Basketball from a fans perspective

He was present for the historic event

Tom Meschery is a name from the NBA’s history that few may recall. Meschery, now 86 years old, had a notable 10-year career in the league, spending six of those years with the Warriors. In 1967, the team retired his number 14 jersey, which currently hangs in the rafters at the Chase Center. Additionally, Meschery was part of the Warriors lineup on the night Wilt Chamberlain scored his famous 100-point game. In today's era of social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, some question the authenticity of Chamberlain's scoring feat, likening it to phenomena like Bigfoot, crop circles, and UFOs, skeptics often ask, "Where's the video?"

This historic game took place March 2nd,1962 when the NBA was a major league in name only. Television coverage back then was limited, with only a weekly game broadcast, far less extensive than today. We have weekly double-headers on TNT and ESPN in addition to a Saturday or Sunday game. There is NBA League Pass the complete 82 games for cable and satellite customers if they desire. At that time, there were only nine teams in the NBA compared to the 30 of today. The league occasionally held home games at alternative venues. The match against the Knicks on the night of Chamberlain's record-breaking performance was held in Hershey, Pennsylvania, approximately 100 miles east of Philadelphia. Fewer than 5,000 spectators attended the game; yet, along with Meschery, others may have witnessed the historic event. In the game Chamberlain made 36 field goals and, despite his reputation for poor free-throw shooting, remarkably succeeded in making 28 of 32 attempts.

The lasting evidence of this achievement is a photograph of Chamberlain holding a placard with the number 100 written on it. A radio broadcast of the final quarter was later discovered and is now preserved at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. After retiring from professional basketball, Meschery embarked on a career as a high school English and creative writing teacher, he’s also a poet. His daughter would become an educator too, the story goes the subject of the Chamberlain game was discussed and her middle school students didn’t believe it occurred. With her father’s assistance she had this video shot and presented to her class. Some might still refuse to believe Meschery, the choice is strictly yours.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Efg-AxeQv4

The look ahead

For the most part college basketball, which impacts the NBA Draft is over except the NCAA Tournament with 4 remaining schools. It’s April and there could be changes between now and the June draft however let’s take a brief look. All three mock drafts I routinely follow continue to place Duke’s Cooper Flagg at the top, at this point a change would only be forthcoming should he decide to return to school in the fall. What about my Lakers, later you will read my critique of Big Men possibilities but for now these are the thoughts of others. As an example nbadraftroom.com points the Lakers with the 53rd pick toward Sion James the 6 foot 6 inch Duke guard, tankathon.com indicates the pick will be a Big Man.

The tankathon choice with the 54th pick will be Illinois’s Tomislav Ivisic, 7 foot 1 and 255 pounds. Finally we arrive at nbadraftnet.com list and here is a complete deviation, this site implies the Lakers have the 51st and 53rd pick. At 51 they place Johann Grunloh 6 foot 11 from Germany and with 53 it’s Dink Pate a 6 foot 8 guard from the G-League. What do I think in advance of the draft is easy. For sure the Lakers need a Big Man, will that become Ivisic or Grunloh or maybe one of the others mentioned below? Truth of the matter I could foresee any of the names these sites selected as being a worthy addition provided they transition to NBA play. I will check again in May and perhaps a week ahead of the June 25th draft for additional updates.

The true picture 

We’ve read and heard a great deal of complaints regarding NIL, the portal and college players in general over the past two years. While a portion of the criticisms are certainly valid we tend to ignore the coaches whenever these issues are the topic of conversation. That particular area is overlooked for unexplained reasons however it should be. Several college coaches have been fired because the teams failed to meet the expectations of the administration of that particular school, what about the others? Several coaches were able to lead their teams into the NCAA Tournament…what about their fate?

To date there have been 9 college coaches changing jobs over the last 10 days, they have done this despite their teams tournament play in some instances winning in the tournament. They made the move because an opportunity presented itself to earn more income or the school’s prestige was perceived as superior they decided to depart. There is another issue here, what about the players they recruited, probably the vast majority of those players will be left with a decision. “Do I stay here or should I look for another school too?” I hope no one misunderstands my intent here, I am not stating they shouldn’t make an effort to better themselves that is not the case. My belief always is to see the big picture, if there is a problem with college basketball it includes the coaches as well.

Is he the problem

There is no disagreement that Ja Morant is a confirmed talent. Despite his skills, controversy seems to follow the mercurial guard. Most recently, during a game this week, he gestured toward the Warrior bench with his finger as if it were a gun while heading to the Grizzly bench during a timeout. Morant has been suspended twice by the NBA for gun-related issues. He was once suspended for 25 games for possessing a gun in a nightclub. In another incident, a friend recorded and posted a video of him with a gun in a vehicle on social media.

Earlier this year, his father Tee Morant was ejected from a game for berating officials. A little background on Ja’s father reveals that he played semi-professional basketball and considered playing overseas. Tee decided to stay home when Jamie became pregnant with Ja. Tee pursued a career as a barber and began training his son at an early age for a future in basketball. The issue of Morant and firearms affects people differently. Following news that the NBA would launch an investigation, some letter writers expressed concerns that the NBA was being “too soft.” What is your view of the incident?

Basketball from a fans perspective

Defense is always a winner

I’m guilty, I get caught up in individual point totals of players. What occurs when the shot’s not falling or the opposition is defensing you effectively? That’s what occurred Monday night as the Lakers faced the Rockets at home, the Lakers prevailed 104-98. The Lakers from the floor were 39.3% shooting from the floor, in addition to defense they were saved by precise shooting from reserves Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith, each totaled 20 points.

The Rockets were not blistering from the floor however 41.6% is certainly much better than the shot making of the Lakers. The Laker win prevented the Rockets (49-27) from clinching a playoff berth and help them maintain their cushion over the Warriors and Clippers. Next up for the Lakers will be a game on Wednesday as they will face those hot Warriors at Crypto.com Arena. After playing sparkling defense during the win streak until Monday evening I could say it’s suffered to a degree. The Lakers managed to turn it up a notch, LeBron had a key block of an Alperen Sengun shot as time was winding down in the game.

