Battle for the East - The 2013-2014 NBA Season

 “Battle for the East – The 2013-2014 NBA Season”

“A View from the Bleachers”

Victor M. Singletary with Curtis J. Singletary

Quite possibly, the Brooklyn Nets within a season of their move across the Hudson River and over the Verrazano Bridge from New Jersey have utilized masterfully free agency to acquire an ensemble of players certain to dominate the Eastern Conference.  Previously unimaginable, Kevin Garnett relinquished his Boston Celtics uniform; suspecting the luck of the Irish can be found in the borough of Brooklyn.  Paul Pierce also finds Brooklyn Boehme alluring.  Jason Terry makes a Texas size exit from the Dallas Mavericks.  Mason Plumlee realizes that people play basketball outside of the research triangle of Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill.  The assets of this ensemble’s veteran experience, height, neophyte fever and eagerness to achieve a professional record equal to a stellar collegiate one and Brook Lopez’s  strength in the center position begs the question on the mind of many avid basketball fans.  Can the Brooklyn Nets dethrone the Miami Heat?

One major story line of the 2013-2014 NBA season will be the battle for the East.  Will the Miami Heat “three-peat” and match the illustrious achievements of the Chicago Bulls in the Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen and Dennis Rodman era?  After considering the difficulty of such a main feat and whether the Heat individually and collectively possess the internal resolve, focus and determination to ask themselves to match such a monumental historical achievement, the question remains, “Which Eastern Conference team has the talent and potential to deny the Miami Heat a fourth consecutive Eastern Conference title and trip to the NBA finals?”  Basketball fans in the Mid-West immediately cite the return of Derrick Rose and the Bulls’ stalwart defensive game and premiere coaching as reasons for Chicago’s chances of dethroning the Heat.  In the neighboring state of Indiana, Pacers fans relish their big bodies in the paint and height advantage as evidence of their best possibilities.  With Roy Hibbert, the center standing at 7’ 3”, George Hill, the point guard at 6’ 7”, Paul George, shooting guard at 6’ 8”, and returning from an injury at small forward at 6’ 9”, Danny Granger, Pacers fans are not delusional.  Religiously and uncritically devoted New York Knicks fans such as one of the authors posit Carmelo Anthony’s repeat of the NBA scoring title, averaging twenty-nine (29) points per game, the acquisition of Meadow World Peace’s (previously Ron Artis) defense skills and the return of Tyson Chandler and JR Smith solidifies the case for the Knickerbockers.  Notwithstanding the Bulls’ unparalleled history in basketball, Pacers fans’ atavistic view of their team and Knicks’ fans’ evangelical devotion, objectively, the Brooklyn Nets seemingly have the best chance of gaining dominance in the Eastern Conference.

In addition to their previously cited assets, the Nets have depth on the bench.  Anyone sitting on the bench will be able to immediately enter the game and contribute to their offense.  However, to present a reasonable threat to the Miami Heat, the Brooklyn Nets faces three major challenges and have one primary liability.  Can they establish consistency in play and execution of an offense that the whole team accepts?  Will the preseason games afford the Nets sufficient time to define to a game plan that utilizes their strengths and compensates for their weaknesses?  Stated another way in plain language, will the disparate veterans, all-stars and rookies who comprise the Brooklyn Nets gel as team thereby enabling them to contest the Miami Heat for control of the East?  The larger than life elephant in the Nets locker room is the head coach’s abilities and potential.  Will the recently retired player turned coach, Jason Kidd, motivate this team and empower them to maximize their personal and team talent?  An affirmative answer presumes Kidd possesses the inner reserves to corral the monumental egos of his players.  Nevertheless, hiring Kidd as the Nets head coach equal a double edged sword thus presenting the team’s cardinal liability.   He will propel the Nets to control of the Eastern Conference or possibly his steep learning curve in his first year as a coach will squander a perfect opportunity for a hungry franchise.

