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

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

    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.