He’s moved up

Although I cannot be completely certain, I believe my statement to be accurate. At the beginning of the college basketball season, Cooper Flagg's name was prominently featured at the top of all 2015 NBA Mock Draft sites. Initially absent from these lists was the name Khaman Maluach, a 7-foot-2, 250-pound freshman also from Duke. While I am unsure of the exact date, it is apparent that his performance has significantly improved, leading one site to list him as a lottery pick. The other two mock drafts project him as a guaranteed first-round draft pick which is quite interesting.

Having observed Maluach in numerous games, it is clear he is not primarily an offensive player, although he can score when required. His expertise lies in defense, where he excels in blocking shots and rebounding. His intimidating presence often causes opponents to miss shots they would typically make. Originally from South Sudan, Maluach now resides in Kawempe, Uganda. He brings to mind the late Dikembe Mutombo during his time at Georgetown University, who also had a limited offensive game that became even more focused on defense in the NBA. While I am not asserting that Maluach is the second coming of Mutombo, he appears to possess similar defensive capabilities.

It’s not for everyone

Everyone cannot coach, allow me to repeat myself…everyone cannot coach. It doesn’t matter if we are discussing the NBA, NFL, tennis or chess, the job is difficult. I told this story previously, my company hired a trainer who’d once been a track & field coach. He told us the story of this sprinter who was a natural, no training required just blazing speed. Frank informed us he began a training routine for the youngster and to Frank’s disappointment the time for 100 meters actually went downward.

Depending on your age some of you might remember the late Chuck Daley, he was head basketball coach for those Bad Boy Piston championship teams. Daley had a longtime assistant who was hired by another NBA team. This assistant lasted but two years on the job before he was fired. Whether it’s true or not a member of the media made this statement, “I don’t understand how _________ could sit so long next to Daley and learn so little.” Surely there was more to the story but you get the point, a coach or manager receives too much credit for a winning team and too much blame for a loser. That statement is not always correct however it sometimes can ring true. How did we arrive here, JJ Redick was hired by the Lakers with 0 head coaching experience. It was said at the time the Lakers are taking a chance hiring someone of his type. The Lakers have made changes since last season, the biggest of course the acquisition of Luka Doncic but this is the question. The Lakers were playing better basketball over last season without him in the lineup, what’s the difference?

I cannot be certain, Darvin Ham was reported to be a defensive minded coach yet the Lakers are playing better defense under Redick a former NBA shooter. It’s not Redick alone he assembled a capable staff of assistants Nate McMillian, Scott Brooks, both with head coaching experience. In addition there are Bob Beyer, Greg St. Jean and Lindsey Harding the first female assistant for the Lakers all have past coaching experience. Seems as though the Lakers did this in the past, once hiring broadcaster Pat Riley as head coach.

Meanwhile….

Whenever an NBA front office acts in an unusual manner I say, “Oh boy.” That is the case for Taylor Jenkins, the Grizzlies coach was fired with days remaining in the season. In addition to that fact they are a playoff contender, there are circumstances and information those of us outside Memphis are unaware. They have an interim coach Tuomas Lisalo to lead them into the playoffs. Lisalo has experience as a Euro player and coach, he is in his second season with the team and is a native of Helsinki Finland.

CBS Sports decided to point out the Final Four teams are from the Southern United States. Despite what they promoted on their .com site the location of these teams fails to impact anything in my view.     Houston, Duke, Auburn and Florida have proven to be the best remaining college basketball teams. It just so happens the best teams at least this year are from that portion of the nation. We always discuss location, location, in this instance it’s more the best teams over anything else.

Bob Pettit is 92-years old, I’m mentioning his name because somewhere in the history of the NBA his name is missing. He should be known because he was one of the many who led the minor league NBA to a major league. The 6-9 Pettit was an All American from LSU, he was made the second pick in the 1954 draft by the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks. Pettit was an NBA Champion in 1958 with the Hawks, he retired in 1965 and was the first NBA player to score 20,000 points during his career. He is enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame, there is more on Pettit check it out on other sources.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Best NBA prospects

Who were the most hyped prospects prior to their arrival in the NBA, for this purpose I only returned to 2015 and the following is the why. Prospective NBA players such as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and others were always touted prior to their arrival in the association. 10 years ago there existed elementary social media nothing compared to the present day. YouTube highlights of athletes existed but nothing close to what exists today, there were fewer opportunities to see these athletes in action.

ESPN, Fox Sports and other venues existed but even those have increased the number of games they broadcast. I will cite an example, after Ja Morant exploded on the scene ESPN ensured several Murray State games would be added to the broadcast schedule. Keep in mind my list contains players that were hyped by the media, this has nothing to do once they arrived in the NBA. Prior to reading the list keep in mind this is preceding their NBA play, in addition these are not in any order just as the names were compiled. Your list might be different from mine and that’s okay:

Victor Wembanyama

Zion Williamson

Cooper Flagg

Luka Doncic

Ben Simmons

Ja Morant

Lonzo Ball

Cade Cunningham

Karl-Anthony Towns

Paolo Banchero

Two swings and two misses

37-year old John Scheyer ain’t won nothing yet, despite that fact his journey to this point is quite fascinating. After his play at Duke he played in the G-League and later it would be Spain and Israel prior to becoming an assistant under Coach K. Once it was announced the legendary coach was retiring who would replace him? We don’t know this to be a fact but Coach K. would have been consulted on who would take over the basketball program. It was announced Scheyer an assistant since 2014 would become head coach but that was not the first belief. Prior to taking over the Duke program there must have been trepidations assuming the role in place of a legend however that didn’t appear to be the case.

