere along the way, Green became the first option for the Celtics. They kept feeding him the ball in the post, in the corner for three, off of screens. And they never needed to stop, because he couldn’t miss. By the time the red lights of the fourth quarter danced on the scoreboard, Green had 42 points and 11 rebounds in tow. It was arguably the best game of his career. It felt good to Green. Really good.

The next day, there weren’t many national stories about his game. Sure, it was covered locally and on a few blogs, but it wasn’t a hallmark. For whatever reason, Green didn’t find himself caring in the slightest. He didn’t need to. His confidence had returned in full force, and it wasn’t waning, for better or worse.

Maybe it was for the worse. The Celtics lost 9 of their last 13 heading into the playoffs, and Green played terrible. After the 3rd game, he had said goodbye to his returned confidence. By the 9th game, he was refusing wide-open shots. Doc tried to convince him n0t to worry about it. Green nodded earnestly, but inside he felt nothing except fear and turmoil.

I can’t ruin this for myself and my team anymore. I just can’t. Predictable self-doubt wracked Green.

Much to the chagrin of experts and other Eastern Conference playoff teams, the Celtics woke from their old-person slumber just on time. Garnett was rejuvenated, Pierce finally felt healthy, Allen picked his spots, and Rondo set each of them up perfectly. It looked like the 2009 Celtics all over again, give or take a few pieces. Green wasn’t perfect. Far from it, and he knew it. But he was part of this awakening, and he filled his role serviceably. There could be no wasted minutes at such a crucial time.

The stars aligned in the Celtics’ favor as they journeyed through the playoffs. They easily swept the Sixers (playing without an injured Andre Iguodala) in the first round, and moved on to face the ever-present Hawks. That series was slightly harder, but a deep 3 from Joe Johnson thudded off the backboard as time expired in game 6, and the Eastern Conference Finals awaited. There, they met a surprising Knicks’ team that had, against all likelihood, embraced defense and upset the Miami Heat in the previous round. The Knicks looked far better than the Celtics as the series began, but things slowly started to swing the Celtics’ way. Carmelo’s shot seemed to fade as the games continued, and had all but disappeared as the series reached a pivotal game 7. The Celtics were victorious, and suddenly, they found themselves where few would have predicted: The NBA Finals, facing one last rematch against their perennial rival, the Lakers.

Allen, Pierce, and Garnett understood this would likely be their last shot to add another title. Garnett’s eyes flared with every play, and Pierce and Allen followed suit. But they were aging, and quickly. They simply couldn’t be relied on during the bulk of minutes, and so Green and Rondo were called upon to carry much of the burden as games neared their end.

There was a moment before Game 3 between the two that brought a realization Green desperately desired and needed. Rondo sat down next to him in the locker room, tying his shoes. His face was expressionless, as it always was before a key game.

“You ready?” Rondo asked.

“Sure.”

“Just sure?”

“I’m ready.”

“You know what I need from you today?” A smile flickered across Rondo’s face.

“What?”

“50 points.”

Green balked.

“I don’t know..”

Now Rondo was laughing.

“It was a joke,” he looked up from his shoes and stared at Green,”Just play basketball, dammit.”

They lost Game 3, but Green played carefree for only the second time that season. In his own mind, he was back in full force.

They were down a game, but Green was up, and in a big way. After four straight 20+ point performances by Green on better than 50% shooting, the series was tied. Another Game 7. A big one.

Little was said before the game, except by the recently re-acquired Nate Robinson, whose chatter was oddly comforting before a tense ordeal. But all that really needed to be said could be seen in KG’s eyes.

A close game predictably ensued. In typical fashion, it came down to the final possession. The Celtics had the ball with nine seconds remaining, down 95-93. As they huddled around Coach Rivers after a timeout, every Celtic knew the play call. Green would screen for Ray, Rondo would pass to Ray at the top of the key, and Ray would shoot the 3. They knew this play, and they trusted it.

As Rondo caught the ball off the inbounds and began dribbling, Green moved to set the screen. Everything seemed to go perfectly, as Green collided legally and exactly with a Ray Allen-chasing Kobe Bryant. Ray seemed open for just a second, before Lamar Odom (who had been covering Green) moved quickly towards Ray along with a reeling Kobe. Rondo hesitated to pass, and the brief window was closed. It was then that Green slid to the side of Ray, past the two covering defenders, and into the wide-open space beside him.

