Northern California’s getting some much-needed rain this weekend. Here’s some reading to keep you occupied while you stay inside, warm and dry, wherever you may be on this fiery ball in the sky.
A History of the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement
James Bowman
Swish Appeal
I really enjoyed this useful dual history of the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association (WNBPA). The piece not only contains information on all of the victories of the WNBPA, but also history about the founding of the union itself. Did you know that the WNBPA is the first ever union for pro women athletes? Or that the last bargaining agreement reduced roster sizes from 13 to 11 (in essence, cutting jobs)? I did not. This is an interesting read. A new CBA has not been ratified in the WNBA yet — they played without one last season — and I will be checking Swish Appeal to keep up with the negotiations. Nice work from Mr. Bowman.
Warriors #FullSquad Now Coming Up Empty
Ethan Sherwood-Strauss
TrueHoop
The #FullSquad movement — and moment — was a lot of fun as a Warriors fan. Many different things came together at once: a Twitter-trend gone mainstream, a 10-game win streak, some of the best basketball in Warriors franchise history. But those days are long gone, as the Warriors struggle through a home-heavy section of the season that most assumed the team would waltz through. In this piece for TrueHoop’s TrueCities series, Ethan Sherwood-Strauss chronicles the rise and fall of the Full Squad movement, usefully highlighting the highs and lows of all of the main contributors to the Full Squad. No player is given a free pass in this analysis, from the starters to the bench. It’s a sobering piece to read on the night that the team drops to the 8th seed, with Memphis knocking on the door. But the truth hurts: this team is not very good right now.
The Trailblazers Go Public
Bethlehem Shoals
TrueHoop
TrueHoop really has struck gold with the TrueCities feature, and Bethlehem Shoals adds to the already-existing corpus of excellent pieces. This article discusses the rise of Portland in a number of arenas, including their surprising basketball team. Shoals, who has lived in Portland for a year (and the Pacific Northwest for six years) offers a unique perspective on the team that ties it to the expanding influence of the city itself. Shoals touches on a number of themes in this piece, ranging from the perception of Portland as a place for creative youth to shine, to the reality of group dynamics in geographically-isolated places. What emerges is a piece that is equal parts sports analysis and municipal ethnography; a refreshing change from most of ESPN.com’s material, and in line with the work TrueHoop has been publishing as of late. Shoals unique ability to link the NBA with larger cultural forces, and use the two to explain one another remains unparalleled. It’s definitely nice to see him writing about ball more often.
The Most Exciting Game on Super Bowl Sunday: A Recap
Jason Gallagher
Grantland
Much like the midrange jumpshot, the art of “gonzo basketblogging” seemingly has gone by the wayside over the past few years, but is making a strong resurgence. Gonzo basketblogging (which I believe is my term) is a genre of basketblogging that relies upon humor, satire and the (often) unwritten mores and morals of the Internet generation to be processed and understood. I trace gonzo basketblogging back to the influential site Basketbawful, and their very funny cast of writers (who went by names like Bawful and Dr. Evil; these were the days of pen-names). Over time, a number of worthy heirs have risen and established themselves. Among their ranks is the talented and hilarious Jason Gallagher, who writes primarily at the excellent THN site Ballerball. Moreover, Gallagher also co-wrote the play Lockout: The Musical. It is great to see Gallagher’s unique brand of gonzo basketblogging spreading around the internet, including this hilarious recap for Grantland. It’s a good thing Gallagher was watching Magic vs Celtics on Super Bowl Sunday — he may have been the only one — because his words made me “LOL,” as the kids say. Sometimes the worst part about blogging about the NBA is that everyone takes themselves really seriously. Gallagher sees the absurdity of the NBA better than most, and he can make you laugh really hard. Works for me.
Don Nelson Interview (Part I)
Tim Kawakami
Talking Points
I enjoyed this short excerpt of an interview Tim Kawakami had with former NBA coach Don Nelson. Kawakami contacted Nellie for a piece about the Warriors, and the coach provided some interesting tidbits about my beloved team. I wasn’t surprised that he still watches the Warriors while he enjoys his retirement in Hawaii. I also wasn’t surprised (for some reason) that he seemingly keeps up with Monta Ellis, and has been impressed with his improvement as a player. His thoughts on the Warriors three-happiness, as well as his opinion of the Ellis-Bogut trade, did take me aback a bit. Kawakami asked Nellie some interesting questions, and frankly, it was good to hear from the old coot as he sips a Blue Hawaiian in a hammock, not giving a damn about anything. Part two of the interview hasn’t been released yet, but I’ll be looking out for it when it does.