Scheyer interviewed for two head coaching jobs one at DePaul and the other at UNLV prior to Coach K’s retirement. Of course neither school hired him, which they might regret to this day although I doubt they would admit it. Both would eventually replace the coaches they believed were better candidate over Scheyer. In his interview Scheyer admitted he was sure UNLV was going to hire him. In his three years at the helm Duke’s won 89 games, 27 in his first year 27 in year two and this recent season 35 games. Scheyer’s first year Duke made the Round of 32, last season it was an Elite Eight finish and to date his team is in the Final Four. I realize swinging and missing applies to baseball but in this instance I’m going to apply it to basketball. DePaul and UNLV accomplished just that…both swung and missed, could Scheyer have changed their fortunes?

In his opinion

A member of the media wrote an article indicating Austin Reaves had become the third best option in the NBA or something along those lines. Then former NBA player Lou Williams claimed, “Reaves is not the third best option in in the NBA, he’s not even the third best in Los Angeles, that would be Norman Powell.” Well opinions are just that however I don’t agree with this former players observation. Check this out, Reaves is nearly 20 points a game while Powell is at 22.4. As for rebounds it’s 4.4 for Reaves while Powell is 3.3 a game, the assists are Reaves with nearly 6 a game while Powell is at 2.2.

As for shooting the basketball Powell is 48.7% and 42.4% from three, Reaves is 45.4% and 36% from three. The one area most difficult for us to assess as fans is a players defensive rating, everything I could locate indicates Reaves and Powell are sometimes a mix bag on defense. So we have numbers to compare the two Los Angeles players and I can only come to one conclusion. Both players have continued to demonstrate value to their respective teams, based on the evidence I was able to uncover I’d have great difficulty pronouncing Powell a better third option over that of Reaves. As I often say, “I’m from Missouri, you’ve got to Show Me.” Based on my findings I believe Lou Williams is entitled to his opinion however based on my findings I’m unsure if he providing any proof of his view to me. 

What is this and is it accurate

If you check an NBA box score on ESPN it contains an interesting bit of information. Placed in front of a players point total is a +/-, what does it imply? Rather than attempt to offer my elementary explanation I thought it best to seek an internet explanation for this. The following is the AI definition; “In NBA box scores, “plus-minus (+/-) is a statistic that measures a player’s impact on the game by tracking the net change in the score when that player is on the court, compared to when they are off.”

Suppose I have a 40 point 15 rebound game yet my team fails to hold the lead to the end, my negative +/- rating is reduced significantly although I may have played an outstanding game. I’m not picking on ESPN alone, this from CBS Sports NBA page. In the recent Sunday game won by the Cavs over the Clippers, this occurred, Jarrett Allen of the Cavs scored 45 points yet had a 0 +/- rating, think I am confused you better bet I am. The Clippers James Harden had a 44 point game and a -17 rating. So what occurs, for me I’ve played little attention to this feature and without a clear understanding I will continue to ignore it.

There is always a question of where 

Jeff Teague, an NBA player from 2009 to 2021, spent most of his career with the Hawks but never played for the Jazz. Despite this, he has expressed negative opinions about the franchise, saying, "He’s (Cooper Flagg) gonna get picked by the Jazz, but I hate it. I hate it." Teague's issue lies with the team's mediocre performance over the years, not Salt Lake City or Utah. If Flagg declares for the draft, he could be selected by the Jazz. Despite the Teague statement other teams might also be in the mix for the top pick. The NBA draft lottery means that the team with the worst record doesn't always get the first pick.

For example, in the 2024 draft, the Wizards had the first pick despite not having the worst record; the Pistons did. Similarly, in the 2023 draft, the Spurs had the first pick, selecting Victor Wembanyama, even though they were tied with the Rockets in the standings. 2022 saw the Magic select Paolo Banchero although they had two more wins than the Pistons. So as you can see it’s the draft lottery which determines which NBA city is likely to become home for Flagg at least during his rookie year. Even that’s not set in stone, for instance the Mavs drafted Trae Young while the Hawks picked Luka Doncic, draft night saw the two change cities through a trade.  

Basketball from a fans perspective

It was a cerebral game

After I witnessed Alabama totally destroy BYU on Thursday 113-88 I didn’t know what to expect facing Duke. Mark Sears was en Fuego in the game sinking 10 3-point baskets. Cooper Flagg had to play his best game against Duke but he didn’t, Bama’s defense on him plus missing shots he scored but 10 points in the first half of the game. I think they might have believed “We gonna out athletic (if there is such a word) you Duke.” Well it didn’t turn out that way as Duke was a winner 85-65, they had a height advantage over Alabama but it was more than that. We witnessed a cerebral game played by Duke over a more athletic Alabama team. Although Flagg’s shot was off (16 pts, 6-16 shooting) he managed to pull down 9 rebounds and dish out 3 assists.

His teammates stepped up big time in leading to the victory over the Crimson Tide. Khaman Maluach scored 14 points and 9 rebounds plus 2 blocked shots, he was an intimidating factor around the basket, there is no method to determine how many Alabama misses occurred because shots were altered. Kon Knueppel led the way scoring 21 points and defending well, the same could be said regarding Tyrese Proctor with 17 points. It seemed to me every sub from Jon Scheyer’s team came into the game fully aware of their area of responsibility. As for Sears of Alabama, it was 6 points on 2-12 from the floor and 1-5 from three. It seemed whenever Alabama would make a run at reducing the lead Duke would score on the other end. Whoever winds up playing Duke should prepare themselves, they are not going to out athletic (that word again) Duke. Sometimes this game must be played cerebrally which teams are sometimes unable to accomplish.

There are bumps in the road

This is the time of the season NBA teams should be playing their best basketball. Unfortunately, that is not the case for the Lakers. By this time of the season every NBA team is dealing with injuries of some sort and the Lakers are no exception. One of the issues I believe we might fail to see, just returning to the lineup fails to say a player is NBA ready. If that appears to be an excuse those of you wishing to make it such that’s okay.