Miami’s well-renowned, well respected and greatly fears triumvirate of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade remains intact.  Recent acquisitions of Ray Allen from the Boston Celtics and Greg Oden from the Portland Trailblazers complete the staring five.  Undoubtedly, these veterans have gelled into a fiercely competitive and championship team.  Three consecutive trips to the NBA finals yielded two back-to-back chips.  Some fans credit head coach, Erik Spoelstra, with keeping this team focused.  Looming over his shoulder is the magnanimous shadow of Miami’s general manager and previous championship winning head coach, Pat Riley, whose influence in both the game of basketball and world of fashion is unparalleled.  Still, the Heat must contend with a few basic and appropriate questions for athletes in their position.  Have they reached a plateau that they cannot exceed?  Are they too old and tired to make a legitimate run at another championship?  Has the talk of a Miami Dynasty distracted them?  At thirty years of age, will Wade’s ankles and knees prevent him from contributing to any future success?  As I relates to liabilities, rebounding continues to plague the Heat.  Resting upon withered laurels as a new season begins is a major temptation for last year’s champions.  Boundless, the Heat’s recent successes have earned new rivalries for them as several teams throughout the NBA seek to dethrone them.

As a proud resident of the City of New York and an avid Knicks fan, one of the authors would love to assure you that the Knickerbockers will represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA finals come June 2014.  Bookies and odds makers in Las Vegas and elsewhere can supply you with the percentages and possibilities of that favorable hope becoming reality.  However, it seems more likely that the Miami Heat stand a reasonable and perhaps formidable chance of earning a fourth consecutive Eastern Conference title and third consecutive NBA championship.  However, they still must navigate the tough terrain of New York as the Brooklyn Nets represent a considerable adversary to the Heat’s historic dreams.  Notwithstanding the powerful opposition of the Bulls and Pacers as well as the Knicks, the battle for the East in this season will be a burgeoning rivalry between the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets.

College Basketball Outlook as the 2013-2014 Season Opens

“College Basketball Outlook as the 2013-2014 Season Opens”

“A View from the Bleachers”

Victor M. Singletary with Curtis J. Singletary

Can the Cardinals of Louisville repeat as the NCAA National Champions?  Will Coach Krzyzewski at Duke obtain his one thousandth win?  Having missed the “big dance” of the NCAA tournament last season, will John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats return to the top twenty basketball programs in the nation?  Are there any specific players whose skills are so superlative that they warrant close scrutiny by basketball fans and addicts?  Essentially, what is the outlook for college basketball as the 2013-2014 season begins?

Touted to be the top pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Andrew Wiggins of Kansas undoubtedly will receive widespread and constant media coverage during the season.  Interestingly, he was the top college recruit in 2013 which means he will play one season prior to turning professional.  His meteoric rise to the upper echelon of college basketball and the professional draft will reignite the dying embers of an ideological, political, pedagogical and financial debate relating to the use of college basketball programs as revolving doors of entry to the NBA.  Given the hundreds of millions and perhaps billions of dollars that these programs generate for their schools, should not we end the farce of relegating collegiate athletics to being amateurish?  In plain language, should not colleges and universities begin to compensate athletes for their hard and lucrative labor?  Yet, as the debate rages throughout the nation, Wiggins promises to delight coaches, scouts and fans everywhere with his skills and game.

As it relates to the proverbial revolving door, within the last decade a year spent at Kentucky virtually guaranteed a slot on a NBA team.  From John Wood to Joshua Harrison to any number of “alums” of Kentucky basketball, Coach Calipari maintains the quintessential feeder program for the NBA.  Prevalent and persistent rumors cast a huge shadow over this program.  Nonetheless, we can expect a return to prominence and perhaps dominance after a year of mediocrity and strife.  You will recall Calipari’s numerous press conferences in which he openly and unabashedly displayed his frustration with the lack of a teachable attitude amongst his players.  Longstanding cynics and detractors of the Kentucky program saw a lot of smoke being blown across the heartland of America.

Plagued by allegations of substantial recruitment violations, Jim Boeheim’s top ranked program at Syracuse promises to be a repeat contender for a national championship.  Will the Orange men and their coach remain focused?  Perhaps, his chase for a thousand wins may distract them.  Given their quality of play, whether doggedly or haphazardly focused, Syracuse threatens any team they play.  An “Elite Eight” contender last year, this team can taste a championship. 