Everything was quiet and loud at the same time. That much he noticed. Shoes squeaked across the court as he stared forward and all around at once. Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce. There was the ball. And now it came towards him.

Green’s eyes glanced at the clock for the shortest moment, recognizing the situation. Only 2.3 seconds remained. Green caught the ball. His arms limply reached, hollow and detached, as the ball reached his hands. His legs kicked into the air as he forced his deadened arms upwards with the ball, and released it.

Go. Go. Just go.

The ball met the net as the buzzer sounded, and Green felt only quiet redemption as he was surrounded by teammates.

 

Here at Hardwood Paroxysm, we appreciate the music created by our favorite athletes, whether bad or good (Sean Highkin has covered some of this). No NBA player turned musician has impressed me more than Gordon Hayward, in his brief turn as “G-Time”. I’ve decided to analyze his hit single, “Too Big Yo”, in order to further understand the short and indefinite rap career of G-Time.

 

This is G-Time right here, I’m gonna introduce B-Rizzle on the mic, along with Gino. Let’s do this real quick one time.

Just one time? Crap.

 

Yo I drive to the cup 

Just call me Ronnie.

Step back, three-ball’s wet

Like Dasani.

This is a promising start. He immediately nails three of the central pillars of rapping strength: Dasani references, hardcore rap names like “Ronnie”, and focusing on your own success.

 

I got balls

Waiting on the rack

I put up charges 

Call me Mr. Mack.

This paragraph returns to Mr. Hayward’s focus: He is good at the game of basketball. So good, in fact, that basketballs wait for him, not the other way around.

 

Rebound, pop

I go hard when I crash.

I can be a point

Dish, dime, I’m like Steve Nash.

Sure, this may seem just like more comparisons to quality basketball skills and other successful basketball players, but that misses the much larger symbolism here. He feels the pressure t0 d0 everything, to be everything. He goes “hard”, but he crashes. He even puts up the front of being like Steve Nash. You’ll have to show me a Canadian birth certificate before I buy into that theory.

 

Call me Rip

Cuz I got the mid-range, 

Game on the line, 

Call me King James.

In retrospect, a Rip Hamilton reference doesn’t hold up that well. But other than that, this might be my favorite stanza of all. I remember when Hayward first came into the league, everyone thought, “You know what would be a great nickname for that Gordon Hayward kid? King James.” Also, I’m not sure if “Game on the line/Call me King James.” would hold up too well with contemporary basketball fans. 

 

Yeah, just want to be on the top

With a triple-double,

I practice at the church,

I practice at the (indiscernible).

He wants to be at several places, but he’s probably at the top of a church.

 

Both those places

Are my home court.

Check the ball rook,

I defend my court.

You know, the term “home court” would usually imply only one court. Not with Gordon Hayward. Maybe every court is his home court. Maybe your court isn’t safe. Maybe it isn’t yours at all.

 

I’m too big yo

Too big yo

I’m too big too big too big yo

Here we find ourselves at the heart of the song: “Bigness”. Does being “too big” (yo) imply a simple size advantage, or his larger-than-life capabilities? Ponder on, listener. 

 

(Other person known as “Gino” raps for a couple of stanzas, and then banter ensues.)

 

(Banter)

Hayward: I’m too big yo!

(Presumably) B-Rizzle: Nah man, I’m too big though.

Gino: Hold up, I’m small though.

B-Rizzle: It’s all good, man. I’m tall though!

Hayward: Yo, I’m too big though!

This is the banter part of the song, I guess. It seems mostly centered around the word “though”, though.

 

I’m too big yo

Too big Too big Too big yo

So let’s go

Cuz…..

This is still enjoyable. And here comes Hayward on the mic!

 

Yo, the name’s G-Time

Big frame big game

Call me Big Time.

I can’t keep up with all these nicknames! 

 

Ball hard every night

And every day.

From the ‘Burgh

I rep it in a big way!

For some people, “balling hard” during the day is not enough. But not for Hayward. The night isn’t safe. Also, extra points for the rare rap shout-out to Pittsburgh.

 

Come to close,

I’ll hit you with the blow by.

Straight to the rim,

I’m just too high. 

You already know.

 

Stay back

And I’ll hit the J.

Try to stop me 

There’s just no wayyyyy. 

This is when the big secret finally comes out: There literally isn’t a way to stop Hayward. Seriously, there isn’t. That’s like five Ys used in the word “way”. Just go home.