After the heartbreaking loss to the Bulls on a half-court shot the Lakers were able to beat the Grizzlies on Saturday night. This would be the first game for the Grizzlies since head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired. The Lakers got off to a fast start and were able to sustain it for a period of the game. The final score read Lakers 134 Grizzlies 127, as usual the trio of LeBron, Luka and Reaves led the way. It was 25 points 6 rebounds and 8 assists for LeBron, as for Luka he scored 29 points and 9 assists. The leader was guard Austin Reaves with his 31 points 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Have the Lakers returned to the winning formula from a few weeks back, that is certainly yet to be determined. Interesting the Bulls appear to have the Lakers number but have failed to do the same with the balance of the NBA.

Meanwhile….

There have been more than a few really bad basketball movies, the absolute worst is the 1985 comedy Teen Wolf. How about the best all time, recently one was profiled here Hoosiers with Gene Hackman. Also I must include White Men Can’t Jump with Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. I liked Samuel L. Jackson as Coach Carter, also in my list is Blue Chips starring Nick Nolte with Shaq, Penny and others. Glory Road for the story it told of the 1966 Texas Western team, it starred Josh Lucas. Hurricane Season with Forrest Whittaker. I’ve seen several documentary’s but they were not included for this reason. Each of the movies listed contained real life basketball players or the on court scenes were outstanding nothing like those of an earlier era.  

Is there a requirement for an NBA face, we’ve discussed this issue in the past. With the pending retirement of LeBron James and Steph Curry someone needs to step forward to become the face of the NBA. The issue apparently is reluctance by players such as Ant Man to take on that role. My question for you, can’t the NBA survive without having someone be its so called leader? In Michael Jordan’s day the media was there but nothing like today, in addition we toss in the social media part of the equation and it might become overwhelming for some. I have an opinion, you might not agree with it but that’s okay. There is 0 requirement in my view for any player to become the face of the NBA, the league can survive without one.  

Ethan Taylor is near the end of his junior year at Shawnee Mission NW High School in the Kansas City suburb of Shawnee. He’s been awarded 4-stars by Rivals and is number 28 in the Class of 2026. On3 also awards 4-stars and a number 55 ranking while 247Sports has 4-stars and number 66 on their list. Taylor is a post player who stands 7 foot 1 and 245 pounds. Among the number of schools with scholarship offers are Missouri State, Purdue, Tennessee, Kansas, Oklahoma and University of MO-Kansas City and Mizzou.

With weeks remaining in the NBA season several teams have been eliminated from playoff contention. Quiet, I heard that, you claim some were eliminated on the date the 2024-25 NBA season began. In any event teams no longer in contention for a playoff berth are the Pelicans, Jazz, Wizards and Hornets. There are other teams who are likely to be eliminated as well. With that at least we have the beginnings of the NBA Lottery with those teams just named, others will likely be added over the next two weeks. We can begin the speculation who wins the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Meanwhile….

LaVar Ball may not have originated this but I first heard him say it, “Stay in your lane.” I’ve always interpreted that to say do what you do best, don’t try to move into someone else’s territory. From reading this blog in the past you are aware I have disagreed with comments made by former NBA players Gilbert Arenas and Charles Barkley. Despite my difference with them they do have one thing in common…they played in the NBA the highest level of basketball there is. Do I care what former NBA player Paul Pierce has to say about the NFL, or better yet Shannon Sharpe and his commentary of the NBA. Both played at a high skill level as professionals however neither was in the NFL or NBA. They likely played the sport as youth but …. they and others need to “Stay in your lane.”

Nike clearly is the winner in what might be considered round one in the battle for the hearts and minds of sneakerheads and others. As most of you are aware Cooper Flagg signed a shoe and apparel deal with New Balance last spring. While that’s all good for the Duke guy while at school he must sport Nike shoes and apparel. After Flagg's Thursday 30 point 6 rebound 7 assist and 3 block shot game this is what occurred. The marketing department at Nike sent out a tweet with Flagg’s image and this statement: "Powered by the Swoosh." That’s certainly one technique to capture a shoe and apparel audience.

This news came by way of French sports website Le’Equipe, the .com publication indicated Wemby has undergone surgery for the deep vein thrombosis discovered in his right shoulder in the middle of the NBA season. At the time he was initially diagnosed it was reported he would began taking a blood thinner to reduce the possibility of a clot forming. The earlier diagnosis was all the public was made aware, of course those trained in the medical field might be acquainted with surgery being utilized to resolve the thrombosis. The report indicated Wemby might be prepared to play for the French national team by late summer.

This is a true story

Sometimes your memory returns to another time, that’s what occurred for me after reading an email from a friend. Shopping with my wife once we met a friend of hers and introducing me this is exactly what she said. “This is my husband ___________, he watches every single basketball game on television.” I smiled at her friend but thought a moment, “Why would she introduce me in that manner?” There’s been a great deal of basketball the NBA variety and March Madness over the last past week.

I’ve watched a considerable number of games which sometimes have included double-header college games along with double-header NBA games. A friend sent me an email which simply read: “To much basketball,” well maybe for him but not for me. I just confessed to watching numbers of basketball games this past week, despite what you just read this fact stands alone. I am no machine, I’m incapable of watching every single basketball game on television. I did have a significant issue on at least two occasions this season, Laker games were broadcast near the same time as Mizzou basketball.

NBA Europe

Several of you reading the news might have a clearer understanding than me and that’s okay. I believed something must be said and here is a brief introduction for some. It appears the NBA and FIBA are going into business together in order to form an “NBA Europe.” The late David Stern as commissioner promoted the NBA footprint world-wide, I am unsure if this was the manner he envisioned. This is the construction path, a league of European teams backed by the NBA and FIBA would begin play at a future date. There would be no Lakers playing a team from Paris or the Spurs matched against an opponent in Berlin, my understanding is.

