6 MVPs

James Harden has been breaking ankles and grabbing headlines all season. Since acquiring Chris Paul last summer, Harden and the Houston Rockets have been on a major tear against almost every team in the league. Without a doubt, the Houston Rockets are the best team in the NBA right now and that has everything to do with James Harden. There is a good chance that Harden may finally take the MVP trophy home this year. However, there are a few other worthy candidates (in no particular order) that deserve some attention.

1. LeBron James

Photo Credit: Cavs Nation

There is a shelf somewhere in Cleveland that is holding four of these trophies. That shelf would be found in the home of LeBron James. James, in his 15th season, has continued his utter dominance of this league. He is averaging 27 points a game while shooting 54% from the field. He is also averaging 8.4 rebounds and 9 assists a game. All this while being 33 years old has his name right behind Harden’s for the MVP award this season. He certainly would be one of the oldest players to win the award. Regardless, his high level of play certainly should not go unnoticed and LeBron James is a worthy candidate.

2. Stephen Curry

Photo Credit: NBC Sports

Another former MVP, Curry has been leading the Golden State Warriors in scoring this season. However, he recently went down with yet another injury and will not be back until the playoffs. Averaging 26.3 points per game while shooting 42.4% from deep, Curry has been a problem for most of the teams around the league when he was healthy. Without him the Warriors are still second in the West. Once he returns, though, he will look to march his team back to the finals and demonstrate why he deserves to be a part of this conversation.

3. Russell Westbrook

Photo Credit: Slam Magazine

Westbrook is the reigning MVP thanks to his triple double berth last season. He was the first player to ever average a triple double and now it looks like he may be the first to do it consecutively. On the season, Westbrook is averaging 25.4 points along with 9.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game. He is literally 0.3 rebounds away from averaging a triple double once again. Not to mention, the Oklahoma City Thunder are fourth in the Western Conference after having a shaky start to the season. Westbrook has been the turnaround guy for the Thunder. If he continues this trajectory, even with a few games left, Westbrook could be the first player to average a triple double two seasons in a row. That historical prospect certainly earns him a spot in the MVP conversation.

4. Anthony Davis

Photo Credit: Complex

Already hailed as the best player under 25 years old, Anthony Davis has been on a tear all season long. In addition to dropping 28.2 points per game, he also averages 11.1 rebounds per game. Not to mention, he leads the league in blocks, with 2.4 blocks per game. His physical dominance demonstrated itself when he scored 50 points twice this season without relying on the three-point line. His phenomenal play has pushed the Pelicans into the playoff picture, in spite of the devastating injury to DeMarcus Cousins. Davis has been stepping up all season long and his stellar play earns him a place on this list.

5. Damian Lillard

Photo Credit: Oregon Sports News

Lillard was named an All-star for the first time this season and has certainly been playing like it. Lillard averages 26.6 points a game while shooting 44.1 % from the field. Additionally, he also averages 4.4 rebounds as well as 6.5 assists. More than anything, though, he has propelled the Portland Trailblazers to third in the West. The only teams doing better in the West than the Blazers are the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors. Lillard is right at the center of Portland’s game plan and he should not be isolated from the MVP conversation.

6. DeMar DeRozan

Photo Credit: Sportsnet

DeRozan is the best player on the best team in the East. While playing less minutes due to Toronto’s rotation strategy, DeRozan is averaging 23.6 points per game along with four rebounds and 5.1 assists. He has consistently been scoring at 45.8% from the field thanks to his athleticism and deadly mid-ranger jumper. Taking his lead, the Toronto Raptors clinched a playoff spot and hope DeRozan will be able to lead them to the promised land. That prospect and his great play make him an MVP candidate.

As the 2017-2018 season one of the above will be considered for the MVP. As the season comes to a close each of them will be fighting for the honor of taking that trophy home, either for the first time or the fifth.

Andre Oge

Can Russell Westbrook lead the Thunder back to the Finals?

Russ Westbrook got better this summer. I’ll tell you that!!!!!!!! 🤷🏾‍♂️

— Brandon Jennings (@brandonjennings) September 7, 2017

Brandon Jennings recently tweeted that last season’s MVP, Russell Westbrook, got better this summer. If anyone has seen Westbrook’s highlights from his recent summer league videos, they would know that Jennings is on to something. Averaging 31.6 points per game along with 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists during the regular season last year, it’s hard to imagine Russell Westbrook getting any better. He’s already a top five player in this league and is dominant on both sides of the ball. His killer athleticism and improved shooting only makes him all the more dangerous. If Jennings is right then it may not be too long before fans see Russell Westbrook showing off his own championship ring.

