Blog Archives - THE BJ-LEAGUE INSIDER

Tokyo Cinq Reves

5/30/2012

The bj-league draft will be held on June 18. The new Tokyo team, whose nickname means "Five Dreams" in French, has yet to announce who will coach the team. Seems to me the team is taking too long to do this.

There is a Cinq Reves' dancer audition on June 16, though.

Is there a sense of urgency to bring in a good coach and build a winning tradition from the get-go? Stay tuned.

New leadership needed in Saitama

5/30/2012

Team president/general Toshihiko Narita has been the one constant since the Saitama Broncos entered the bj-league as one of six teams in 2005.

Let me amend that statement. The prefecture's die-hard fans are also a constant presence at Broncos games.

But back to Narita. Here's what the team has "accomplished" during his reign of error:

*2005-06: 7 wins, 33 defeats, worst record in the six-team league
*2006-07: 15-25, sixth place in eight-team league
*2007-08: 21-23, fourth place in five-team Eastern Conference
*2008-09: 19-33, fifth place in six-team East
*2009-10: 17-35, tied for worst record in six-team East
*2010-11: 14-24, fifth place in seven-team East (team suspended operations after March 11 earthquake)
*2011-12: 16-36, worst record in 10-team East

Coaches come and go, players come and go, and Narita remains in charge, with nothing to show for it other than a franchise that has no designs on getting better for the short term or the long term.

Bob Hill's analysis

5/29/2012

Here's how Bob Hill, longtime NBA coach and former Tokyo Apache bench boss, broke down the two ongoing conference finals series the other day:

"The NBA has become a center-less league. I believe quality bigs change the game. Having said that, if San Antonio gets past OKC in the Western Conference final, I think they beat Miami.

"If OKC beats San Antonio, then Miami beats OKC. LeBron James is playing his finest basketball. Playing a lot more unselfish. They need to get (forward Chris) Bosh back in order to win it.

"So ... San Antonio or Miami."

The argument for a best-of-seven finals

5/29/2012

As Basketball Hall of Fame columnist Peter Vecsey pointed out in a recent column:

"Every dime-store dullard knows what great coaches do at this level; they concoct a formula to eradicate the opposition’s best player or highest scorer."

When the competition lasts more than one game -- the current format of the bj-league finals -- it gives coaches a chance to show their skills and players a chance to make up for a bad game, or continue their brilliant play. It adds drama and time for rivalries to grow stronger, gives the sport a longer spotlight in the media and creates more opportunities to make money.

In other words, it's a win-win situation, and it's time to do away with the one-game title contest and begin with the best possible scenario.

In the heat of the moment

5/26/2012

The 2008 bj-league Final Four proved again that coaches can lose track of details from even the shortest of lists.

After the win, Evessa coach Kensaku Tennichi told reporters, the team focused on defense during its playoff preparations. "On the white board, I wrote up key points for the game, with No. 1 being turnovers, No. 2 (being) offensive rebounds, because we shoot a lot of 3-pointers, and I couldn't remember the third point."

The third point was perhaps the least important one...

Osaka defeated the Rizing Fukuoka 100-73 to advance to the bj-league championship for the third straight season.

Insightful remmarks

5/26/2012

Center Shawn Malloy, who suited up for the Iwate Big Bulls this season, made the following comments in a recent interview:

"I don't really like to compare leagues because basketball is basketball no matter where you play it. I will say this is one of the best leagues that I've had an opportunity to play in. The only thing that is sort of different is maybe the advertising in some of these other countries. The bj-league is a strong league and it's getting better. I would just like to see more advertising for the teams and players to get more people to the games."

Stating the obvious

5/26/2012

Q: If Ryukyu Golden Kings guard Narito Namizato, makes it -- and stays for a longer spell than Yuta Tabuse's four games -- in the NBA, which league is better equipped to give him the skills to play in the NBA -- the bj-league or the JBL?

The facts: A longer season, many more teams and a talented cast of more imports by more than a few dozen make the bj-league a much better development league for Japanese to grow and get challenged to play elsewhere in the world.

Time for a change

5/22/2012

It's time for the bj-league to abolish its current setup: (official) one-year max contracts for players and coaches. The league should think long term and enable teams to build beyond the current year.

It'll create stability, a better league, better competition and give imports a better state of mind, as Isaac Sojourner passionately argued about in the past (See that column at the link below).

In addition, it's time for new voices to emerge as lead analysts for the league on TV. Commissioner Toshimitsu Kawachi knows the league, knows the sport and cares deeply about the league's image. But he has no business still being a lead analyst year after year ... with no end in sight. Game broadcasts deserve to have an analyst who is willing to praise as well as criticize during the heat of the moment. Kawachi will not do this.

***
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/sp20090920eo.html

Veil of secrecy

5/18/2012

The bj-league's lack of transparency and refusal to see the benefit of releasing names (for postseason awards' non-winners, but vote-getters, such as MVP, Best Five, Sixth Man Award, Coach of the Year, etc.) to the media and general public is not helping it promote itself, which it desperately needs to do. In fact, it takes away from increased publicity and debates -- no-brainer column ideas for motivated columnists -- that are natural extensions of the above disclosures. And from the overall general knowledge of the sport; the public is really not educated about the league, and most are clueless about the difference between the JBL (eight teams) and the bj-league (19 this season).

Growing rapidly into a 19-team circuit (with more teams planned for 2012-13 and 2013-14), have given the league ample opportunities to gain more mainstream media coverage on a regular basis. But it won't happen overnight. It'll take real effort to brand itself as a growing, emerging pro league that is a viable option for good foreign players and coaches and an increasing number of Japanese throughout the country.

Serious business - pro leagues need capable, proven leaders

5/18/2012

Sure, games are fun, but the job of running a pro league needs to be a truly serious around-the-clock job.

Exhibit A: In all facets, the bj-league doesn't have enough people with proven leadership skills in positions of power.

Live and learn.

In the meantime, here's a hoop insider's analysis of the league's current structure:

"Somebody has to realize that this is not (just) entertainment. This is a business....

"Sports is very easy to understand, but people tend to forget that sports business is business.

"There are too many people who really don't have the credit or the background to work for these sports business organizations."