We are in the formation stage of this “marriage” so major portions have certainly not been finalized. On the surface I like it my only concern will this 16-team league drive the existing Euro League teams out of business. That question cannot be answered at the present time, there are far too many moving parts to decide at this stage until it’s a done deal. As I indicated earlier my chief concern is the number of Euro teams at present, if this league gets off the ground how would they be impacted? A friend mentioned the league could be more successful than NFL Europe because basketball is a more familiar game. His observation might be correct, basketball has been played extensively in Europe over NFL football which required an introduction to the game.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Cooper (American) Flagg  

As for the headline above, I stole that from Jay Williams ESPN basketball analyst. Bama guard Mark Sears had an outstanding game in his team’s 113-88 victory over BYU. The 6-1 guard put on a scoring binge for the ages with 34 points and of that number 10 were three point baskets. In the Duke-Arizona game Caleb Love also presented the audience with a dazzling shooting display scoring 35 points for the Wildcats. Unlike Sears there would be no victory for Love as his team lost to Duke 100-93.

As for Flagg he succeeded in scoring a smaller number of points than either Sears or Love (30 points). Despite this fact his game in all aspects was quite cerebral in my view. We saw an 18-year old who should be a high school senior prove why he is the best freshman college player in the nation. In addition to his scoring Flagg contributed 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocked shots, he also shot 90% from the free-throw line to help seal Duke’s victory. Although there were other winners (Texas Tech & Florida) the players and games profiled are the only ones I saw. Duke will now face Alabama on Saturday evening, I’m unsure if we can expect another shootout similar to the one on Thursday. By now some of you reading this are saying to yourself “He’s gone over the top again, this time it’s Flagg,”

I don’t mind in the least bit if you believe that to be the case. Some of you might be reflecting back to my early observation of Victor Wembanyama, this time it’s a slight bit different. I believed (and still do) Wemby is a generational talent, Flagg is not that however he appears to have all the tools for a successful NBA career. I’ll repeat another statement I made, he’s not going to WOW anyone with his skill set he will just do the things that will lead to success for his team on the basketball court.

Meanwhile

Hopefully this is a Good-win for the Lakers, Jordan Goodwin reserve guard had his contract converted. He’s been operating on a two-way contract however he wouldn’t have been eligible for playoff basketball. It’s clear JJ Redick feels comfortable enough to have Cam Reddish waved in order to sign Goodwin to a regular season contract. Goodwin came on board in the middle of February and in that time has impressed the coach and his staff. In fact during the rash of injuries suffered by the Lakers it was Goodwin who was inserted into the lineup over rookie Dalton Knecht. Although Knecht is surly a better shooter it was the defensive effort which got the notice by the coaching staff.

We talk all the time about the fact HBCU schools no longer produce NBA talent as they once did. We can add junior colleges to the list as well, they have also suffered. They continue to produce quality basketball talent but with the portal transfer fewer and fewer are finding their way to major schools across the nation. The de-emphasis on junior college talent will only continue over the next few years. There are no more Bob McAdoo’s, Tiny Archibald, Jimmy Butler or Dennis Rodman’s exhibiting their talent on junior colleges campuses.     

The lottery pick nobody knows…that’s not quite correct. If you cruise mock draft sites like I do you are familiar with the name Egor Demin. He’s a freshman at BYU but is likely to hear his name announced by the NBA commissioner in June, he’s that good. One mock site indicates he will be a lottery pick while another places him at 15 just outside. The third indicates Demin will be a top 20 pick so as you can see its likely there will be no requirement to stay up late in order to hear the announcement. Demin is 19-years of age and is from Moscow Russia, he’s a 6 foot 9 200 pound shooting guard.

Trivia

I’ve mentioned this previously, I sometimes come across interesting tidbits of information accidently. This is one of those cases, it involves the 1946 Rochester Royals. Later the Royals moved to Cincinnati retaining the name and from there it was Kansas City and a name change to the Kings. Now this is the trivia portion, that edition of the Royals was an NBL team and later moved into the NBA. One of the roster members was Red Holtzman who later as a coach would lead the Knicks to championship glory in 1970 and 1973.

Also on the roster was his teammate Otto Graham, he only played that one year with the Royals. Graham would later become quarterback of the Browns, in 1965 he was enshrined in the National Football League Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio. The player credited with the first recorded instance of breaking a backboard also played for the baseball Dodgers and Cubs but it wasn’t baseball, football or basketball where he became better known. Chuck Conners headed for Hollywood and honed his acting skills in movies and television, his most famous role was the lead in the television series set in the Old West, The Rifleman. So there you have the brief history of the more famous members of the 1946 Royals.

I can’t see that far ahead

Victor Wembanyama is a 7 foot 4 wing who happens to play center, I had to get that statement out front before delving into the body of this discussion. We have continued to hear former NBA players critique Wemby’s game, most of the comments revolve around where he plays over his ability. These grizzly veterans have said over and over “He needs to develop an inside game.” I am not going to argue he shouldn’t however with his height and the fact he shoots nearly 36% from three he’s adapting his game to today’s NBA. If for example Wemby was shooting any lower I’d say he should develop an inside game.

Here’s what I can’t do…see into the future, last season according to figures he was 210-212 pounds. This season the Spurs roster indicates Wemby is 235 pounds, he could continue to gain pounds which will allow him to battle some of the larger post players in the future. Former NBA player Kevin Garnett went on record with this statement, “The NBA is protecting Victor Wembanyama because they see him as the next face of the league: They’re not going to let him get beat up.” I take Garnett’s words as an opinion and not fact unless he can prove it. I have confidence that his medical issue will be cleared up and by next season he’ll be ready to play. In the meantime the NBA community of Garnett and Barkley should become comfortable with seeing a 7 foot 4 wing player on the floor next season.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Change is coming

For the most part the basketball world other than the NBA begins to slow in April. The slowdown results in a lesser amount to write about the sport, based on this fact the publication dates of Off the Dribble will be reduced. At this point I’m unsure of a number, it could be a minimum of 4 days a week or a maximum of 5. As we arrive closer to the end of April I will provide you the publishing schedule in advance. As always thank you for being a reader, I look forward to continuing this blog to infinity.