After Kevin Durant left the Thunder many thought the team would fall apart. Westbrook simply would not let that happen. Thanks to his truly spectacular play, he led the team to the sixth seed in the West. Unfortunately, the Thunder suffered an early exit in the playoffs to the Houston Rockets. That, of course, doesn’t take away from how hard Westbrook worked last year. He ended up winning the MVP over both James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, cementing his dominance over the league. Brandon Jennings’ tweet reveals that Westbrook is looking to build off of that, not slacking off even a bit this summer. He wants to dethrone the Golden State Warriors as the West’s dynasty.

Of course, a basketball team is more than just an army of one. Russell’s outstanding and exemplary play doesn’t mean that he doesn’t need to have a solid team. Last season, it was abundantly clear that come playoff time Oklahoma, as a whole, was lacking. Without Westbrook on the floor the team barely held their own. Going into the 2017-2018 season the Thunder sought to amend that by trading for perennial all-star Paul George. The 6’8 forward has been a presence in the East for years. His athleticism along with his great shooting ability will compliment Westbrook in a multitude of ways. Factoring in Steven Adams and Enes Kanter with the newly acquired Patrick Patterson behind Paul George, Russell may have a pretty solid squad standing behind him. There’s no doubt that he’s going to show up and play as hard if not harder than he did last season. With a strong team behind him combined with his top quality play, Westbrook may have what it takes to lead the Thunder back to the NBA finals.

– Andre Oge

Clipping the Clippers

For the last time, the Los Angeles Clippers led by their trio of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan failed to move past the first round of the playoffs in the Western Conference. Of course the injuries sustained by Paul and Griffin played an impact in their early exit, but the repeated failure of the Clippers prompts a reconsideration of the team if they truly wish to make a deeper run in the playoffs. The Clippers and their stars are obviously not void of options, though.

All or Nothing

Perhaps it really has been bad luck plaguing the team all of these years. On paper and during the regular season the Clippers were a pretty solid team with perhaps the smartest player in the league running the floor for them. The dynamism of their all star big men surely made them a threat as well as the presence of their sharp shooters. With some substantial players circling the free agency, this coming summer would be the time to build on the foundation of Doc Rivers, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan. Then again, short of signing Paul George, perhaps adding another layer to the trio will only prolong the team’s suffering and prove once again insufficient to do any real damage in the playoffs.

Go Griffin-less

Once upon time Blake Griffin was one of the most revered and unstoppable big men in the NBA. At his position, he was quick enough to go around you or simply go over you if you got in his way. Yet, injuries have plagued him since his first season and over the years they have really began to take a toll on his game. Combine that with the fact that NBA has turned into a three point shooting contest almost every night and Blake Griffin begins to look obsolete. While I personally believe he can still get the job done, perhaps he can no longer do that on the Clippers. With DeAndre Jordan taking over as the prime big man on the team, especially with being named as an all star this year, maybe it’s time for the Clippers to part ways with their former high flier. Perhaps he’s not the only one.

CP3

Chris Paul, like Griffin, was revered at his position for years. Granted his passion and intelligence, he is still one of the best players in the league, but as of yesterday his tenure with the Clippers came to a halting stop as he was traded to the Houston Rockets . Rumors started circulating after the first round that he was looking for other options. The front runner for the floor general was rumored to be the Spurs, but Chris Paul’s desire to play with James Harden seemed to shift the momentum in the Rockets favor. His unhappiness with organization clashed with his love for them, prompting CP3 to vent on Twitter that he was overwhelmed with emotions. As arguably the best player the Clippers had, there is an apparent power vacuum in LA. With the free agency so close and players like Kyle Lowry available, now may be the best time to fill the gap. In fact, now it may be the best time for the team to start from scratch.