 

But it’s not about me, 

It’s about the team.

Going to the tourney

With a full head of steam.

Hayward stays grounded, y’all.

 

(Indiscernible) so close, 

It’s at our back door.

Get a few dubs (Ws)

We’ll be in the Final Four!

Gordon Hayward is clearly not only an adequate basketball player, he also has incredible prediction skills. 

 

Not stoppin’ there, 

That’s not in store.

Push it to the limit, 

We want more.

If by “more”, you meant one more win and almost winning a national championship, you nailed it, Gordon Hayward. 

 

 

Hayward: Yeahhhhh. I’m too tall yo! 

Gino: Yo I’m too small though.

B-Rizzle: I’m right in the middle, dawg. 

Yo, yo…

Finally, we get some clarity about the exact location about our now favorite rappers. 

 

 

Too big yo 

Too big too big too big yo

Let’s go.

(Random screams)

Indeed, let us go, Gordon Hayward. Let us go to a land of basketball, where you can be yourself and just “too big yo” without anyone judging you. 

 

 

 

I always suspected as much. After seeing him find Ray Allen on a crazy over the shoulder kick out, I had a hunch that some sort of super sensory perception was at work. The video below confirms it: Rajon Rondo has psychic powers.

Thanks to @RIC_THE_LEGEND for exposing me to the awesomeness of this video.

More than anything else, the NBA lockout has denied fans their fix of top notch basketball from the world’s best basketball players. With those players being denied a chance to play against each other, some have chosen to take to other basketball leagues outside of the United States, where the competition may not be as fierce, but it is at least existent.

Well, it just so happens that this blogger lives in one of these “other” basketball countries, thus enabling him the chance to witness NBA players in the flesh for the first time since he was in MSG as this happened. So until the lockout is over, I will provide a (hopefully) weekly update about the adventures of the 4 NBA players who have taken their talents to Israel until the lockout ends – and other fringe NBA prospects, if they are interesting enough.

Officially, this was the first week of Israeli basketball. But while “games” are already taking place, these aren’t actual league games, but a (completely pointless) “tournament” called the Chance Cup. Essentially a shortened preseason, the Chance Cup is a knockout tournament which has no bearing whatsoever on anything. However, after an entire summer of no basketball, and until official Israeli League games tip off next Sunday, we take what we can get.

On to our NBA delegates.

Avery Bradley, Hapoel Jerusalem

Sadly, we have yet to see Bradley take Israeli courts by storm. The Celtics guard landed in Israel on Sunday, missing Hapoel’s game against Maccabi Ashdod, and was yet to be in uniform for their Tuesday matchup against bitter rival Maccabi Tel Aviv. Hope to see you soon, Avery.

Trevor Booker, Bnei HaSharon/Herzeliya

Booker didn’t take part in Bnei HaSharon’s Sunday loss to Maccabi Rishon Lezion due to an injury that will hopefully subside soon. We await his return/arrival.

Craig Brackins, Maccabi Ashdod

Finally, a dude who actually played this week. And boy, did he play. Brackins suited up for Ashdod against Jerusalem on Sunday, and though his team lost 75-64, Brackins had the jumper working all night long. The box score lists him at 17 points with 8 of 17 shooting (1 three), but most of these shots were incredibly difficult fadeaways with the shot clock winding down, and several went in anyway. No matter where on the court or who was defending, Brackins just rainbowed it in.

Brackins offered very little other than scoring, though, with just 3 rebounds in 29 minutes, only 2 free throws (both misses) and a +/- of -6. Though this is very, very, ridiculously early in Brackins’s European career, it was a perfect microcosm of why he’s problematic as an NBA player: the dude is first and foremost a scoring tweener forward. In Europe, where that tweener label goes off and he’s a full blown 4, he’s incredibly good.

Despite all this, I think he can definitely contribute in the NBA down the road. Getting major minutes as the focal point of a team will go a long way towards getting him there.

Jordan Farmar, Maccabi Tel Aviv

The biggest name Israeli basketball has had in a long time was also the best NBA player of the week. The numbers are nice, if not huge – 14 and 5 in 20 minutes against Barak Netanya during a ridiculous 51 point win, 13 and 4 on 3 for 9 shooting against Hapoel Jerusalem, and a total of 36 points and 14 assists in 3 games in the Adriatic League, in which Maccabi is a participant. But Jordan doesn’t need to be spectacular for Maccabi, whose main competition is top-notch European squads that they have yet to meet in these early stages. Though he brings the star power, all Maccabi needs Farmar to do is to run the show for an incredibly deep team with their biggest concerns manifesting in backcourt depth.