A tip in

They were middle of the road, then meteoric hot and then fell into a funk. That is the Laker season in a nutshell, they will earn a playoff berth however the last few weeks injuries have impacted their record. If that sounds like an excuse so be it, they faced an ever improving Pacers team on the road. This game was back and forth between two evenly matched teams. LeBron was off and admitted as such only scoring 13 points, despite his low scoring total his tip-in at the buzzer was the final score in the Lakers 120-119 victory, he added 13 rebounds.

Luka led the way with 34 points and was assisted by Austin Reaves 24, Jaxson Hayes scored 13. The Pacers also had balanced scoring as all 5 Pacers were in double figures, interesting in that Benedict Mathurin led the Pacers in scoring off the bench with 23 points. If we check out the box score the numbers look even except the 14 TO’s the Lakers experienced. The grind continues on Thursday evening as they play the Bulls who conducted a beat down on them recently. Except at the top (Thunder) the Lakers have an opportunity to move up in the ever tight Western Conference race. As this is written they are in 4th place in the playoff picture although they could move up to 2nd.

Most frustrating

I must confess I didn’t originate this, someone wrote I read “10 Most frustrating things in sports.” Because this is a basketball blog I changed mine, it became The Most frustrating things in basketball, the intent was to cover college and NBA basketball. No doubt you have additions to this list, in addition they are not in any order. Despite that fact here they are:

Giving up offensive rebounds

Awarded two free throws and missing both

Fouling a player as he takes a three point shot

Officials failing to whistle traveling on a player (I don’t like the Euro step)

Flopping, its become a fine art in the NBA

The player missing the front end of a 1 and 1 on the free throw line

On the sideline the player steps out of bounds taking the shot

The front office too

I believe NBA fans generally place the blame for continued poor play for their team in this order. At the top of the list is the lack of talent on the roster, second to that is the coach and finally the GM/scouting staff. I am comparing apples to oranges, both are fruit however I wish to use the NFL Chiefs as the example. They were fortunate to draft a generational talent in QB Patrick Mahomes, however it was more to the story. It was Andy Reid the coach along with Brett Reaves GM plus the scouting staff. For the last 10 years the Chiefs have been successful thanks to the Mahomes/Reid/Reaves combo.

To prove the point John Dorsey who’d been GM with the Patriots was generally credited with much of their success, that turned out to not be the case. We could check the Thunder and see they have a successful trio in place. Drafting players with potential plus signing quality free agents are keys to accomplishment. Part of the hindrance I believe for lack of success is often an owner. In a discussion someone said this to me, “Jerry Jones would rather lose making the decisions over giving someone else credit for winning.” There are owners who believe their success in business should be the basis for running an NBA franchise, it just doesn’t work in that manner.

The Porter’s

Mizzou Nation never witnessed Michael Porter Jr. in his full glory. Injured his freshman year he played but 3 games before declaring for the NBA Draft, he was made the 14th pick in the first round of the 2017 draft. Since 2019 there’s been a slow but steady rise in his overall play, he’s become a vital part of the Denver Nuggets team. On Thursday younger brother Jevon Porter who went into the portal decided to head back to Columbia, he graduated from Father Tolton HS in Columbia.

Porter spent last season at Loyola Marymount were his numbers were 12.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 assist per game for the 6 foot 10 235 pound Porter. This move while on paper appears good I wish to approach it with caution and I will explain why. We’ve witnessed a number of portal players who moved to new teams and proved quite beneficial, John Tonje at Wisconsin is that example. As for the other that would be AJ Storr who never came close to what Kansas and Bill Self were expecting. There is no method to determine if this is a slam dunk or not until next fall…this member of Mizzou Nation is hoping it is a slam dunk. 

Basketball from a fans perspective

It ended not as planned

Before I delve into the game I will state Jimmy Butler has aided the Warriors immensely since his arrival, despite that fact the revenge tour ended badly and I’m sure not what he hoped. The Warriors on the road and Butler would make his first appearance in Miami since the trade. We knew ahead of time Steph was sidelined due to injury, despite this fact many believed a little more was expected from Butler. 41% shooting with only 11 points I’m sure is a disappointment to the Warriors and their fans.

His shooting plus the absence of Steph indirectly led to the 112-86 drubbing they suffered at the hands of the Heat. This was the statement made by Butler prior to the game, “I have nothing to say to Pat, and Pat better have nothing to say to me.” The bravado is nice, it would been even better if Butler had played a respectable game over what many of us witnessed on Tuesday. Currently Butler is okay with being the secondary scorer on this team, how much longer will that continue to exist? Will the Butler we saw fall into disfavor with the Warriors management as he had others over his NBA journey.

This is different

Recently we were introduced to Class of 2027 prospect Gassim Toure, he’s from the West African nation of Guinea and has moved to the U.S., he’s enrolled at Principia in St. Louis. The 6 foot 3 point guard has already received offers from Xavier, Illinois and UCF. Although Missouri is yet to make an offer he’s made a connection with one of the assistant coaches and indicates he likes Missouri’s style of play. It’s far too early to determine a school of choice for Toure.

The youngster indicated difficulty initially learning English, in his native Guinea French is the language spoken. Consider this fact, although a substantial number of players have arrived on these shores from the continent few have been guards. If you check the rosters of the NBA and college teams you will discover the majority are wing and post players. Why have there been so few in number there is no single answer to the question. Perhaps Toure will change that in college and should he develop the NBA, as for the college choice Mizzou Nation might desire him to play in Columbia.

Report the news, don’t make the news

This is a non-basketball sports story but it needs to be told. Kansas City has dealt with the issue of a replacement baseball stadium for over a year. Although several sites have been proposed nothing has been finalized to date. This past Monday a local sports talk radio member reported to his listeners that the Royals were in discussion with the owners of an area on the Kansas side of State Line Road to build the stadium. All throughout the day on Monday into Tuesday the story was being reported by media other than the sports variety.