Reboot

DeAndre Jordan may be the only member of the Clippers big 3 to remain after this summer. With the wealth of players in the free agency, now may be the best time for the Clippers to restructure their team around a new set of stars in hopes of winning a championship. Of course no one wants to see the end of a great era, but with so many unsuccessful attempts at getting to the finals an overhaul of the current team may be the only option for the frustrated Clippers. Of course there is no guarantee that a change up will ensure them a championship, but it may their best shot at one. It’s clear that something isn’t working in LA and perhaps signing some new blood will be the best option for the Clippers to finally get that shiny circular thing that every player in the NBA wants.

The Clippers have been pretty good for a good time now, but clearly it isn’t good enough. Whether it be they sign some new players or part with their old ones or even a combination of both, something has the change if the organization hopes to win a championship. It will be sad to watch a possible split up happen, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Andre Oge

In Defense of Russell

LeBron James is the King and there is a reason Kawhi is known as the Claw. Isaiah Thomas is the 4th Quarter and James Harden stay cookin.’ All of these spectacular athletes are deserving of the MVP, but as we start the Finals, one member of the NBA upper echelon saw an early playoff exit: Russell Westbrook. Though he was unable his team to rally his team deeper into the playoffs, I still strongly believe that Russell should not be counted out of the MVP race.

The Hard Road

Since Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell and his teammates have been fighting an uphill battle. Some even believed that they would miss the playoffs for the second time since 2009. Perhaps that would have been the case if Russell Westbrook didn’t have as much heart as he does. This guy truly believes in doing it all for his teammates and has been dominate all year long even against teams far more stacked than his own. Sure signing Victor Oladipo and trading for Taj Gibson might have helped especially with the continuous improvements of Steven Adams and Enes Kanter, but it truly was the heart and drive of Russell Westbrook that propelled the Thunder to the sixth spot in the West. With that said, how can we ignore the historical significance of Russell Westbrook’s play this season.

The Power

Many will deny his MVP status citing that he only averaged a triple double. Yet, do they not realize what they just uttered. Westbrook AVERAGED a triple double. That means on most nights he literally poured his soul into the powering his team along grabbing points, rebounds, and assists along the way. His strive for history made his teammates want to be better for him, so his amazing play was beneficial to all of his teammates as well. His athletic ability can only be compared this season to that of LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Reaching the 42 mark, Russell Westbrook now has the most triple doubles in a given season. He is like a machine but better because he has a heart and a soul that won’t allow him to give up. That being said, I think his case for MVP comes down to what he represents.

The Legacy

Losing a teammate to a good team sucks. Losing a teammate to a team that won the most games in any given season is unbearable. Most players would have allowed their teams to drop off or leave as well so that they could begin the rebuilding process, but not Westbrook. He took an impossible situation and used it to make history. He played with an unmatched fire and ferocity that can only be marveled at. Yes, it’s true that the Thunder saw an early playoff exit, but that will only encourage Westbrook to come back stronger and better than before. His play this season represents the compassion, drive, and desire that every NBA player should exude. His fire breathing, rim rattling, triple double getting essence catapulted him to a historic season. 

With little time left before the announcement of the 2016-2017 MVP, Russell Westbrook’s name should not be overlooked. Of course James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Isaiah Thomas are all deserving candidates for the honor, yet Russell Westbrook is as equally deserving if not the most deserving. His season was off the charts and I firmly believe that his hard work should garnish him the MVP award for the 2016-2017 season.

–Andre Oge

Ask Your Child If They Like Baseball: The Decline of Baseball Among Kids

Most of the sports fans I know are basketball and football fans. I know very little avid baseball fans. I am 20 years old. This is not just me happening to know a lot of football and baseball fans. This is not a regional thing either. It’s because I’m 20. Most young people do not cherish the game the way young people used to 50 – 100 years ago. I don’t know anyone that collects trading cards. I don’t know anyone that honestly has a favorite baseball player (although I know some Yankee and Mets fans), but I know a lot of Russell Westbrook and Tom Brady fans. Baseball isn’t a sport that is a goner. You still have a lot of people in this country that enjoy the sport. However, most of them are old. You still have people that watch the games, but mostly at the ballpark not as much on TV. The fact is that baseball is declining. Why though?

Let me be clear. Major League Baseball is thriving. They’re doing what a business supposed to do, make money. However, BASEBALL is declining. The sport itself is suffering. How is this possible? It’s possible because the kids don’t like it like they used to. The children are our future. Sports are something that is passed down from generation to generation. I am a Knicks fan because my parents are Knicks fans.I am a Mets fan because my dad is a Mets fan. I am a Jets fan partly because my dad is a Giants fan. However, there is brick wall between the younger generation and the older generation when it comes to the sport of baseball. The MLB can make all the money they want now, but when it’s time for the younger generation to spend money, they’re not going to be thinking about baseball. They don’t play it. They don’t watch it. They are not about it.