And so far, he’s done a fantastic job. Maccabi has destroyed everybody in their path, and the offense has run smoothly. Elite three point shooters such as former Duke guard Jon Scheyer, former USC Trojan and nationalized Israeli David Blu, and Guy Pnini have been getting one open three after another, the bigs led by Greek giant Sofoklis Schortsanitis and forward Lior Eliyahu (second round pick in 2006, Rockets hold rights) have been engaged throughout, and the entire machine is humming. Nobody has had a bigger part in this than Farmar, though it really has been a concerted team effort. It’s important to remember that Farmar was brought in partially for the glamour, partially with the hope that he’ll remain for Euroleague’s final moments later this season, but as far as actual basketball goes, he’s looking good so far.

Other interesting guys

Former Phoenix Sun D.J. Strawberry has looked great for Hapoel so far. D.J. has been extremely active everywhere on the court, bringing both athleticism and hustle, and even stroking the outside shot that prevented him from making it in the NBA. D.J. went off for 28 against Maccabi on Tuesday and is exciting the crap out of me.

Hapoel teammate and 2009 second round pick (Miami) Jarvis Varnado has left a similarly strong first impression. The NCAA’s all-time leading shot blocker is already swatting everything in sight, managed to completely take Sofo out of his game on Tuesday, and is also displaying a very nice passing game out of the post. Sadly, he can’t do much scoring and/or dribbling without losing the ball while there, but he can help (or, at the very least, not hurt) a team offensively while acting as a defensive savant. I think this guy has NBA potential as a defensive center who can set picks and make strong cuts on offense, though he definitely needs to add a lot of weight if he doesn’t want NBA big men to destroy him down low.

Final Hapoel player update (my Hapoel bias showing off incredibly early in this series) – Luke Jackson scored 20 points on 10 shots to go with 5 boards and 4 steals during a dominant performance on Sunday. He proceeded to be completely anemic on Tuesday (though he finished with 12), disappearing for long stretches and losing the ball time and time again when Hapoel inexplicably counted on him for ball handling. Don’t count on Luke Jackson for ball handling, folks.

Former Florida Gator and recent Jewish convert Alex Tyus played well next to Brackins in the first official game of his professional career. Tyus can’t score unless he’s dunking or laying it in – occasionally he even missing the latter – which, combined with his size, probably kills off any NBA chances. However, he is extremely athletic and active offensively, scoring off put backs and cuts. He looks like a potentially good defender as well, with his size being less of a weakness in the European game. He should be able to carve out a nice career in Europe. Perhaps even more importantly, the shape of his head and the speed at which he’s balding create a look that is eerily similar to Karl Malone, which is always good.

Not really close to being even a fringe NBA guy at this point in his career, but former Virginia Cavalier Devin Smith is shooting lights out for Maccabi so far this season.

Couldn’t catch Sylven Landesberg in action, but he scored 16 points in Maccabi Haifa’s 85-68 loss against Ironi Ashkelon. Landesberg remains incredibly awesome.

In the pointless PR war that the NBA and its players’ union insist on having, there are very clear cut winners. To the casual fan, the players are a greedy bunch who are refusing to play unless they can maintain their irrationally high share of the pie; to the hardcore NBA freak, owners are being unreasonable in expecting that the players and the players alone be responsible for creating an environment that guarantees profitability. This is obviously not a clean split – I’m sure several casual fans are mad at the Gilberts and the Sarvers of the world, and that many people whose ideal mid-January Tuesday night involves a date with the Bobcats and the Timberwolves are blaming the hard-headedness of Derek Fisher’s constituents – but this is generally how things go.

One thing is for certain, though: regardless of the prism through which you’re viewing the current labor dispute, NBA owners are a problem. A problem that is rarely spoken of, due to the mysterious cloud behind the NBA ownership club. The 30-party institution does extensive, secretive background checks on its future members – remember the Mikhail Prokhorov saga? – but once anybody becomes an NBA owner, he’s pretty much granted a free pass. Are you a convicted racist slumlord? Do you pop out horrendous atrocities whenever you’re bored? It’s all right, dog! You’re one of us! Just sit down in that couch, grab a beer and join in on the Billy Hunter jokes. Today’s focus is “how funny his hair looks”.

