THE BJ-LEAGUE INSIDER
  • Basketball Writer in Japan blog
  • 2014-15 team rosters
  • 2014-15 import players
  • 2014-15 season - by the numbers
  • Archived stories in The Japan Times
  • A look at the league's foreign coaches
  • What others are saying
  • Useful hoop sites in Japanese
  • (Through 2010-11 season) Top players in bj-league history: An in-depth analysis and survey
  • Year-by-year team involvement
  • 2012-13 Import players' college list
  • 2012-13 rosters
  • 2011-12 team rosters
  • 2011-12 foreign players and coaches list
  • Former NBA players' update
  • An introduction to the bj-league
  • Thought of the day
  • Memorable quotes
  • Media gets a raw deal
  • A source of inspiration
  • Interviews
  • Cost-cutting measures hurt league's image
  • The top Japanese rebounder is ...
  • The reality is ...
  • Respect for his peers
  • Best Five teams - 2005-06 to present
  • By the numbers
  • Not good enough
  • Poignant comments
  • JBL vs. bj-league and the problems both face
  • The way it is
  • Kawachi's impact
  • More memorable quotes
  • Photo gallery

The potential is there

6/2/2012

1 Comment

 
The following passage was used by Kyodo News to describe the J.League, Japan's men's pro soccer league, in a recent article:

"The J. League has established itself as the top league in the continent, providing the landscape to develop young players, with the best ones playing abroad week after week at the highest level."

If, and only if, the JBL would merge with the bj-league and get total support from the Japan Basketball Association to evolve into a truly legitimate operation, the above statement could be used to describe the bj-league by simply substituting "J.League" for "bj-league."

If only all the powers-that-be had their hearts and brains in the right place, the above could be more than a fantasy.


1 Comment

A fan's perspective

12/11/2011

6 Comments

 
I received the following email the other day from a passionate basketball fan who sees the current bj-league sitaution - and Japan's basketball reality - as repulsive.

"Sometimes when I look at the basketball situation here in Japan, being run by many businessmen that have no idea on how to run a basketball team. .. makes me wonder how did it get this far. It's almost like they are trying to take the league straight to adulthood, not letting it have its childhood (we saw how well that worked with Michael Jackson). As of now, in my eyes, the bj-league is in serious trouble and if they don't change directions soon, we might see the end of pro basketball as we know it."
6 Comments

Looking back at Planells' vision for the bj-league

10/13/2011

0 Comments

 
Coach Hernando Planells was fired by the Ryukyu Golden Kings after the 2007-08 season, the team's first in the league. He left behind a lot of enthusiasm for the sport here and some smart ideas about how to grow the game whle pushing hard for greater name recognition and ways to elevate the bj-league's image here and abroad.

Here's a look at what he had to say in June 2008:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sp20070603eo.html


0 Comments

Japan's Al Davis?

10/9/2011

0 Comments

 
Is bj-league commissioner Toshimitsu Kawachi the closest thing to the legendary Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis in Japanese basketball?

Well, for starters, both have a rebel streak in them.


Davis served in numerous leadership capacities, including as commissioner of the upstart AFL. He played a huge role in the merger, forcing it to happen you could suggest.


There's no merger yet in Japanese basketball, but Toshimitsu Kawachi has changed the course of history for Japanese basketball during his tenure as commissioner of the upstart bj-league, now with 19 teams to the old-guard JBL's eight.


If Kawachi and his inner circle are able to convince -- or raid -- the JBL teams of their top Japanese talent, the bj-league could become more relevant. It might be the best move they could make, in fact.


If Yuta Tabuse had signed with the Tokyo Apache or another bj-league club in 2008 instead of not rocking the boat and signing with the Link Tochigi Brex, Kawachi's Davis-esque image would've grown.


Indeed, Al Davis' passing at age 82 on Saturday reminds us of his long-established method of doing things his own way. He was an icon in American football. but was never afraid to take risks.


Kawachi, former Japan national team coach, TV commentator and Niigata Albirex GM, knows a things or two about breaking away from the status quo. The six-team bj-league circa 2005-06 is now an entirely different entity. It matters more and more each year. Just ask fans of all the new teams that have entered the league since then, or the journalists who cover the sport, or the sponsors who have attached their identities in various ways to all these teams.