Many people blame the fact that the sport is too long (which it is). Many people blame the fact that you need so much equipment and a suitable area to play in comparison to other sports (which is true). I heard a new argument today from somebody that works in sports broadcasting that because there’s so many games and they’re all on TV that the American people almost take it for granted. It isn’t a must see event like football being the once a week event that it is. This same person said that the best players are almost always in the championship games in other sports and they are always there whereas one really good player will only hit around 4 times in a game and his impact on his team won’t be as much as it would be in other sports. All of these things are true. However, most of these factors existed years ago when baseball was the premier sport in the country.

The one thing that would be necessary for all those factors to be true is a change in attention span. Kids today can get almost whatever they want whenever they want. Why would they wait for a baseball game to end? Why would they watch a baseball game tonight when they could watch the same team play against the same opponent tomorrow? I understand it. 

Why can’t a man flip his bat after a home run? It’s ridiculous. That video was cool. It’s one of the few things that the casual fan would enjoy about the game: a celebration after a home run. It’s ridiculous. Discouraging that discourages kids from playing the game. Kids don’t play, kids won’t watch. It’s all about the kids. Baseball needs to stop thinking like a pastime and think about the future.

 

Listen to the Kids, Bro!: The Rising Popularity of Soccer in the U.S.

Soccer is one of the fastest growing sports in America as far as popularity is concerned. Kids are playing the sport at a higher rate than ever before in the U.S. and the World Cup is one of the most anticipated events in the country every four years. However, how big can it get?

To understand how big it can get, you have to understand how big it is right now. Last year, the Women’s World Cup drew more American viewers than the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup. The amount of soccer moms in America is at an all time high because youth soccer is at an all time high getting closer in popularity to basketball among high schoolers. The MLS is rapidly expanding by creating teams all over the country and European leagues are becoming increasingly popular among the younger demographic. I have a lot of friends that not only follow the leagues, but have favorite teams that they support as if they lived in Europe. Basically, soccer is big.

However, imagine this. A society in which the NFL was king in international sport and soccer was a weekly event that dominated America. There’s just some things that can’t be fathomed. This is one of them.

Baseball is declining and the NBA is growing. But, the NFL is king. This is a once a week event that happens for a few months. There are many reasons why the NFL is so popular in the US, but the fact of the matter is is that the NFL has such a head start in popularity over soccer that it just can’t catch up unless something crazy happens in the NFL (and even that hasn’t stopped them). The NBA has a head start as well and they are growing thanks to stars like Stephen Curry and LeBron James. It will be the primary sport all over the world. In the US, the most it can hope for is passing baseball, which might be possible if you look at the declining popularity of baseball in the youth and the rising popularity of soccer in the youth. The children are our future.

Ads on NBA Jerseys: Unnecessary or Imminent

In the picture above, you see members of the team that won 3 out of the last 5 WNBA championships. Do you know the name of this team? I’ll give you a hint. It’s not the Mayo Clinic and it’s not Boost Mobile. How about where this team plays?… Nothing?

This team is the Minnesota Lynx and the only way would know that is from this logo in the top left corner of the jerseys. Who are these seemingly irrelevant names on the jerseys? They are sponsors. Each WNBA team makes money off of a sponsorship deal with the brands that they are advertising on their jerseys. So, the Minnesota Lynx are making money from Boost Mobile and Mayo Clinic by having their logos on the jerseys.

The NBA just announced that they are going to have ads on their jerseys in the next 2 seasons. I’m not saying that the NBA is going to have ads all over their jerseys like the WNBA teams, but they are definitely going to be influenced by WNBA design. The thing is this: the WNBA needs the money, the NBA doesn’t. So, the WNBA basically using their jerseys as billboards to the point where you can’t tell which team is with from the jersey makes sense. However, the NBA is honestly just looking for more money even though they just signed a new television deal worth billions of dollars. If they don’t need the money and have been wildly successful and they are willing to go as far as to use jerseys, a part of the game that most people thought would never be compromised by commercialization, to gain more money, who’s to say they won’t expand the ad space at some point to gain more money.