With Mason Plumlee’s move to Brooklyn to play with the Nets and Seth Curry’s move the Bay Area to play for the Golden State Warriors; will Duke retain its position in the top ten this season?  They too have the potential distraction of Coach Krzyzewski chasing a historical record of a thousand victories.  If past practice were to prove instructive, Duke develops its bench which usually possesses as much talent or more than the players on the court.  We can expect to learn the names of the current juniors and seniors at Duke who as underclassmen and loyal team members patiently waited for this moment.

Michigan lost Tim Hardaway to the New York Knicks and Trey Burke to the Utah Jazz. Did they have a good recruiting year?  Have they established a fluid pipeline of players to guard against the colossal damage that the NBA draft eligibility can cause a competitive college program?  Also, does Michigan have a substantial bench to whom they can turn? 

Ohio State’s fiercely competitive program demands mention.  Aaron Craft’s yeoman’s hustle and diligence delights basketball fans everywhere.  Will this season afford Ohio State the grace and good fortune finally to achieve a national title?  This team intimidates so many other stellar programs throughout the season.  However, they are unable to cinch one of the slots in the final game yet alone actually win the championship.  Have we ignored a progressive curse of the Buckeyes’ basketball program?

This snapshot is just that a small, incomplete and indefinite glance at a few of the trees in the vibrant and verdant forest of college basketball.  With the fast pace of the game and the drama of a switching one or two point lead keeping fans and viewers on the edge of their seats, collegiate basketball always offers startling surprises.  Recall the ascension of Florida Gulf Coast’s team and the indirect way in which their NCAA tournament performance last season raised the ball handling skills and requirements of all players.  Arguably, “March Madness” comprising the sixty-eight games of the NCAA basketball tournament is the most exhilarating athletic competition of the year.  Each season, diehard basketball fans overdose on this tournament as they attempt to watch each game.  Year to year, we have no way of knowing which school will dominate and win the national championship.  Hence, a snapshot ultimately yields to a panoramic of the forest as many surprises lurk in places we least expect.

Serena Williams' Powerful Serve and Example

“Serena Williams’ Powerful Serve and Example”

“A View from the Bleachers”

Victor M. Singletary with Curtis J. Singletary

In her thirties and having enjoyed one of the most impressive and illustrious careers in women’s tennis in the open era, Serena Williams is chasing history as her inevitable retirement from professional looms on the horizon.  With her recent win of this year’s U S Open singles championship, she needs one more Grand Slam title to tie the record of eighteen titles held jointly by Chris Everett Lloyd and Martina Navratilova.  With two additional Grand Slam titles, Serena surpasses those two icons of the game.  Five titles enable Serena to share the record for the most Grand Slam wins with Steffi Graff.  With a sixth title, Serena singly enjoys the peak of tennis’ Mt. Everest.  However, her age which unavoidably results in a decline of skill and persistent health challenges combine to demarcate the remaining years of her professional career.  Hopefully, providence will grace her with the time, health and favor to achieve her heartfelt dreams and goals.  Nonetheless, she is in the late afternoon of her career.  It is accordingly appropriate to begin to consider her legacy which juxtaposes her inimitable athletic expertise most clearly evident in her powerful serve which exceeds one hundred miles per hour and her formidable personal story of beginning on warped courts in Compton, California and culminating in Grand Slam championships.  Her formidable example is an inspiration to girls and boys throughout the global village.

Watching Serena play equates with observing a masterful artist as attacks a canvass with broad brushstrokes and minutes touches and finishes.  Her maniacal ability to put the ball within the line is marvelous.  It is simply amazing!  When she questions a call of the line judge, most fans believe she is correct because of her superlative expertise.  Serena’s fiercely competitive nature compels her to win each point, game, set, match and tournament.  Anyone whether a tennis fan or not can learn the attributes of discipline, focus, excellence, perseverance and resilience from her.  Yet, Serena also possesses the interior wealth of graciousness.  Consistently, after winning a match and particularly a Grand Slam title, she genuinely compliments her opponent.  As she explains her win, Serena alludes to her opponent’s skills and abilities which easily could have reversed the outcome.  Her willingness to honor her fellow players while achieving superlative distinction in the sport equally honors Serena and reveals a sincere and considerate heart.  Her attention to kindness and sportsmanship are the fine hues, colors and touches of an amazing and accomplished artist.

