khandor’s sports blog

When you get right down to brass tacks …

For any NBA team:

1. The players are an extension of the head coach.

2. The head coach is an extension of the General Manager.

3. The General Manager is an extension of the CEO/President.

4. The CEO/President is an extension of the Owner.

5. The Owner is … precisely where ‘The Buck [starts and] Stops‘.

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The owners: a free agency scorecard

… perhaps the most important person in a free agent supertar’s future is their next owner. Coaches have an average tenure of a few years. Teammates change year in and year out.

But if you’re LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or another top free agent, whoever owns your next team is going to make hundreds of decisions, year after year, with the potential to affect whether or not you win a title.

Hiring a coach, getting a new point guard, changing the defense … almost everything on an NBA team is malleable. But when under contract, even the most powerful superstars in the league have little-to-no influence over ownership. Which means as they shop for new teams, at the top of the list is finding the right owner.

Based on conversations with people familiar with the thinking of top free agents, including team personnel, agents, and insiders, here’s a list of owners who are best positioned to appeal to free agent superstars:

1. Dr. Jerry Buss
2. Mark Cuban
3. Mikhail Prokhorov
4. Micky Arison
5. Wyc Grousbeck
6. etc.

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Where do you suppose Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Limited [MLSE] is ranked, according to TrueHoop?

Unlike some others in the hoops’ blogosphere …

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Black is the new Red: Raptors unveil new third jersey
Olympic medalists Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon unveiled the Raptor’s alternate road uniform Thursday at Air Canada Centre in front of fans, guests and some guy named Matt Devlin. They look pretty slick.

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for this corner, keeping this franchise solidly IN THE BLACK … majorly in the BLACK, in fact, to the Raptuous Tune of Big-Time profits … is all it’s been about for the Dinos, since the shift in ownership, several years ago, from the original John Bitove/Isiah Thomas group to the all-encompassing conglomerate control of the parent company known as Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment [MLSE].

In terms of black unis, to these eyes, this style belongs, first and foremost, to the original San Antonio Spurs, then les infants terribles Orlando Magic, and best of all to the 6-time World Champions, Chicago Bulls, of a different completely era.

In today’s game, however … when organizations like the Lakers and the Pistons and the Celtics [etc.] – historically talented and championship-worthy NBA teams – are choosing to keep their focus on things like winning and tradition, this corner takes particular note … in sharp constrast to some other otpp-rich-and-larry-come-lately-wannabee outfits, without a single appearance in an NBA Finals to their credit yet, but a slew of less-than-.500 finishes, and a number of seasons with 1st Round Playoff exits … who seem most intent, not on doing what’s necessary to build a championship calibre NBA team, down-the-road for this franchise … e.g. like acquiring the best available young talent [i.e. Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge or Rudy Gay, in the 2006 NBA Draft] with considerable upside for their roster … but on making the MOST MOOLA possible, for their ownership group, while distributing an insidious and lethal does of treadmill-status-camoflaging Kool-Aid to their rabid fan base, year after year after year after …  

IT SIMPLY MAKES THIS STOMACH WANT TO WRETCH. 

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Black is NOT the new Red for the Toronto Raptors.
Far from it.

BLACK is simply the colour it’s been ‘about’ for this ‘outfit’ since that ownership transfer took place, behind closed doors … only difference is, now it’s also on full public display, merchandising style, for everyone else to see for themselves.