I was talking to a friend about the NBA’s decision to put the ads on the jersey and his take was that it’s just a jersey. He’s an avid soccer fan. 

If you don’t know which team this is, then you don’t know sports. The fact that whoever is reading this will more likely than not know which team this is (or at least who the fourth player is) shows that the big Qatar Airways logo on their jersey isn’t hurting their image with their fans. We know that FC Barcelona is not the Qatar Airways. However, the NBA is different.

NBA fans have gotten so used to teams being on the jerseys and nothing else that seeing an ad on jerseys is going to be unwanted. Jerseys are the only aspect of the game that doesn’t have ads involved when you think about it and to be honest, ads just don’t look good. NBA jerseys are bought out of loyalty to a team and for style. The fans of teams will still buy those jerseys, but the people that like how a jersey looks might not like that jersey anymore if there’s this random IHOP logo on the top left corner. It starts with this…

and could end like this…

Other leagues can get away with it for either money grabbing or need meeting purposes. However, the NBA is not other leagues.

Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather: Love vs. Hate

Floyd Mayweather is a 39 year old, undefeated, welterweight, and recently retired boxer. Conor McGregor is a 27 year old, 19-2, featherweight MMA fighter that is in his prime. Floyd is the most famous boxer in the world even after retirement because for some reason, nobody seems to believe that he is permanently retired despite reports. Ever since Rhonda Rousey got lost to Holly Holm in a knockout, it seems as if Conor McGregor has taken over as the face of MMA.

The way I see it, there are 4 major differences between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.

1. Floyd is retired and Conor is in his prime.
2. Floyd is a boxer and Conor is an MMA fighter
3. Floyd is undefeated.
4. Conor is liked and Floyd isn’t.

Conor is funny. The only people that don’t like him are his opponents and their fans and it is because he is funny. However, he is not just joking around all the time and making innocent jokes. He is making cocky, boisterous, and even highly disrespectful jokes. His humor is less comedian and more the most popular guy in school that knows how popular he is and brags about it in the most humorous way possible no matter who hurts in the process. Floyd isn’t that funny, but basically does the same thing that Conor does. Floyd goes into every fight declaring that he’s going to win, demanding that he gets the most money out of the fight (which he can do because people watch fights for him and not his opponent), and brags about how much money he makes afterwards by showing you what he does with the money. However, he is hated mostly because of this exact reason. The exact reason that Conor McGregor is liked. In sports like MMA and boxing, athletes tend to be cocky. As a matter of fact, in most individual sports, athletes tend to be overly confident. I guess that this has something to do with the fact that they have to believe in themselves more than anybody else because they have to achieve all the success on their own with no team to lean on. So when they do get the success, they have the mentality that nobody can tell them anything. However, specifically in boxing, the athletes take the self-righteousness to another level. They’re notorious for believing they’re unbeatable and letting the opponent know it. Muhammad Ali. Enough said. Floyd engages in this kind of big talk, too. But, if he said anything close to this, he would be all over the news. (watch until 3:23

This is one of the most racially insensitive things that I have ever heard an athlete say in my entire life. Yet, I haven’t heard anybody say anything about it yet and it’s not like he’s some unknown athlete. His ‘I can say whatever I want’ attitude along with his 19-2 pro record has gotten him to UFC stardom. His nickname is ‘notorious’ for a reason. However, I would suspect that alluding to colonialism of the Brazilian people in your trash talk would be considered crossing the line. People still love him, though.

This is a big reason why people don’t like Floyd Mayweather. It looks like all the evidence from every case that he has been involved in has resulted in him being convicted of domestic violence although he denies all of them. However, many of our athletes and entertainers aren’t perfect and success is usually what makes most of the general public forgive a certain act. For example, we will never forget that Tiger Woods cheated on his wife with 10+ women because he hasn’t played well since. However, Floyd has retired without a single loss on his record and people still don’t like him, so there’s more to it. This is another reason why most people don’t like him.

He shows off how much money he has constantly. He shows off his money and nice things he owns more than any rapper that I know and it’s not like he has ever gone broke after a big paycheck like many athletes do. He consistently has money coming in, consistently blows off the money, and shows everyone on social media. He is the villain in boxing. I said ‘is’ not ‘was’ because after retirement you still have people that want to see him lose and get beat up. Plus, he doesn’t have the comedic appeal of a Conor McGregor. However, him showing off is just him being a cocky fighter just like McGregor, so there has to be more to it.