It’s not that terrible owners are exclusive to the NBA, or as if their existence is in any way surprising. Owning a sports team is one of the highest status symbols available in modern society, and regardless of how business savvy you have to be to afford such a distinction, sometimes it gets to your head. Just look at the Blazers’ Paul Allen, one of the richest men alive, who, despite being a major part in the success of an international giant, has too much ego to admit that “hey, maybe Kevin Pritchard and/or Rich Cho know more about evaluating NBA talent than I do”. Or look at Michael Heisley, whose net worth is estimated at 1.5 billion according to Forbes, and yet he admitted last summer that he hadn’t read what was then the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

What is surprising is how little the league does to prevent bad owners from driving their teams into the ground. The ousting/buying out of George Shinn from New Orleans last season gives us a recent example of the NBA washing its hands from an owner who was nothing but bad news, but we must remember that it was virtually unprecedented; meanwhile, in another part of town, the Maloofs probably can’t even afford a nice bottle of wine to drown their sorrow in, and yet they still hold the right to move an entire franchise if the city of Sacramento can’t draw up a plan to build them a new arena. Player salaries may or may not have created a $450 million loss for the league last year, but shouldn’t a league crying poverty try to maximize every single asset it has? Like, for instance, not letting Donald Sterling destroy the viability of what should be an incredibly profitable large market team (somehow, the Clippers still make money while being more of a punchline than a basketball team, but the potential for more revenue is being severely wasted), or telling Robert Sarver that it’s all right if he can’t afford to pick a late first rounder, but if that is the case, could he please leave?

It’s for these reasons and more that fans complain about their owners loud and often. And nowhere is this more prevalent than during this mess of a lockout. Millions of fans want to watch NBA basketball, and are being prevented from doing so. How much the players are to blame for this is irrelevant – NBA players can’t be replaced with other basketball players without seeing a dramatic drop in the quality of play. NBA owners, though? The very notion that owners are playing even the slightest part in this lockout means that they are outliving their usefulness. There may be less billionaires available than world-class basketball players, but there are still enough billionaires to give us 30 that don’t get in the way. The owners are nothing but a middle man, an unfortunate necessity on the way to what we truly desire.

But are they even a necessity at all?

Lemonade Stands Selling Sports Teams

My favorite sport is basketball. As such, my favorite sports league is the NBA. But my favorite sports team has nothing to do with lockouts and BRI splits. My favorite team comes from the city in which I was born, raised, and currently live in: Hapoel Jerusalem. And Hapoel Jerusalem’s soccer team provides an interesting case in sports ownership.

The club’s soccer team has been, for quite a while, pretty terrible. Last relegated from the top-tier Israeli soccer league in the 1999-2000 season, the team was mired in an ownership fiasco that would put the Atlanta Hawks to shame. For years on end, there was an ongoing dispute between owner Yossi Sassi and former team director Victor Yona over who deserves full control of the team. As the litigation progress dragged on and on, it sucked the life force out of the squad both on the soccer pitch and off it. Neither side was willing to invest more than the minimum on player costs, and neither side was willing to sell his share, determined to prove more his resolve is stronger than that of his opponent, rationality be damned (sound familiar, locked out NBA fans?).

For years, desperate Hapoel Jerusalem fans scoured the country for potential buyers who would relieve both disputing sides of their harmful fight. For years, these fans’ attempts were thwarted. As a result, Hapoel alternated between the second and third tier Israeli soccer leagues as fans alternated between weeping to the heavens and losing hope.

Until finally, they could take no more.

In the summer of 2007, an extraordinary initiative was born. A group of fans banded together, intent on buying the team. When no agreement could be made with Sassi on a purchase, the fans didn’t give up. They turned instead to another, smaller club called Hapoel Mevasseret Zion/Abu Gosh (named after two Jerusalem suburbs in which it played), then of Israel’s 4^th-tier league. The fans bought the club, and changed it’s name to Hapoel Mevasseret/Katamon – Katamon being a neighborhood in Jerusalem, which was the venue of Hapoel’s home games was from the mid-fifties and into the eighties.