From rugged, deformed and neglected public tennis courts in Compton, California to raising championship trophies in Melbourne, Australia, Paris, France, Wimbledon, England and Flushing Meadows in New York City, what an incredible and impressive odyssey!  It is inconceivable that anyone during Serena’s formative years in the inner city would have bet on her.  Who would imagine a full figured, dark skin African American girl who proudly wore beads in her hair would someday contend for the record of most Grand Slam wins in women’s tennis?  In the early morning hours on those marred Compton Courts, Serena’s ambition and drive empowered her to learn and perfect the game of tennis.  Between shots and games, she undoubtedly raised her mind to an existential and dream-like plane where she observes herself competing for the titles she won subsequently.  Despite living with the triple burden of race, class and gender, Serena persevered and successfully entered an elitist sport where pedigree, culture and appreciation of bourgeois values and mores arguably meant more than athletic acumen and ability.  As she would invariably face disrespectful, demeaning and discouraging remarks in the locker rooms, hallways, press and mail, Serena cultivated the inner gravitas and chutzpah to focus steadfastly upon her dreams and goals.  Superbly from September 1999, the fall in which she won the U S Open, her first Grand Slam victory; she continues to triumph over her competitors, adversities and challenges.   

The violent death of a sister and a life threatening blot clot requiring extensive periods of hospitalization and recuperation symbolize two major detours from Serena’s championship road.  She has spoken very little about the questionable circumstances surrounding her sister’s untimely and most regrettable death.  The divergent choices and paths of siblings who are reared in the same household are as disparate as their unique personalities.  Still, as an enduring maxim from the Robert Redford movie, A River Runs Through It, teaches, “It is possible to love someone completely without completely knowing them.”  Thus, it is appropriate that her fans and the sports media give Serena the space to contemplate her loss and progress in life accepting her sister’s physical absence.  What a sheer joy to celebrate Serena’s win at Wimbledon in 2012 after an elongated time of recovery and rehabilitation when her health and career hung in the balance.  Rightly, the public was unaware of just how serious her condition was.  Still, Serena found the inner resolve to fight her way back onto the high stage of world tennis.  In many ways, her illness became a pilgrimage in which she returned to the Compton courts to begin her incredible odyssey again.  Plausibly, she ignited the ambition and determination that led her to previous heights of accomplishment.  She recommitted herself to her superlative goals realizing the utter necessity of digging more deeply within herself to achieve them.  In a seemingly short period of time, Serena left this abyss of fear, isolation, loss and possible termination of her career.  She traversed the tough terrain through the valley of the shadow of death as she grieved for her sister and steadfastly stared down her own death.  In July of last year, she walked onto Centre Court at Wimbledon and rightly regained her place as the number one women’s tennis player in the world.

Whether a resident of the slums of Calcutta, shanty towns in Capetown South Africa, barrios of Rio de Janiero, poor villages in developing countries or inner cities in the United States, little girls and boys can find encouragement and empowerment from Serena Williams’ powerful example.  She personifies the American dream which holds promise for all residents of the global village.  Commendably, Serena inescapably deals with issues of race and class without allowing the myopic scorn of detractors and insular person to undermine her professional performance or compromise her personal dignity.  Many of the children who idolize Serena probably will face similar challenges as they strive to fulfill their dreams and goals.  She is a living example of the power of an individual to believe in herself against all odds.

A Royal Facade in Baltimore

 “A Royal Façade in Baltimore”

“A View from the Bleachers”

Victor M. Singletary with Curtis J. Singletary

Admittedly the Baltimore Ravens handily won the last Super Bowl.  Quarterback Jim Flacco was named mistakenly the Most Valuable Player.  That honor should have gone to the retiring Ray Lewis who as leader of the Ravens fierce and unrelenting defense enabled the run to the Super Bowl and the Ravens longstanding winning streak for many seasons.  Essentially, Lewis and the Ravens defense made Flacco look better than he is.  As the 2013-2014 season enters its fourth week, it is now rather apparent to everyone that Flacco’s royal façade will soon crumble.  Most football fans will now concur with the opinions of an unforgiving minority that Flacco and the Ravens offense are overrated.