In January, Floyd alluded to the fact that they were both cocky, but that Conor is liked because of it. Conor then responded by saying this. There are a lot of factors that make Floyd such an unlikable guy. However, on a purely boxing level, the one thing that everybody brings up is how cocky he is. I am not going to completely dismiss Floyd’s comments as ridiculous like a lot of people are, though. Floyd has never said anything as racist as what McGregor did to that Brazilian crowd. I am not excusing his domestic violence and nobody ever should, but let’s be real. When an athlete has success, people tend to forget about their past transgressions. History has shown this, but that has not been the case for Floyd who has won every match he has fought on the professional level. As there’s more speculation about a Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather fight that probably won’t happen, I’ve been thinking. What Floyd is talking about reminds me far too much about the backlash that Cam Newton was getting from a lot of people during the NFL season for celebrating his success and he has never even gotten into any legal trouble that we know of. I understand that there is a lot to not like (and envy) about Floyd Mayweather, but something just doesn’t feel right to me about the love that Conor McGregor gets and the hate that Floyd gets. The difference might be race related or it might not be. It might be because Floyd isn’t as funny when he’s being offensive as Conor. However, Floyd will be alright regardless.

Old School vs. New School: How To Rank Greatness

It seems as if this week is the week in which former NBA players decided to defend their eras and their players. You had Stephen Jackson who was on the 2006-2007 Warriors that beat the top seeded Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs as an eighth seed. Then, you have NBA legend Oscar Robertson saying this. You have Isaiah Thomas saying this, too. So, this week was the week in which former NBA players, some all-time greats, told us how they really feel.

People are putting Stephen Curry in the category with all-time great point guards already. Former players are complaining. He’s having fun with the whole thing, though. This is not anything new. In many sports, when a generation of players retire and the new generation of players reach their primes, the old generation tends to complain. They want to hold on to their spot. They feel the need to remind the fans that were either very young or not born at the time of their primes of how good they were. Some take it to the extreme and don’t just say they were good back in the day, but that they are good now after retirement. This is not an NBA dynamic. This isn’t just a player dynamic either. This is a dynamic in all of sports.

You guys ever argue with an older person about sports? You already know how it goes, (unless you are an older person reading this, don’t stop reading though). The first thing you are going to hear about is how good the players back in their day were. Stats not even something that is brought up. You are probably going to bring up stats before them. All they would talk about is impact and what they saw with their own eyes. This is something that is very important. I personally feel that statistics hold too much weight in the sports world today because statistics could be deceptive sometimes. However, they’re going to use feelings, memories, and “vibes” to discredit the current players of your generation. The next qualifier that older fans are quick to bring up are rule changes. For the NFL, it got softer. For the NBA, it got softer. For the MLB, the game was much better back in the day because guys were better; more home runs. “But, they were on steroids. That’s why.” “Steroids don’t make you make contact with ball, trust me I’ve been watching the game since you were a baby.” On and on and on, you guys know how it is. Legitimate facts and claims might be brought up. This is a fundamental aspect of every good argument/debate. Both sides must bring up legitimate facts that both parties can agree on in order to argue about what they don’t agree on. Rule changes do change the way sports are played making the games different. However, if both sides were to be honest, there’s just a generation gap. You will never fully understand how great the former players were despite how many YouTube videos you saw of them because you weren’t alive or old enough when these players were playing. The older person may never fully understand how great this generation of players are despite rule changes because they’re so used to seeing a certain style of play, seeing how great their generation of players were, or stubborn. It’s different when you experience greatness at the time when they were great because you understand the impact. However, anybody can over or underestimate people.

Now to Stephen Curry.

He’s on pace to break several offensive records this year and he has his team on pace to win the most games in NBA history. The team that they might surpass for the most wins in NBA history is the NBA champion 1995-1996 Bulls. This is a win total that many people didn’t think would be passed for a long time. Some teams have won 67 games, but nobody has even reached 70 since the Bulls set the mark at 72 wins 20 years ago. In other words, Stephen Curry and the Warriors are having a historic season.

