Author Archives: Kevin Draper

About Kevin Draper

Kevin “Franklin Mieuli” Draper was born and raised in Oakland, California, and loves it more than you can possibly imagine. Follow him on Twitter @kevinmdraper

Why is it so hard to admit you suck?

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Kevin Draper

One of the NBA’s most foundational qualities is how frequently the better team wins. While most American sports leagues—including the NBA to a lesser extent than the others—have chased parity as a way to keep fans of all teams engaged … Continue reading →

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Let’s Stop Talking About Mark Jackson

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Kevin Draper

The Mark Jackson debate is over, and there should be no more beating of this dead horse. Speaking at some boring venture capitalist meeting last week, Joe Lacob decided to finally dish on Jackson: I think [Kerr] will be great. … Continue reading →

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How The Player’s Association Can Win a Labor Stoppage in 2017

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Kevin Draper

Last week I wrote about the various public statements Michele Roberts—the National Basketball Player’s Association (NBPA) new executive director—has made since being hired. I concluded that she was a good hire by the NBPA, and that if/when there is a … Continue reading →

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Holy Shit, the NBPA Has An Actual Leader

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Kevin Draper

The 2011 NBA lockout was many things, but one of the most prominent was an internal leadership squabble within the National Basketball Players Association. The NBPA was, and had been for years, a clusterfuck. President Derek Fisher and executive director … Continue reading →

Posted in Monday Media | 5 Comments

Are Thunder Fans Going To Stop Showing Up, And Does That Make Them Bad Fans?

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Kevin Draper

Oklahoma City Thunder fans are universally considered some of the “best” in basketball. They show up, selling out nearly every game, and while they’re there they scream their heads off. “Welcome to Loud City” is an incredibly lame moniker, but … Continue reading →

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The NBA is Dooming Itself to Mediocrity

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Kevin Draper

A different week, an entirely different picture of the NBA’s ongoing media rights negotiations. Last week I wrote about a report from The Big Lead, which indicated that Fox Sports 1 would broadcast games under the new contract. But we have a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Monday Media | 1 Comment

The NBA’s Enormous Opportunity

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Kevin Draper

The next two years will define the NBA’s path forward for the next decade. Baseball is in such a poor state that it has people writing articles with titles like The Twilight of Baseball and What’s Wrong With Baseball?; football faces long-terms … Continue reading →

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