As I write, I see Falcco’s overdependence on the offensive line to protect him as he is unable to scramble outside of the pocket.  He runs for first down with short yardage on third down only if the defense allows him.  If the pocket collapses, he appears instantaneously flustered.  If any aspect of a choreographed play fails to materialize as he envisions it, he loses the down and possibly possession of the ball.  Flacco is the football equivalent of the British general, Edward Braddock, in the American Revolutionary War, who complained about the unfairness of guerrilla warfare.  “It is not fair!  It is not fair!  They are coming out of the bushes.”  Flacco responds similarly to a defensive blitz.  His commendable quarterback rating and other stats do not tell he complete story of how the intractable Ravens defense contributed significantly to Flacco’s acquisition of those numerical achievements.  Chief among them is his new contract with a salary in excess of $120 million; thereby catapulting him to the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks in terms of compensation.  The balance of this football season will vindicate this forthright criticism of Flacco and reveal that the Ravens’ general manager and owners grossly erred in signing that contract with Flacco.

Instead, they should have invested in the retention of their most impressive defense which made the Ravens a contender in the league for more than a decade.  Not surprisingly, after a decisive Super Bowl win, a championship ring and hefty bonus, stalwart members of this defense cashed in on free agency throughout the league.  Other teams have benefited directly and indirectly from the organic and market-driven dismantling of the Ravens defense.  Understandably, these men as they near the sunset of their professional football careers have the right to shop their expertise and experience on the open market to benefit them and their families.  They have nothing to prove to anyone as it relates to records and accolades.  Incidentally, Ray Lewis traded in his uniform for the broadcasting booth and weekly analysts.  He and his former teammates deserve whatever riches they earn as they participated in sport in which their careers could end precipitately. 

Again, Lewis’s retirement greatly exposes Flacco’s impressive mediocrity notwithstanding his lucrative contract.  The Ravens loss to the Broncos by a score of 49-27 in the season opening game actually reflects their potential and talent.  The Ravens did not play like the immediate past Super Bowl champions.  They exhibited a total lack of defense in that Peyton Manning threw a record breaking seven touchdown passes in that game alone.  Flacco and the Ravens offense repeatedly failed to combat the Broncos defense as the Ravens offense pocket collapsed time and time again.  The Ravens’ second games equally demonstrated their unevenness on offense despite a Pyrrhic victory over the Houston Texans with a score of 30-9.  Their third game against the Cleveland Browns resulted in a close win with a score of 14-9 thereby reflecting the deficiencies of Cleveland more than the talent of the Ravens.  Essentially, the loss of the defensive depth, breadth, length and width of the Baltimore Ravens during the Ray Lewis era shatters the royal façade of Jim Flacco and an underdeveloped offense.

The colors of the Ravens are white, black and purple.  Usually, myriad organizations and society reserves the color purple of its elite.  It is the color of royalty, bishops and directors.  In wearing this regal color, Jim Flacco and the Ravens offense adorn themselves in a royal façade which will become more evident as the season progresses.  During off-season, chances are the general manager and owners will renegotiate Flacco’s lucrative contract as hardly anyone adorns a façade with Federal Reserve bank notes.

"Death by Turnovers" - The New York Giants 0-3 Start

“Death by Turnovers” – The New Giants 0-3 Start

“A View from the Bleachers”

Victor M. Singletary with Curtis J. Singletary

The title of this column does not refer to an Agatha Christie mystery in which dinner guests frantically solve the murder of a companion whose apple turnover dessert contains large traces of arsenic.  Rather, it characterizes the regrettable 0-3 start of the New York Giants in the 2013-2014 football season.  In their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas Stadium, the Giants turned the ball over six times.  In the two subsequent games against the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers, the Giants committed four turnovers in each contest.  When your opponents capitalize on each mistake, you cannot win football games.  Essentially, you are killing any hopes of contending for your divisional title yet alone progressing to the playoffs.  For the frustrated fans and even gloating enemies of the New York Giants, they can aptly label their premature obituaries, “Death by Turnovers.”