How do you discredit a person’s greatness when the numbers show you how great they are? You discredit everything else surrounding them. Their team was really good, he or she was just along for the ride. Or in Stephen Curry’s case, the league isn’t as good anymore and the rules changed so its easier to play the game. THEY COULDN’T PLAY IN OUR DAY! Numbers do lie sometimes. It feels like every year, a different quarterback throws for the most yards in a season. Out of the top 15 seasons for most passing yards, 12 of those seasons were had in the last 5 years. A statistic like that will show you why having the most passing yards in a season is probably not the best indicator for how good a quarterback is historically. The increase in passing yards are directly correlated with the rule changes in the NFL that make it easier for offensive players to produce.

However, the decrease in home runs over the years due to the fact that guys aren’t using steroids anymore (at least most guys). This decrease does not mean the players are worse now than they were back then. They just don’t cheat…as much. Are rules in the NBA different than they were back in the day? Yes. No hand checking. The definition of a flagrant foul has changed. However, the skill level of the competition is not the same as it was back in the day. Today’s NBA has more athletes. Today’s NBA athletes are better shooters and I know that Oscar Robertson doesn’t like that. OK, let’s be real. It was never OK to hit people in the face as they are shooting. In any era, that’s a foul. This is what you would have to do in order to stop Stephen Curry from making a three and even then it’s not promised that he is going to miss. I have literally seen Chris Paul have his hand on Stephen Curry’s chest as he’s shooting and he still made it and he turned around a looked at his coach Doc Rivers and basically told him that he had his hand on his chest so he tried his best. I think it was the same game that this happened. Shooting the basketball is shooting the basketball and I find it hard to believe that guys aren’t getting up in the best 3 point shooter in NBA history’s face to try and make him miss, despite what the legend Oscar Robertson says.

The generation gap is real. The generation gap in sports doesn’t just affect fans. It affects players, as well. When you have an NBA legend discrediting your career and accomplishments, it can hurt your career. It may not prevent you from winning rings, but it can prevent you from being thought of as highly as you would like to be at the end of your career because knowledgeable voices have influence. It can even prevent you from making halls of fame, ask Terrell Owens. I believe that in our society, we need to emphasize how influential generation gaps are in our perception of sports. Think about it, if Kobe didn’t start his career while Michael Jordan was playing and several years after like around now, maybe people wouldn’t be calling him this generation’s Michael Jordan, but the next Michael Jordan. Maybe Kobe played to close to Michael Jordan’s era so his impact was still fresh in the minds of NBA fans back in Kobe’s prime. Who know’s? Comparing players is fun is fun for fans and analysts. That’s part of what makes sports interesting. But, when well-respected former players start publicly discrediting current player’s accomplishments and the whole league, that might be a little too far. We, fans and players young and old, need to understand that we cannot completely and fairly judge a person’s career until after it’s done. Doing that might prevent us from recognizing that we are watching the best player in history, or fool us into thinking that we are watching the best player in history. While a player is playing, all we can do is speculate.

Gambling is Wrong! (Unless You’re in Las Vegas): Sports Gambling and Legalization in America

Gambling is wrong, unless you’re in Las Vegas. If you really feel good about a certain team in the NFL winning a game and it’s Sunday and you happen to live in Delaware, go ahead and bet on your prediction. Make some money off of it, but only the NFL though. And if you live anywhere else in America, gambling is wrong. Oh, if you live in Montana and Oregon, gambling isn’t wrong for you guys either, even though you guys don’t really gamble so much. But all you other people in the other states, GAMBLING IS WRONG! …….You know what? You all could bet on horse racing, but that’s it. They’re not people, so I guess that’s OK.

Gambling is as American as being a gun owner. Yet, this is the message that the government sends to the people of America. It’s part of the fabric of America. In the video above, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that it might be a $400 billion underground business. Yet, gambling is still basically not allowed in most states. I am not saying that everything that is fundamentally American is right. There are things that America is known for globally that even we would consider morally wrong. There are things that America is known for globally that is considered morally right, as well. However, what I am saying is that the lottery is legal. You pay money, pick some random numbers, and then hope that those numbers are picked in a drawing so that you can win more money than what you paid to enter the drawing. This is a game of complete chance, not mention that you could be playing against an amount of people ranging from a few thousand to over a billion people. This is the definition of gambling. Yet, that gambling is OK and gambling on sports isn’t. One difference between the lottery and gambling in sports is that money generated from lottery tickets goes to the government. It could go to the state government or the federal government depending on the type of lottery. However, there are other important differences.

