Micah writes: Hello, Kip. I love
reading your mailbag and have
been thinking: Why do certain
teams that have so many big
guns (Lakers) sometimes just
CRASH and end up seemingly
mediocre?
This isn’t even the
first time this has
happened to the
Lakers: In 2012 –1 3 ,
an L.A. superteam
headlined by Steve
Nash disappointed.
This season’s Lakers
stink for the same
reason as Nash’s, the
1992 Mets, and the 2010
Washington Commanders. By
the time a bunch of stars reach a
big-market club, they’re typically
old and a little overpaid.Keon writes: Hi Kip, why do baseball
and basketball leagues have
30 teams? Why not more or less?
I love your column. Thanks.more than 20Las Vegas,
Nashville, and
Portland get tossedMLB sites. But let’s think bigger.
Baseball is popular throughout theNew York City to Mexico City than from
the Big Apple to L.A. The Marlins are
closer to Santo Domingo than their
division opponent in Philly. It’s time for
a 50-team league that crosses more
than just the Canadian border.16 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS KILLUAZUHSTRATIRO FUJIONI BY BRETT PARHARA/AFP/GETTY SONI (MKIAGEP); GREG S (TEAMNEL MSEXONICO P (CLOCITCHER)K); PETER READ MILLER (LAKERS COVER);Reader
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Jackson writes: Hi, Kip.
Why 1 2 -minute quarters in
basketball and not shorter,
like maybe six? Thanks.
(P.S. Say “Hi” to Buzz for me.)
Buzz says, “Sup?” He’s very excited
you mentioned him. Maybe a little too
excited. Anyway: The 1 2 - minute
quarter structure certainly isn’t set in
stone. While the NBA uses this
system, FIBA and WNBA quarters are
10 minutes long
and the NCAA
opts for two
2 0-minute
halves. The
college clock is
closer to James
Naismith’s
original 13 rules
of basketball,
which called for
two 15-minute
halves. But I canwant NBA games that are half as
long: players trying to pad their stats
and television advertisers.