SPORTS
Tuesday, October 27, 2015 19
Hardwood Return
kareem webster › staff writer
O
n e of t h e reasons why sports is so
ubiquitous is not only because of the
celebrity of its performers, but a lot of the
issues that are pervasive in society—issues
surrounding race, ethnicity, and class—are (usually)
suppressed for a moment, allowing us to enjoy the
competition inherent to the game. Now, I am not
saying that sports are free of those issues, but for the
most part, I cannot think of a forum where people
of different colours, creed, economic status, and
ethnic backgrounds can look past those superficial
characteristics and play just for the love of the game.
I can just imagine all the eyebrows that are raised.
Look, sports are still male-dominated. I will not even
pretend that there is gender equality or that anything
other than a heterosexual identification will be
accepted in the locker rooms because everyone knows
that is not true. Bear with me though. To illustrate my
point, just look at the National Basketball Association
(NBA). I cannot think of another profession where
you will see people of colour as employees and
employers—although it is odd that there is only one
person of colour who is a majority owner in a league
where an overwhelming majority of the players are
African-American, but I digress—in a sport that is
adored by millions in North America.
Headlines in the NBA have gripped us over the
past few years. From Jason Collins to Donald Sterling
to Barnes-versus-Fisher, the NBA has produced
news stories that really did not emanate from the
hardwood, but from issues off the court. It will
interesting to see what happens this season.
The regular season tips off on Tuesday, October 28.
Are you ready, hoops fans?
What an offseason the NBA experienced. LaMarcus
Aldridge, the player who was wooed by a number
of teams, landed with the Spurs after playing with
the Blazers for almost ten years (the Raptors were
one of those teams, which is kind of ironic because
they elected to draft Andrea Bargnani over Aldridge
in 2006). The free agency gaffe between DeAndre
Jordan, Clippers and Mavericks almost broke the
internet in July. The return of injured superstars
Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant, in what some are
speculating as being Bryant’s final season (although
I disagree). The draft lottery that saw Jahlil Okafor
drop to the third overall selection after being touted
as the best player in the country in high school
and a championship season at Duke University. Ty
Lawson was traded to the Rockets, adding to their
stacked roster, and making them an even more viable
contender for the championship. The Raptors quietly
improved their roster with blue-collar players. The
Grizzlies locked up their big man for another five
years. The first full season of Paul George since his
gruesome foot injury in 2014 should be not only
inspirational, but exciting, as he will now play power
forward. Thank God there are only ten more days.
What have we learned?
ê Photo credit: trendingtoplists.com
them for the western conference crown.
Size doesn’t matter
Again, we are seeing that big market teams (New
York, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Boston, Philadelphia,
Dallas, and Chicago) are not where the marquee
free agents tend to flock. The small market teams
(Milwaukee, San Antonio, and Indiana) stole the show
with Aldridge, Greg Monroe, David West, and Monta
Ellis signings, respectively.
The Lakers still dominate NBA
headlines
The Lakers have not been a good basketball team
for a couple of years. They are still reeling from the
departure of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, both of
whom were not healthy while in LA. Nevertheless,
two headlines were discussed ad nauseam in NBA
circles this summer, which included speculation into
what the Lakers were going to do with the number
two pick, and subsequently, analysis of their pick,
D’Angelo Russell. Add that to Bryant’s impending
return from injury and a slew of sneaky free agency
signings, and the Lakers are one of the teams that will
be watched with particular attention.
The West is better than ever
The level of parity just increased with the Rockets,
Clippers, Grizzlies, and Spurs all improving their
rosters. Good luck to the Warriors, they will need it.
The East is wide, wide open
Even though Las Vegas gambling odds will peg the
Cavaliers as the favourite to win the east, I would still
argue that the conference is still very much up for
grabs. The Bulls, Raptors, Heat, and perhaps Wizards,
should not be counted out summarily as they all
improved their teams far more than the Cavaliers
enhanced their roster. u
t humbs down
Keeping up with the Dubs
Well, the Warriors, the champs, kept their roster
intact in an unquestionable “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix
it” approach. At this point, I would be hard-pressed
to not include them as a championship contender. The
Spurs are, at this point, the team that will challenge
Six weeks until papers are due.