NBA: Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to the Clippers

I just heard the lead sinker fall to the floor. Oh no, hearing the news Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are signing with the Clippers has got to be the worst move ever or they're both geniuses.

For Leonard, he has nothing to prove having won titles with the Spurs and Raptors. But George is taking a much bigger risk as he's linking up with an outfit that has never won an NBA title and never looked like winning one. The Clippers have never advanced past the second stage of the playoffs (correct me if I'm wrong, I didn't look it up).

The Clippers play in the Staples Center and get second choice on all the booking slots. That's because the owner of the Staples Center also owns a share of the Lakers and the Lakers play at Staples. For Leonard and George they're effectively wilfully choosing to play for the B team.

Compare with Durant and Irving going to Brooklyn. The Nets have at least won two titles when part of the ABA, and they've got hot talent brought together by the savvy Sean Marks. And add DeAndre Jordan to the list at Brooklyn.

So Leonard and George may be making a huge belly-flop into the pool. I never rate the hapless Clippers, if there is a way to lose, they'll find it.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: New Zealand

The New Zealand cricket team is proving itself to be very average. Its world ranking is far higher than it really deserves and now we can see why: the Kiwis have no fight in them.

They're poorly lead and play like a bunch of amateurs. The problem with NZ cricket goes deeper too; they're a team of upper middle class guys.  That's a recipe that'll never get the job done. To win you've got to have a bit of mongrel in there, look at the All Blacks for inspiration. For summer sports the men with that mongrel are out fishing or hunting, or they're in motor sport or baseball. They're not going to stand around all day saying inane things like ' great shot Whitherrington' or 'c'mon lads give them a bit of what-o.'

At the world cup in 2019 I've been following Afghanistan, they've got some fight in them which is a stark contrast to the chinless wonder Kiwis. One day Afghanistan may even win at the top level, won't that be a day to celebrate! But watching the NZers is like watching concrete set, boring and always a disappointment. For me Kane Williamson getting out against Australia said it all, when walking off having amassed a disappointing 40, he looked like he was taking his dog for a walk in the park, not like he was gutted he'd just let his team down.

Hong Kong Crisis

Things are going downhill fast in Hong Kong. I hope these young demonstrators don't get too carried away as the Chinese government are not known to be restrained in how they retaliate against anyone challenging their power. Remember, China is not a democracy, it is a brutal dictatorship.

It was funny to see the old Hong Kong flag being unfurled by these protesters. Britain has a lot to answer for in its acquiescence to China back in the 90's, but it's touching the youngsters, who may not have been born when Hong Kong was handed back to China by the British, are still clinging to some semblance of freedom.

ICC: Cricket World Cup 2019

Two comments come to mind: the New Zealand v Australia match - it looked to me as if NZ were trying to lose, giving the Australians easy outs. That's the only way to describe a woeful batting performance from the Kiwis.

And media seemed to spend more time talking about fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan fans than on the game itself. The game was a gripping encounter and deserved more favourable comment.

NZ Labour: Build Houses

Why can't the New Zealand Labour government build houses? They're the party that invented the state house. Housing Minister, Phil Twyford has just been sacked, fair enough he proved useless but you also have to question the entire Labour team. There is a real dearth of talent in the NZ parliament right now.

Toronto Raptors: Chip on their Shoulder

Not a single player in the champion Raptors side was an NBA lottery pick. The following article details how each player was acquired and where they were in the draft. It's an interesting read and just goes to show, a team of players with something to prove can achieve greatness.

https://www.thestar.com/sports/raptors/2019/04/11/how-the-2018-19-raptors-were-built.html

War with Iran

Who is behind the ramping up of tension between Iran and the USA? Would it be Saudi Arabia? A bit obvious this, given that the Saudis are under investigation for murdering the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the bombing of civilians in Yemen, and now they're under attack from Houthi rebels on Saudi territory with the Saudi Army apparently running away whenever they come under fire.

Kim Kardashian for President

The US has had its first reality television star become President, so why not the first female President also a reality TV star? Face it, she'd be better than the Donald. Better looking too. I know Kanye West said he was going to run, but with his mental stability an issue then it's over to his wife with her new legal training. Embrace the vision.

Toronto Raptors Win NBA Championship

The Raptors have pulled off a massive upset, beating the Golden State Warriors 4-2 in the series. Game 6 was even tighter than the close score suggests. For the losers, Klay Thompson stood out, when he dislocated his knee he had the presence of mind to crawl back onto the court to ensure he was down while fully in the field of play, then when carried from the area he returned to make his free throws. Now that is tough. I hope he's all right. And for the winners, what a great team effort, with Kawhi Leonard the man who can do anything.

New Zealand Defence Capability Plan

Those wanting to read the latest dreams and schemes put out by the NZ Defence establishment can read it here:

https://www.defence.govt.nz/publications/publication/defence-capability-plan-2019

This is an improvement but still doesn't go far enough. Readers will note that there are still no plans to regain NZ's air strike capability. Also lacking is a firm commitment to acquire drones which are a must-do in my book. They're also continuing with cuts even though the replacement capability is not ready. I'm talking here about the immediate removal from service of two inshore patrol boats, leaving just two in service. That's likely because they can't find crews to man them.

Then consider it appears the multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury is a failure. Read between the lines, it is spelt out bold and clear.

