February 4, 2025 - Brooklyn Downtown Star

Luka to Lakers Shocks NBA ahead of trade deadline

BQE Admin on February 4, 2025

What would it have taken a team like Brooklyn to pry the 25-year-old superstar from Dallas?

By Noah Zimmerman

The Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. Even after a handful of days there is little sense to be made of the blockbuster trade that shook the NBA and sports world to its core late Saturday night.

Los Angeles also received Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in the deal. Alongside Davis, the Lakers sent Max Christie and a first round pick to Dallas, as well as Jalen Hood-Schiffino to the Utah Jazz.

Following the trade, a dejected Mavs team was forced to take the floor against the Cleveland Cavaliers, one of the best teams in the league. The Cavs scored 50 points in the first quarter en route to a 144-101 trouncing, a foreboding sign for the future in Dallas.

Despite bringing Anthony Davis to Texas, the Mavs departure from their franchise player confused fans and risks going down as one of the worst trades in sports history. Only time will tell if this deal damages the Mavs as much as Billy Kingís trade for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce crippled the Nets.

To defend his move, Mavs GM Nico Harrison echoed a well known sentiment that defense wins championships. There were many concerns with Dallas regarding Luka’s apathy on the defensive side of the court, as well as his conditioning and injury issues. With Luka due for a max contract extension at the end of the year, Harrison decided it was too risky to pay up.

As a result, Dončić is no longer eligible for the $346M/5-year contract Dallas could have given him. The most he can receive from LA is $229M/5-years.

Another young superstar, Minnesota’s Anothony Edwards had trouble making sense of the deal. “At 25 they traded, probably the best scorer in the NBA,” the 23-year-old guard lamented. “He just went to the finals.”

“I still feel like there is something, some facts that are going to come out over time,” said Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. “I can’t really comprehend how that makes sense to be honest.”

What would it have taken other teams to land a player as coveted as Dončić? It’s clear that the Mavericks’ priority was to land a dominant two-way center in Davis, but it’s hard to see any long-term benefit with their new center turning 32 in March. Their inability to fetch more than one first round draft pick is baffling considering the modern trade market.

Other centers like Rudy Gobert netted four first round picks on the trade market. The Nets were able to fetch five first round picks from the Knicks in exchange for Mikal Bridges.

Brooklyn was able to transform their return for a 34-year-old Kevin Durant into 9 first round picks, two first round pick swaps, a handful of second rounders, Cam Johnson, and Zaire Williams. Dallas turned a 25-year-old Dončić into Davis, Christie, and a single 2029 draft pick.

For a rebuilding team like the Brooklyn Nets, young centers and draft stock were aplenty. Surely if Harrison had shopped Luka around the league he could have netted a haul of picks from the Nets alongside younger centers with upside like Nic Claxton or Dayíron Sharpe.

Regardless, whatís done is done. The NBA has been forever changed by the arrival of Luka in LA. With the trade deadline on Thursday afternoon, teams will finish making tweaks to their rosters while carefully eyeing the future.

“I thought I was gonna stay my whole career there. Loyalty is a big word for me,” said Dončić in his Lakers press conference. “But I got the ocean here. I get to play for the Lakers. Not many get to say that.”

Luka also expressed his love and admiration for the late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. After landing in LA he made sure to mention Bryant and his daughter Gigi, who tragically passed in 2020.

Dončić is nursing a calf injury that has sidelined him since December. He is currently slated to make his Lakers debut this Weekend as LA plays two games against the Jazz ahead of the All-Star Break.

PORCELLI: CTE & Black History Month

BQE Admin on February 4, 2025

By Mike Porcelli

During a previous Black History Month, I wrote about how this annual celebration had its origins in education. Today, CTE provides tremendous opportunities for Black people, as well as people of every race, gender, and ethnicity. Black History Month has been around since 1926, with a different theme each year. This year’s theme, African Americans and Labor, is intended to encourage reflections on intersections between Black people’s work and their workplaces. The good news for young Black people today – There’s never been a better time to acquire abilities that lead to good, high-paying careers in the skilled trades, regardless of who you are – NEVER!

The creator of Black History Month, Carter G. Woodson wrote how educational opportunities determined the life people create for themselves. He believed the ability to make a living is determined by how well people use their educational alternatives. He argued, vocational schools in his time only focused on training Black students to develop a set of technical skills and not on developing all their abilities. He would be pleased that – developing students’ natural abilities and interests are fundamental to today’s CTE, for every race.

Woodson’s philosophy of nurturing critical & creative thinking is central to CTE. That’s why he would recommend it to help his people succeed today. One of the reasons often stated for the low numbers of Blacks in the skilled trades is the lack of notable Black tradesmen as role models, even though there are famous African Americans who’ve done exceptional work in every field – including the skilled trades. For example, Alexander Miles invented a new way to open and close elevator doors. How about Charles Vernon Stewart, who become the first African American admitted into Greer College, a trade school for electricians. After graduation, he founded the Taylor Electric Company.