I think it's time for him to play hard ball with the Japan Basketball Association and JBL and fight harder for real recognition, a common draft between the leagues, competitions, more air time on TV, etc. Using those tactics as his M.O., Al Davis would've approved -- of that, I'm certain.
 

0 Comments

Doing the bare minimum

10/7/2011

0 Comments

 
Good grief. Every week, the league office gives me a reason to scratch my head and say, "Why?" I should be baffled, but really, it's no surprise.

What am I talking about?

Exhibit A: It's way past time to change the top photo on bj-league.com, a shot that's been there for months. The photo showcases the hand of an unidentified person and the league's official Spalding ball. The shot hasn't changed in months. Today's opening day. How about emphasizing the newness and the fun of a new season? Where's the imagination, folks?
0 Comments

Parity: Good or bad?

9/27/2011

0 Comments

 
According to the latest numbers, there are 3 unbeaten teams in the NFL after three weeks. That's 32 teams we're talking about.

Twenty-nine NFL clubs have already lost  at least once. Wow.

Would this kind of parity be good for the bj-league? And if so, how should the league go about aiming to have this kind of parity? I'm curious to examine this issue in greater detail in the coming months.

Last season, there were 11 of 16 teams with 20 or more losses (in a planned 52-game season). After the March 11, earthquake, three teams -- Sendai 89ers, Tokyo Apache and Saitama Broncos -- stopped playing, which made the remaining portion of the schedule a bit wacky.

Has rapid expansion -- from six teams in 2005 to 19 for this season (actually 20 if you count the Tokyo Apache, the league's first long-term disappearing act/on-hiatus/quasi-permanent departure) -- led to a guaranteed amount of parity? Or is it simply growing pains? Or both?

Whatever you want to call it, there are three teams entering this season that have won championships in the league's six years of existence:

*Osaka Evessa (3)
*Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix (2)
*Ryukyu Golden Kings (1)

So, therefore, there are 16 other franchises in the fight for that coveted first championship.

That's a good thing.

But does it really mean all teams have a 1 in 19 chance of grabbing the winner's trophy?

Opening day rosters, and rosters after New Year's Day, Valentine's Day and the signing and trade deadlines in the early spring, will go a long way in determining who has the pieces in place to be major contender this season.


0 Comments

Commentary

9/18/2011

0 Comments

 
It's beyond my comprehension why the bj-league would choose to exclude 18 of its 19 head coaches from this season's media day on Sept. 26 in Tokyo.

Actually, it's not that big of a surprise.

This is a league, after all, that does little on a consistent basis to generate publicity in the media or create a buzz about what it's accomplished in its first six seasons. Player quotes after games remain unavailable for the national media and fans; they are not archived, distributed or posted online anywhere. So hundreds of games each year have little insight from the actual participants; call it a point of disgust for yours truly, but the league office has made no effort to work on this.

And remember this: It’s a league that is struggling mightily in several markets to attract enough fans to spend money to attend their games. People, it says here, do not have enough knowledge about the teams, players, coaches, quirky trends and history about the league.

In addition, with seven new teams in the past two seasons, including the expansion Chiba Jets, Iwate Big Bulls, Shinshu Brave Warriors and Yokohama B-Corsairs for 2011-12, you'd think the league office would insist on having its coaches do as many media functions as possible. Get the word out, would be the rationale, about the new teams. Give people with notepads, digital recorders and cameras endless opportunities to document the new coaches' hopes and aspirations.

But this is not the way the bj-league operates. Spending as little money as possible on things that matter is the normal way of doing things.

It's stunning, then, that even player representatives from each of the teams will be in Tokyo for next week's media event. Sure, players can say interesting, meaningful things. But first and foremost, this is the role of head coaches.

A year ago, it was a progressive move for the bj-league, which rarely does progressive things, to have player and coaching representatives from all 16 teams. In just a few hours, I was able to cram in enough interviews for a dozen or so stories; other reporters also greatly benefited from this. It was time well spent. And it was a necessary activity.

For a league spread out over 19 prefectures and three islands, having all of the coaches in one location at one time is time well spent and enables journalists in the nation's media capital an opportunity to do their job properly.

If the league isn't willing to provide these types of opportunities for journalists, it could adapt this motto: Sorry, media, your job doesn't matter to us."

But seriously, the league takes one step forward for every three steps it takes backward.