Whether you only watch the NBA, the NCAA, go to summer Pro-Am games, or play the game all the time, every basketball fan should know about the 1951 CCNY Basketball Scandal. Players were betting on their own games, but they wouldn’t necessarily try to lose the game. They would mostly try to win, but only within a certain point range because betting in basketball is done on a point spread. Understand something though, college basketball was bigger than NBA basketball in the 50’s. More people were excited about CCNY that the Knicks, so this was a huge deal, especially considering the fact that the crowd was betting on the games, as well. Imagine being a player on a basketball team and scoring a basket that puts your team up 10 and the crowd bet on an 8 point game so they boo you. You just cemented a win for your (and their) team, but they boo you. Through my study of sports in America in college, I learned that this is the type of stuff that used to happen back in the day. So, you have the players betting one way, and they are the ones playing so they control the game, and you may have fans voting another way and they can’t control the game, so when the fans found out what was going on, you could imagine how upset they were. The biggest problem was the integrity of the game. When you betting is tangibly affecting the outcomes of games, you know something is wrong.

Every sports fan should know about the 1919 Black Sox Scandal or at least should have heard the name “Black Sox” before. But if you, don’t…

This was almost 100 years ago, but betting is not the kind of ancient issue that people today claim that it is. I remember when this became a national story around 10 years ago…

And, am I the only one that’s seeing less and less FanDuel and Draft Kings commercials? I live in New York and I remember when I used to see Knicks post-game segments sponsored by Draft Kings and now the city is actively trying to prevent them from operating New York. We have gone from worrying about games being thrown by players to worrying about insider information being traded about somewhat virtual, imaginary (fantasy) sports. These are the reasons why betting is still an issue in America.

Enter Adam Silver, a leader in professional sports in America. He is a very well-liked and innovative commissioner. So innovative that he is supportive of Draft Kings and FanDuel and supports gambling on sports in the United States. Take into account that his predecessor David Stern stood in agreement with the Senate Judiciary Commitee in 1991 when Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) was being passed. This is the act that prohibited people, unless you live in Delaware, Montana, Oregon, and Nevada which were grandfathered from it. It states that it is, “…unlawful for (1) a government entity [187] to sponsor, operate, advertise, promote, license, or authorize by law or compact, or (2) a person to sponsor, operate, advertise, promote, pursuant to the law or compact of a government entity, a lottery, sweepstakes, or other betting, gambling, or wagering scheme based, directly or indirectly (through the use of geographical references or otherwise), on one or more competitive games in which amateur or professional athletes participate, or are intended to participate, or on one or more performances of such athletes in such games. [188].” This is the reason that horse racing isn’t illegal. Horses aren’t people. This is the reason, at least this is what city officials in New York would point to, that there is a strong push against FanDuel and Draft Kings although they claim that it isn’t really gambling because there is not enough chance involved because you have to know sports to play well. However, Adam Silver doesn’t care. He sees money, he sees everybody doing it, so he wants in. He doesn’t see it as wrong like a lot of Americans do.

Why is tobacco legal in America? Why is alcohol legal in America for those over the age of 21? It is because of money. These substances became popular in America that banning them would mean a loss of a lot of money. They became big business. Do these things harm you? Yes. Are they wrong? Most people would say yes with tobacco, but no with alcohol because if drunk in moderation, it might not have a strong negative effect on you. I understand that gambling is different because it is not a substance. However, referee Tim Donaghy risked his career and lost it due to his addiction of it. Pete Rose is making money off of the fact that he is shunned (not just banned in my opinion because there’s a possibility he won’t make the Hall of Fame despite being one of the best players of all time) from baseball due to his gambling addiction through his playing and coaching career.

Gambling addiction is real. The risk of games being fixed is real, just like how alcohol and tobacco addition is real. So, you might as well legalize sports gambling and bring more awareness to gambling addiction at the same time like we do with tobacco. $400 billion is not a small amount of money. That can help the economy greatly if this money wasn’t underground. Adam Silver is right. Tax it. Hypocrisy is something that not just countries, but individuals should always aim to avoid and honestly, this ban on sports betting isn’t only hypocritical, it’s stupid. Again, $400 billion. Not million. Billion.