These pioneers, and countless other African American men and women in the trades have paved the way for young Blacks today to take advantage of the unlimited skilled trade career opportunities with a CTE program. Since the industrial revolution, Blacks have always played a key role in advancing skilled trades. Their contributions deserve recognition.

Through Career & Technical Education, the skilled trades offer endless opportunities for African Americans to become highly successful tradesmen, business owners, or BOTH. Being a tradesman is no longer about race or gender. Countless African Americans are at the top of their field in every industry. The need for skilled workers today is greater than ever before. That’s why CTE is now the best path to successful careers for most people. Is it for you?

I train people of every race and gender to become highly paid professional mechanics. Similar opportunities exist in all
trades. Employers don’t care about your race – only your skills and your work- ethic! They will pay a lot for both. Take advantage of CTE today!

Unlock career doors with CTE!

Penner the Penman

BQE Admin on February 4, 2025

When we meet an individual who is courageously unapologetic about using his unique insight helping the average New Yorker it’s difficult not to take note. Larry Penner; transit guru, letter writer, was that kind of person; curious, insightful and filled with empathy for the working man, and he know transit ridership from the supply and demand ends. And he was not afraid to write about it. Larry had a varied career in government, working for city planning as well as the board of elections. But his love was transportation, serving most of his working career managing and studying transit and transportation programs, working on projects within the MTA, NJ Transit and rail lines throughout New York.

With the knowledge gained throughout his decades of experience, Larry had become a prolific letter and op-ed writer to our newspaper for the past twenty years. He just loved the melodic proficiency in which the trains, busses and automobiles carried people with varied needs, through the city. His knowledge of the system, the movement of transit riders and the wants and needs of transit officials gave our readers the unique perspective few could.

Larry passed away last month after a battle with cancer. There are truly few who could replace the lens in which he saw transportation in New York City. He was born in Bay Ridge and lived most of his life in Great Neck. He was 71.

Pol Position: When There’s No Path, Move The Goal …. And Cuomo Still Leads

BQE Admin on February 4, 2025

The red dress, who had been seemingly inserted in every photo
with Mayor Adams prior his legal troubles, announced a run
for city comptroller in November. Woodhaven Assembly
member Jennifer Rajkumar announced then, with great
fanfare, that she could turn the city around. Her blanket
political promises, of course, covered little specific substance,
just outlined that she fixes things and NYC needs to be fixed.
When others saw she was running, they thought she was quite
vulnerable. Senator Kevin Parker was in the race early. The
political playbook says, ‘raise a lot of money and you scare
people away from running against you.’ Well, it didn’t work
here. Seeing Rajkumar had raised a significant amount of
money entering the race, our sources tell us that Councilman
Justin Brennan and Mark Levine didn’t flinch, saw a path to
win the Comptroller race and joined in on the fun. After all,
Rajkumar’s claim to fame, according to legislators we speak
with, is appearing wearing a red dress, in nearly every photo
op. with the mayor. And as soon as he, and those around him
got caught up in probes and cell phone confiscation, she was a
ghost.

It’s not really her fault though. We were the first to talk to her
when she announced she was running for the Assembly and
faced incumbent Mike Miller in a primary in Woodhaven &
Richmond Hill. Our Leader Observer newspaper has been the
weekly paper of record in that area since 1909. She admitted
she moved here from Manhattan, specifically to run against
him in a district that had a low voter turnout. It’s a great story.
We loved her honesty and gave her a bunch of credit for
wanting to get into the political game any way she could.

It was brilliant. But early success, as we all know, sometimes leads to
a false sense that it’s going to be easy to move up in the
political world. By the way, not every legislator wants ‘to move
up’ as they say. Being an Assemblyman, Council representative
or Senator is a pretty successful thing – and many we report on
here see their service in these positions as a goal. But no doubt
some feel the need to move ‘up.’ But we digress.
The ‘Red Dress’ thing is a great prop. It’s a good way for people
to remember you. But people aren’t easily fooled. These days
they want substance. It’s too easy to run for office now, so we
are getting people who are movers and shakers, civic leaders
and business leaders. They don’t solely come out of democratic
clubs any longer. She happens to be sort of an outcast in the
Queens Assembly Caucus. Why? Because she wants more and
her colleagues see it. There’s time, one Queens Assembly
member told us. You can’t just move up because you are smart,
or because you have a brand. Getting elected takes work. It
takes going door-to-door to talk to the people. “… it takes
proving you can get things done.”

Cuomo Still On Top

Case in point … Andrew Cuomo. This week another poll came
out showing he still has a 25-point lead in a run for mayor ….
and he didn’t even announce. You have Stringer, Williams,
Ramos, Landor, Mamdani and Adams, each under 10%.
Cuomo has a track record of getting something done. Whether
you like it or not.

As of last week, the path to the next level for Rajkumar is in the
Public Advocate office. Moving The Goal… brilliant with
unapologetic moxie.

Jennifer Rajkumar

What would it have taken a team like Brooklyn to pry the 25-year-old superstar from Dallas?

By Noah Zimmerman

Cuomo Still On Top

Fill the Form for Events, Advertisement or Business Listing