As a team that belonged to the fans, ownership was open to everybody who wanted. All one needed to give was proof of his fandom and 1000 Shekels (about $250 back in 2007 rates), and he was given a share. In my neighborhood’s commercial center (and others as well, I assume) a small stand was formed, behind which two people dressed in red and black shirts and scarves spoke to passersby, explaining the situation and their plight. The old “Hapoel Jerusalem” was abandoned as a corrupt entity void of spirit; for all intents and purposes, Hapoel Katamon was now Hapoel Jerusalem. Chants sung by fans during games said as much.

The project was as controversial as it was original. Many accusations of disloyalty were launched at Katamonites. “True fans don’t leave a team because of crappy owners”, it was said. It didn’t matter. Despite playing virtually anonymous teams that bordered on amateurism, the team drew thousands of fans each game, more than some first-tier Israel league games.

After two years, the agreement with the Mevasseret side of Mevasseret/Katamon blew over and fell apart. The club was re-instated as Hapoel Mevasseret, and Katamonites instead founded a completely new institution in the lowest-tier Israeli league available, under the name “Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem”. Despite the setback, the passion remained. Today Hapoel Katamon plays in the third-tier league and has ambitions of advancing to the second – which just happens to include the old Hapoel Jerusalem, still playing under their original fan, now with Sassi as its only owner.

Perhaps more than that, Katamon set a precedent. Shortly after Katamon was founded, fans of Hapoel Tel-Aviv’s basketball team, which was similarly decimated by troublesome ownership, created a new squad called Hapoel Usishkin – named after Hapoel Tel Aviv’s legendary Usishkin arena, which was controversially torn down. Hapoel Usishkin was eventually renamed Hapoel Tel Aviv – thus re-instating the lost squad, under fan ownership.

Different Scales

Could Hapoel Katamon and Hapoel Usishkin serve inspiration to fan-owned basketball franchises?

Well, hardly. Katamon and Usishkin have, at the very least, risen to the point of recognition as viable sports teams, but both have yet to even advance to the top-tier league of their respective sport (though Usishkin was close last year), and both are on a completely different financial scale as the NBA. Forget the problematic idea of an NBA team’s directory being chosen via election amongst share-holders and focus on the preliminary act of actually buying a team: say, if the residents of Arizona decide to oust Robert Sarver by reimbursing him on his $400 million investment from 2004, then using the Katamon method of $250 per share, you have 1.6 million shares to sell. Then, assuming you found enough excited Suns fans to raise such amounts, you need money for everyday operations, which I somehow imagine are slightly more expensive than those of a third-tier Israeli soccer club, even when accounting for the far vaster income of revenue.

So while these moves were unprecedented in the Israeli sports world, they are also impossible to project upon NBA levels. A more viable model is probably that of European soccer, where fan-operated clubs are hardly a scarce breed. The world’s most successful soccer club these past years, FC Barcelona, is a fan-owned club, as is its bitter rival and fellow heavyweight, Real Madrid. Both clubs use membership-based systems. The official site of FC Barcelona, for example, lists under the advantages of it’s membership zone the ability to vote for both the club’s president and it’s annual delegates assembly.

Perhaps even more interesting is the case of the Bundesliga, Germany’s top-flight soccer league. In 1999, the Bundesliga instituted what is called the 50+1 rule, which dictates that the majority of a club’s shares – 50%, plus one share – must be held by its club members. The idea behind this rule is to abolish situations in which an investor buys a team for his own personal financial gain, sends it tumbling towards bankruptcy and walks out the door. The only exception to this rule is that an investor who has been linked to a team for over 20 years is allowed to hold a majority share – under the assumption that 20 years is an adequate amount of time to prove that said investor is serious about his commitment to the team, and is financially capable of supporting it without leading to its eventual demise.

This comes in sharp contrast to other European soccer leagues, in which oligarchs and tycoons often purchase teams and do as they please with them. In the English Premier League, for example, Chelsea rose to prominence in the early 2000s behind the financial dominance of Roman Abramovich. Similarly, Manchester City has spent with frightening exuberance since being purchased by an Abu Dhabi based group in 2008. But those are just successful examples: on the other, sadder end of the dollar bill, one would find Portsmouth, who has suffered dire financial problems as well as relegation since the purchase of the team by Alexandre Gaydamak and the subsequent frivolous spending sent the club into a tailspin. The 50+1 rule is meant to prevent such situations – nobody wants to be optimistically drawn into a new era of ownership, only to see their team crash and burn under the financial distress that follows. We’ve seen this too many times – in the NBA as well.