A media day without all the coaches is a horrible idea. This, however, would be at least a decent one: Set up a press teleconference (using Skype or a similar service). It could be done for free -- a policy I have been advocating for a few years now -- with each of the league's coaches. Give them 10-15 minutes to answer questions from reporters, many of whom are not in Tokyo, and may not get the OK from their editors to travel to Tokyo for a media event. Instead, a press teleconference would save money, and league staff could transcribe these comments in English and Japanese and post them on the league's website. Bam! Simple. It's a win-win concept, but it won't happen.

Why? The bj-league's media relations/PR staff personnel don’t see the big picture. Their energy and efforts are misguided and focused on other things.

It's time for common sense to prevail.

In a league with a high turnover of coaches (11 of 16 bench bosses to begin the 2010-11 season were not in those spots to kick off the previous campaign), a once-a-year event is not too much to ask for. Coaches are the public face of their franchises, and should fill that role as often as possible -- on the phone and in person.

Somewhere along the way, from its humble beginnings with six teams for the 2005-06 season to its 20-team (dropped to 19 after the Tokyo Apache bailed out of the league) planned setup for this season, the league lost track of what matters.

But it's never too late to recognize the importance of media. Often, media attention is the driving force in new fans' developing a passion for a sports league.

0 Comments

    Ed Odeven

    I'm a sports writer, columnist and editor for The Japan Times.
    This site is an extension of my work covering the bj-league. News, commentary, notes, quotes and anecdotes about the bj-league.

    Archives

    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011

    Categories

    All
    2011-12 Season
    89ers
    Afl
    Akita
    Al Davis
    All-Star Games
    Aoki
    Bad Attendance
    Bj League
    Bj-league
    Blocked Shots
    Bob Hill
    Bob Pierce
    Broncos
    Cancer Survivor
    Champion Head Coaches
    Chiba Jets
    Coach Blackwell
    Coaches
    Coach Gardow
    Coaching Carousel
    Cohey Aoki
    Constant Chaos
    David Benoit
    Debuts
    Dwane Casey
    Earthquake
    Eastern Conference
    Eric Gardow
    Evessa
    Fan Donations
    Fan Perspective
    Final Four
    Fukuoka
    Gardener
    Geoffrey Katsuhisa
    Gimmicks
    Golden Kings
    Great East Japan Earthquake
    Hamamatsu
    Happinets
    Heatdevils
    Herb Brown
    Hernando Planells
    Holm
    Home Page
    Honoo Hamaguchi
    Humphrey
    Itakura
    Iwate Big Bulls
    Japan Basketball Association
    Japan Women's National Team
    Jbl
    Jeff Newton
    Jeffrey Parmer
    J.League
    John Flowers
    Johnny Dukes
    Joho
    Katakana
    Kazuo Nakamura
    Kyoto Hannaryz
    Lance Allred
    Lawrence Blackledge
    League Operations
    League Promotions
    Lynn Washington
    Magic Johnson
    Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
    Maki
    Management Ability
    March 11
    Media Problems
    Michael Gardener
    Michael Jackson
    Michael Jordan
    Michael Katsuhisa
    Miyazaki
    Motofumi Aoki
    Nakama
    Nakamura
    Nakanishi
    Namizato
    Narito Namizato
    Natalie Nakase
    Nba Lockout
    Neumann
    New Teams
    Nfl
    Nhk
    Oita
    Okinawa Fans
    One-year Anniversary Of Earthquake
    Osaka
    Osaka Evessa
    Parity
    Parker
    Peppers
    Phil Jackson
    Photos
    Poetry
    Poor Pr
    Pr
    Rashaad Singleton
    Reggie Geary
    Ryan Blackwell
    Ryukyu
    Ryukyu Golden Kings
    Saitama
    Saitama Broncos
    Sendai
    Sendai 89ers
    Shiga Lakestars
    Shinji Tomiyama
    Sportcourt
    Statistics
    Takamatsu
    Takamatsu Five Arrows
    Takehiko Shimura
    Takushi
    Tanaka
    Thomas
    Tohoku
    Tokyo Cinq Reves
    Tomohide Utsumi
    Top 10 Scorers
    Top Japanese Players
    Toshimitsu Kawachi
    Vlasios Vlaikidis
    Washington
    Wendell White
    Yokohama
    Yokohama B Corsairs
    Yokohama B-Corsairs
    Yu Okada
    Yuta Tabuse

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.