The NZ Government don't appear to be able to get its priorities right. Those priorities must be:

Navy
Air Force
Army

...in that order. Having two old and incapable Frigates to secure 11% of the earth's surface is ludicrous. Grow up New Zealand.

Oh and consider this announcement a bribe of sorts from NZ First's Ron Mark. But before voters consider giving them a chance in 2020, please remember that this lot shut down oil and gas exploration. They acted to harm the NZ economy, so they can't be trusted with defence either.

This was my blueprint published in 2017 https://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2017/01/blueprint-for-new-zealand-armed-forces.html

Toronto Raptors: Defense

It's all about defense, that's my reasoning behind the Raptors surprise upsets over the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA finals. I know a lot of people are going on about their offesne, but look at the scores, the Warriors are being restricted. Leonard, Gasol, Ibaka, Siakam and Green are all defensive heavyweights.

New Zealand: Clash of Polls

The latest political opinion polls show a completely contrasting picture. TVNZ's 1 News has National ahead of Labour, while TV3's Newshub have National plummeting to new lows. What's going on?

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12238789 

Something the two media organisations did agree on; the minor parties are looking shaky. They're both on or just over the 5% threshold, which is good news for both Labour and National, but especially National.

The real story I think is being rarely mentioned, and that is that voters are browsing around looking for someone to support, hence the erosion of support for the minor parties in parliament, and the emergence of new political movements such as the new Christian party and a new Green party called Sustainable New Zealand.

2019 NBA Finals

Wow, it's now 3-1 to the Raptors in the series. Drake really has proven to be a lucky charm. The Warriors appear completely psyched out, with incidents like the co-owner pushing a Raptors player at courtside. I'm sure the Raptors are making the most of every incident no matter how slight they are. And now the Raptors get to go for the series win at home with Drake cheering on. It's entertaining.

Rihanna New #1 All Time

Rihanna has been named as the biggest female artist of all time, exceeding Beyonce and Celine Dion to the top earner prize. This is how I imagine she feels upon hearing the news:

Game 3 NBA Finals 2019

The series is locked up 1-1 and it's looking as if injuries are going to be a critical factor. Kevin Durant is out for the Warriors and Klay Thompson is looking doubtful. What was looking like a stroll to a third straight title for the Warriors, is now far from it.

Drake a Lucky Charm?

The Toronto Raptors have beaten the Golden State Warriors in game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Is this a Drake factor? Popular rapper Drake has been winding up opposition teams throughout the playoffs. Have Drake's antics on the sideline had a tangible effect? You've got to laugh though, only in the game of basketball could it be true.

RJ Hampton

High school US basketball star RJ Hampton has signed to play professionally with the New Zealand Breakers, a team that plays in the ANBL. The Breakers have won several titles but their fortunes have waned in recent years. What to make then of this latest move.

The basketball scene Downunder is stronger than many realise. Andrew Bogut finished his season with the ANBL's Sydney Kings and then winged his way to Golden State and will be playing at centre for the Warriors in the NBA Finals. The Sydney Kings came third in the ANBL with Bogut, so that may indicate the depth of the league. They're not bunnies.

The Breakers have new owners and they're keen to get things back on the right track. But there are potential problems with their approach; many former NBA players have played Downunder and come up short. The style of play Downunder is not the same as in the NBA. RJ Hampton has only played High School basketball and looks quite slim. He'll be up against grown men, and they're from all over the place, they don't play like Americans. This is code for - the games are much rougher than in High School basketball in the US. Players have to deal with getting beat up.

Will RJ Hampton measure up and is this league the right preparation for the NBA? If I'm going to put money on the outcome, my bet would be it will be a failed though interesting experiment.

The Ugly Side of the NBA

I like this YouTube look at the cynical stat padding that occurs in the NBA:



Then below is more depth on the Russell Westbrook factor. He hurts his team by insisting on taking rebounds away from Steven Adams, who incredibly has more offensive rebounds than defensive boards. This hurts the OKC as Westbrook is not putting the team into a situation where they can get an offense going fast, Westbrook prioritises his own stats ahead of the team...



Note that I've previously posted about how regular season games are orchestrated to ensure key players get open looks.

Large Businesses For Sale Australia

Australia appears to be undergoing some changes as companies announce divestments:

• Fulton Hogan Construction Australia is now for sale by their New Zealand parent. This takes in all of their civil engineering assets in Australia.
• Downer Mining is said to be for sale,
• Laing O'Rourke's Australian operations are also said to be on the market.
• Lendlease engineering division is reported for sale,
• BGC Contracting has been reported for sale (source: The Australian), and;
• A while back The Australian reported Holcim Australia was up for grabs, which was denied by the company, though it should be noted that it no longer fits into the LafargeHolcim framework.

Did I miss anything? It looks to be a combination of factors in play, some companies are retreating while others are moving out of basic materials and into utilities and the like.

My pick of the above would be Downer Mining at $300mil. Then apart from the above picks, Boral at their current share price are a takeover target, as well as Macmahon Holdings.

NZ: Deal with the White Supremacists

The white supremacists in New Zealand are getting bolder following the mosque attacks in Christchurch. Now death threats from these types means NZ Green MP, Golriz Ghahraman has had to have permanent protection put in place:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/112882626/security-escort-for-green-mp-golrizghahraman-after-acts-david-seymour-called-her-a-menace

The Labour government have got to take immediate action.