Paying For The Right To Pay

Of course, we must once again remind you that life is not that simple. The NBA and European sports are dramatically different, with the largest difference being – obviously, since this is a lockout piece – the CBA and all that it entails. Specifically, its effects on the transfer market.

In European soccer, if a team wants to acquire a player who is under contract with another team, they may buy him outright as long as the other team is aptly compensated. Compensation is then negotiated between each two teams for every transfer that is not the signing of a free agent.  For example, when Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid, not only did Real agree to give him €11 million per year – they also gave Manchester £80 million. Could you imagine this happening in the NBA? Teams could probably pay for their entire rosters just by selling a single player to James Dolan.

This creates a situation in which major European squads not only spend boatloads of cash in compensating their players, but they do so also to compensate each other, creating massive debts along the way. Almost every major soccer team has debts that are measured in tens, if not hundreds of millions. For example, ESPN reported this June that Barcelona – again, the best soccer team in the world the past 3 years, a lean, mean, revenue making machine, and the magical flag bearer of sports socialism – has a “gross debt of around €483m” and that the ”net debt is at €364″… and this is actually an improvement over last year.

Under a system that allows for unlimited spending both for the right to pay players and for the actual payment, teams spend much more than they actually have. This could never happen in the NBA – teams can spend a lot of money on players, but there is a self-imposed limit, even if it is a loose one.

For the 50+1 Bundesliga, this creates a problem. With the majority share of every club being held by the fans, German teams lack the financial fortitude to make major, Ronaldo-esque purchases, thus preventing them from buying the top players in the world, inevitably costing the league in quality. Indeed, the last German squad to win the Champions League was Bayern Munich in 2001, and since Germany has produced only two Champions League finalists.

This isn’t the only place where the German 50+1 rule acts as a double-edged sword: it scares investors away. Because if you’re putting your money into a soccer team, you probably won’t be very happy if a bunch of brats can veto your every move. A system in which all team-created revenue goes right back to funding the team is all nice in theory, but that revenue isn’t necessarily sufficient for funding the team all on its own. You still need the investors, only the investors lose incentive once they lose the prospect of control.

On the other hand, the 50+1 rule enable teams conserve to their identity without running the risk of being reduced to dollar signs in jerseys. A fan-owned, fan-operated team will always remain close to the fans: otherwise, they’ll run things differently. The rule is not a clear-cut win, and it’s not a clear cut loss, but when Hannover 96 president Martin Kind moved to get rid of the rule in past years, he was incapable of gathering the two-third majority needed to do so. In the fight between fans and would-be owners, Germany chose the fans.

Projecting Unto America

The example of a community-based franchise that operates under the rules closest to the NBA’s would be the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. The Packers  are officially recognized as a non-profit organization, with almost 5 million stocks being held by almost 112,000 fans. As in European soccer, this “ownership group” elects a president and executives, and all profits are either thrown back into the large cookie jar from which money is taken to fund the team, or given to charity.

Of course, the amount of revenue that the NFL grosses is incomparable with that of the NBA. The same things that make NFL teams so profitable also bond to make the idea of a non-profit NFL team viable; in the NBA, where 22 teams are claiming to lose money and revenue isn’t nearly as high, this would obviously be a problem. And no mention of the Packers’ unique situation can be made without pointing out that corporate membership is, in fact, illegal in the NFL – the Packers are only exempt because they are operated in such a manner since 1923, well before the corporate membership rule was passed, and as such, they were grandfathered in.

Which sends us back to the question that started the entire lockout in the first place: how much money are the owners really losing? If we look at the old 57-43 BRI split, and hypothetically replace all NBA owners with well intentioned fan groups, thus entirely eliminating the need for profit going to any kind of ownership groups, and creating a self-funding organism, is the ordeal functional? (Note: I know very little of finances and may be completely losing touch with any semblance of reality, even for something defined as a very, very hypothetical situation. If this is indeed the case, I apologize).

Once you eliminate all revenue that goes towards player salaries, you are now left with 43% of all BRI, plus all non-BRI profits, as money that goes towards running the league’s every day cost. Assuming BRI is set at $4 billion, that gives you $860 million plus non-BRI to run operational costs. Is this enough? I don’t know. If you believe current NBA owners, then not really. Then again, I’m not sure that I do.

I have no idea how much it costs to run an NBA team once player salaries are accounted for, and I have no idea how much non-BRI revenue the league rakes in. Without ownership groups that own arenas, you now need to pay for venues. You need to pay for charter planes and hotel rooms. $860 million is a lot of money, but running the entire NBA is also a lot of money. Perhaps more money than what can be raised with no investments other than the love and passion of membership owning fans.