Finally late Tuesday came word from the property owners no such discussions were being conducted. What occurred Wednesday morning, radio guy who talks all the time about his connections placed his mouth in reverse. He is now claiming the role of messenger, “I’m only repeating what I heard.” It’s certainly clear to me (and maybe you) next time he reports a story he should verify the authenticity of it. Be prepared to defend your account, the role of messenger doesn’t work if the information communicated is not correct. Radio guy needs to understand he can’t be the news, it’s his job to report it only. Despite my statement I have serious doubts he changes because he believes he’s correct.

Meanwhile…

This time of the year college coach hiring is the news story, one of those hires is more than interesting. Richard Pitino is leaving his job as head coach at the University of New Mexico. Pitino’s been hired as Xavier’s coach and this is where the story begins to unfold. Xavier is a member of the Big East Conference, one of the conference members is St. John’s University. St. John’s of course is coached by Rick Pitino, so next season the son will oppose the father on the basketball court. Unless I am corrected it’s my belief this is the first time in collegiate history we’ve witnessed a father-son tandem as opposing coaches in the same conference.

For the second time in a matter of weeks we hear the medical term deep vein thrombosis used once again. The first time it was Spurs center Victor Wembanyama and his diagnosis ended his season prematurely. This time it’s Bucks point guard Dame Lillard who suffers the malady, he’s been sidelined for the duration. With so few games remaining one might say it’s not that big a deal, however, it is. The Bucks are a playoff caliber team, they need their entire roster ready to play and this issue will affect them if blood thinners don’t resolve the issue.

St. Francis lost its game in the NCAA Tournament last week, this week came an even bigger announcement. After competing as a Division I school the decision was made to reclassify as a Division III program. Losing in the tournament wasn’t the basis, a move of this type is several months maybe a year’s worth of study. Naturally, this type of move doesn’t take effect immediately, student-athletes on scholarship will continue up to the change. As most are aware Division III schools offer no athletic aid of any type. “The university cited the transfer portal, pay-for-play and "other shifts that move athletics away from love of the game" for the move.”

Basketball from a fans perspective

Meanwhile….

Be careful what you ask for March Madness is down to 16 schools and guess what? All of the remaining schools belong to Power 5 Conference Schools. There is no West Coast Athletic Conference, Mo Valley, Mountain West representative or any other school from what might be considered a mid-major conference. What’s most interesting “You did it to yourself.” As an example Houston, Cincinnati and UCF are now members of the Big XII, it wasn’t always that way. 

These schools and others were considered mid-majors, that phrase no longer exists for them. The Big XII now consists of 16 teams and the commissioner continues to express interest in expansion, here that Memphis? The Big 10 as well may continue to expand although that’s not set in stone. If there is a complaint about the lack of a “Cinderella Team” in the NCAA Tournament who do we point the finger at?

If you are a baseball historian the name of the late Bob Gibson is known to you. Gibson was a Hall of Fame pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Gibson had numerous 20 game winning seasons. I bet you didn’t know he attended Creighton University on a basketball scholarship, he would also play baseball while there. Gibson’s junior year would see him average 22 points a game and Jesuit third team All American. 

In the 1950’s schools affiliated with the Catholic church would name those outstanding players who attended Catholic institutions All Americans. It wasn’t just a college game, Gibson played for the Globetrotters for a brief period and the Cardinals, he finally gave up the Globetrotters and basketball for the Cardinals. Might the 6 foot 2 Gibson been able to play in the 1957 NBA, that’s an unknown? Based on his athletic aptitude I believe it might have been possible.

Keenan (you don’t know him) read the account I wrote on Kawhi Leonard and published on Tuesday. This is what he conveyed to me. He said, “Kawhi was ballin’ with that Raptors team, with the Spurs it was a different story.” The 2014 NBA Champion Spurs had Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker plus Kawhi Leonard and several quality reserve players. Those Spurs had plenty of playoff experience plus championships under their belt. 

Kawhi was a key component but not what he would be in 2019 for the Raptors. That Raptors roster contained Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and a roster who played at a high skill level but certainly could not be compared to the Spurs roster. So despite what you read on Tuesday I’m retracting a portion of it, the 2019 Raptors needed Kawhi much more than the 2014 Spurs did. Kawhi was it for the Raptors, with the Spurs he was an ingredient to a championship team.

You cannot pick and choose

A while back you read a piece on my disagreement with a Gilbert Arenas take. It was his contention Wemby could not be the new face of the NBA based on playing for the Spurs. I voiced my view however there is another prospect to consider based on Adam Silver. In his news conference in Paris the commissioner mentioned the name of Cooper Flagg and him possibly becoming that face. At this point Flagg is not in the NBA but I wondered, I’m asking the question is there a requirement for someone to be anointed “The Face of the NBA?”

Well it might be somewhat necessary for a variety of reasons. It didn’t always exist however we are in a highly visual age I believe, people are influenced by what is in front of them. This didn’t exist at one time, I attribute a substantial portion of NBA growth to the visual, allow me to explain. The NBA always contained star players, name them Russell, Chamberlain, West, Cousy and Baylor but they were small potatoes compared to the future explosion. First it’s my belief it was Magic-Bird, it certainly aided the cause both had contended for the NCAA Championship. In the NBA they would play for two storied franchises the Lakers and Celtics. Of course meeting in the Finals every year kept both literally in our faces.

Next up was Michael Jordan and his Bulls, the teams were outstanding but it was MJ who would become the face of the league. Somehow maybe it was due to the Lakers-Celtics influence Isiah Thomas and no Piston was awarded “Face of the NBA.” Soon Kobe Bryant would be anointed with that same honor, at some point the distinction became a shared thing between LeBron James and Steph Curry where its remained over the last few years. As time passes on these two there is a requirement for a new face, who will it become?