Eli Manning, the Giants’ seasoned and veteran quarterback and undisputed leader of this team, deserves the lion’s share of the blame.   Apparently, he believes he must carry the offense and even team on his shoulders.  Several of the interceptions he has thrown in the first few games equate with anxious rookie mistakes.  A veteran of his stature must avoid such silly and even stupid chances of throwing on a third down and short yardage.  He foregoes screen passes which would yield the first down, if he must throw on third down only needing a few yards.  Instead, he grandiosely throws a bomb hoping to score as he snatches victory out of the closing jaws of defeat.  Eventually, the cumulative effects of these unnecessary errors results in three consecutive losses and a demoralized time and disillusioned fan base which harbors the blissful dream of the New York Giants playing in the Super Bowl at home in February.  Specifically, in the Denver game, Eli consistently overacted and exaggerated his seminal role as he grappled with the magnanimous shadow of his brother, Peyton, looming over each down.  Still, this storied sibling rivalry, which increases press coverage and enlarges television audience and ensures a sold out local game, does not justify the subpar performance of an experienced quarterback who has won two championships and maintains stats that rival his brother and any other high achieving quarterback in the National Football League.

Bewildered Giants fans resign themselves to the reality of a very long and tedious football season in the City of New York if Manning, Cruz, Bradshaw and Coughlin fail to reverse their fortunes.  What explains their current destitute state of play and mediocre ranking?  The incredible numbers of turnovers reveal an extremely weak offensive line.  Better blocking and coverage coupled with more time in the pocket enable Manning to see open receivers and resist the temptation to throw to someone facing double or triple coverage in the secondary.  Second, the Giants’ defense is non-existent.  How Giants fan long for the return to the days of Lawrence Taylor whose speed and accuracy was career-ending for a quarterback or two.  Yet, LT has been retired for years; thus his absence is not a valid excuse.  Third, there appears to be obvious deficiencies with play calling.  The offensive coordinator is the person on the side lines who deserves the fans’ chagrin and disappointment.  Fourth, lingering injuries persist in undermining the team’s performance as it is difficult for the players to build trust and coalesce around a game plan of the personnel changes week to week.  Finally, speaking of personnel, questions remain as to whether Coach Coughlin left the preseason with the right people for their positions.  The running fumbles in the Dallas game glaringly showed personnel inadequacies; hence, the return of Bradshaw to the Giants lineup within the ensuing week.  Whereas these five factors reasonably explain the Giants’ 0-3 starting record for this season, they hardly justify writing an obituary for a team with a history of awakening their individual and collective giants at mid-season and marching triumphantly into the postseason.

One of America’s favorite pastimes yielding in excess of $10 billion annually, the game of professional football simulates many challenges that fans face in everyday living.  Average citizens make hard decisions relating to marriage, family, jobs, health, finances and other priorities.  Possessing a personal mission and purpose statement similar to business’ strategic plan, they determine whether they will take advantage of an investment opportunity or forego this chance to increase their wealth.  Such a choice reminds me of a coach’s decision to go for the first down or punt the ball.  Ironically, the New York Giants need to actualize some of these life lessons as they regroup and reverse their losing trend.  Each player needs time for self-evaluation and introspection.  As a professional athlete who is handsomely paid to perform a task that you wholeheartedly enjoy, you have an obligation to subordinate your ego and determine whether you are contributing your maximum.  A start like the Giants often necessitates a return to fundamentals; coaches should forsake any assumptions about what each member of the team knows.  Usually, small things accumulate into big problems; thus a couple of turnovers result in three losses.  Refining basic techniques as a means of “Total Quality Management” will assist the Giants in eradicating shameless mistakes.  To the extent that any member of the Giants team will employ his ego, he should do so as a matter of personal and professional pride. 

As the season continues, hopefully “Death by Turnovers” will characterize three unfortunate and unnecessary losses for the Giants instead of entitling their 2013-2014 season obituary.