Regardless, an NBA team under total fan ownership is an extreme that is neither achievable nor desirable. Wax poetic as we may on the sentimental purity of sports, there is too much money involved in the ordeal to turn an entire league into a non-profit organization. The owners of the 8 profitable NBA teams, as well as most if not all of the owners of the self-described 22 money-losing teams, would  laugh in your face if you offered them the prospect of getting bought out of the game at a break-even price, and not just because of the social perks that come with being an NBA owner – it’s a golden business opportunity if you do it right.

Doing It Right

The problem is that the NBA isn’t insistent enough on doing it right. Both with making business decisions that will help themselves, and with actually caring about the fans that they supposedly represent. NBA owners are given too much of a carte blanche with their NBA teams, with complete disregard for their communities’ role in what those teams actually represent. Even if your team gets lucky enough to draft a hall of fame power forward, you never know if you’ll be lucky enough to root for Peter Holt or Glen Taylor – and no matter which team you’re for, you’ll get both owners on your labor negotiations committee.

Fan-owned teams are the very definition of being just with one’s fanbase – but as mentioned, it is implausible. Most examples of fan-based operations fit in one of three categories: either a small-scale start, with the Packers serving as a prime example of possible growth, and Israeli sports an example of, at least in present times, remaining small; being part of an age-old tradition that was just transferred into modern times, such as the Spanish soccer teams; or the result of litigation, such as the 50+1 Bundesliga rule. The NBA surely misses out on the first 2 groups; meanwhile, litigation in the name of distributing sports teams among the people is incredibly unlikely.

As for viability, though? I wouldn’t rule it out. While teams that are owned solely by fans require a certain level of profitability that may be out of the NBA’s reach, the Bundesliga’s model is one that I believe could translate to the NBA. With the NBA serving as the consensus top basketball league in the world, as well as the richest one by far, it doesn’t run the risk of failing to attract the world’s best players, and it doesn’t run the risk of bidding wars; and even though allowing only limited shares and thereby limited profits to investors will deter many potential buyers, the glamour of being a part in as unique an operation as an NBA team would still attract businessmen. And in adopting a variation of the 50+1 rule’s 20 year provision, the NBA could grandfather in iconic owners such as Jerry Buss, with the potential to pass on the team to Laker Nation in due time (of course, Donald Sterling would also be eligible for grandfathering, but we could just get rid of him instead). At the very least, basketball starving communities who have the necessary fan support to pull this sort of thing off can stop being held hostage.

But perhaps the greatest supporting argument for fan-ownership can be found here, in an extensive historic review of Boston Celtics L.P., the limited partnership that acts as the operator of the (you guessed it) Boston Celtics:

Following Stern’s suggestion, [then Celtic owners - N.S.] Gaston, Dupee, and Cohen formed a master limited partnership named Boston Celtics L.P. that enabled the three owners to avoid paying a substantial percentage of taxes on revenue the franchise generated and provided for the distribution of shares of Boston Celtics stock to the public, a first for a professional sports franchise. In 1986, 2.6 million Celtics shares, representing 40 percent of the team, were offered to the public at $18.50 per share, from which the three owners earned $44.74 million in proceeds. After the public offering, Gaston owned 32.5 percent of the Celtics, Dupee owned 14.7 percent, and Cohen owned 11.8 percent, more than enough to continue with their ownership unchallenged by all others.

via Boston Celtics Limited Partnership: Information from Answers.com.

Unlike other examples, I couldn’t tell what power, if any, was given to public Celtic “shareholders” (I assume that not much, since the entire point in selling only 40% of the team was to keep a majority share), or whether this is still in any way relevant to the current makeup of the team. However, two things stand out in this paragraph:

1. The Celtics sold shares to fans, and made money off it. At the very least, fans in ownership groups has a precedent.

2. There was once a time when David Stern gave his owners creative ideas regarding how they can run their teams. Funny how that works.

The way I see it, if fan ownership is good enough for some of the world’s biggest sports leagues, it’s good enough for the NBA. The only problem is that whether it comes in the form of agreeing to sell or agreeing to be a minor investor, it requires NBA owners to play along. And if NBA owners had played along, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.

Many thanks to Tim Donahue and Brett Koremenos for helping with the research leading up to this piece.