I ain’t mad at nobody

This is aimed at college basketball coaches, I'm not as familiar with college football however there are several of them this rant fits too. College basketball coaches have been riding the gravy train for years with many of them earning 7 figure salaries, this was accomplished by the blood, sweat and sometimes tears of their basketball team. The coach and his family were able to afford the best things in life, they ate at the best restaurants while many of the players were eating at McDonald's or in the dorm eating Ramen Noodles.

Some players received extra money under the table from boosters and alumni however the majority existed on little income. Heaven forbid the NCAA uncovered an athlete had received “Illegal funds.” At one time there were rules in place prohibiting work except during the summer. Now that the tables have been reversed some of the coaches are crying in their beer. Anytime there are human beings involved in anything it’s going to be imperfect, that is the case for NIL and the transfer portal. Fix the system, don’t get in front of the television camera complaining about what’s wrong with the game. Afterall you were a contributing factor in much of what we see in today’s college game. Consider this, we never heard a single coach back in the day claiming, "They are paying me too much money."

Basketball from a fans perspective

“The report of my death was an exaggeration”

Mark Twain American writer and humorist of the 19th Century coined the phrase above. Reports had circulated he’d died or was seriously ill. What you are about to read is a retreat on my part from an earlier opinion. I stated at the time Kawhi Leonard first appeared in the Clipper lineup he failed to impress me. A statement was made by me indicating he should consider retirement. Well the crow I ate for lunch didn’t taste particularly good but I was forced to eat it and my words. Leonard will never again be the player we witnessed lead the Spurs to a championship.

He’s not even the same player we saw later lead the Raptors to their only NBA Championship. He can still play, apparently it took time for him to become fully acclimated to the game again. So what occurs for the immediate future, the Clippers will earn a playoff berth thanks in part to Leonard. I don’t believe they are a quality championship team for this season but there remains a question. Without Leonard in the lineup on a nightly basis they don’t win, for those who might believe I’m shortchanging the Clippers that is not the case, the pieces are in place. This team needs Leonard at 100% and right now in my opinion he’s at 97 or 98%.

Meanwhile…..

I stated at the time if Mark Cuban were in charge Luka Doncic would still be wearing a Mavs jersey. The former majority owner of the team confirmed he wasn’t consulted on the trade to the Lakers nor did he have the power to reject it. Cuban had sold his majority share of the team to the Adelson family from Las Vegas in 2023. Cuban still retains 27% interest in the team however he’s got no authority now to control the day to day operations of the Mavs. So the Mavs have traveled from NBA champion runner up in 2024 to perhaps missing the playoffs in 2025. It’s not just the trade, the Mavs have been struck by an assortment of team injuries which has them teetering on the edge.

Ben McCollum needs to send Dennis Gates a thank you tweet, Drake’s victory over Mizzou provided a reward. It’s being reported McCollum has been hired to take over the basketball program at the University of Iowa. If you remember his history at Northwest Missouri State he led this Division II program to four (4) NCAA Championships. His Drake team won 30 games prior to the Bulldogs playing their first game in the tournament. This was no quick move in a sense, McCollum had remained at NWMSU for several years before Drake hired him for the 2024-25 season. Although he’d won national championships few were acquainted with him other than those of us in the Kansas City metro, NWMSU is located about 100 miles north of here.

Did you know

How about celebrities who played basketball prior to their present pursuit? One name is that of Denzel Washington star of The Equalizer, Malcom X, Training Day and a host of other movies. This Hollywood icon played his ball at Fordham University but theatre won his heart over hoops. Two time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali first matriculated on the basketball court of St. Mary’s for four seasons. He’d received a basketball scholarship. The Undertaker (Mark Calaway) demonstrated his talent on the basketball court before the ring, he played at Texas Wesleyan.

How about 2Chainz, the rapper then known as Tauheed Epps played at Alabama State for two seasons. Nowadays he’s known as Frank Regan on Bluebloods, he’s veteran actor Tom Selleck. Standing 6 feet 4 he played one season for Southern Cal. Jason Sudeikis of Saturday Night Live fame received a basketball scholarship to Fort Scott (KS) Community College, he played as a point guard. Snoop Dogg as Calvin Broadus played at Long Beach Polytechnic High in Long Beach (CA). Actor George Clooney played basketball and baseball player while in high school. Those above played the game in college but I cannot close this without mentioning the musical genius Prince. The late musician, despite his short stature (5 foot 2) was good enough to play at the high school level.  

Is it fair

Before I delve into the subject allow me to state this, it’s not written anyplace that life is supposed to be fair. With that out of the way I will proceed with the question and my observation. Is it fair we use a championship ring or lack thereof to measure an athletes success? I’m changing sports however the success of the NFL Chiefs is very much in the sports news. They appeared in the Super Bowl once again but lost to the Eagles. There are players no longer with the team walking around with championship rings, their role might have been as a reserve player however they possess a ring.

Remaining with the NFL for a moment I remember reading this statement. Dan Marino’s Dolphins earned a Super Bowl trip in his second year, they lost. He said, “I’ve got another opportunity” or similar words but it never occurred. Marino would play 15 more seasons and his Dolphins were never able to return to the Super Bowl. How about the NBA, Charles Barkley had a brilliant NBA career leading to a Naismith Hall of Fame induction. I could make a similar statement regarding Patrick Ewing also enshrined. On the other hand Adam Morrison has two championship rings (2009, 2010), he was a reserve player with the Lakers, he left the game with a 7.5 ppg average. The most important ingredient to a championship is to play for a good team, how does that occur? If I knew the answer to that question I’d be a rich man. In closing I believe we should cease judging an athletes career based on a ring or lack of one. There are far too many factors required in just winning one ring.

Basketball from a fans perspective

The Transfer Portal, Part Deux

You remember the line from the movie Forrest Gump, “Life’s like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.” This is where I disagree with the comment made by veteran coach Rick Pitino, if a coach’s recruiting emphasis is placed on transfers only that coach might be in for a rude awaking. There might be other examples but these two programs are close by me in Kansas City, the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas. First Kansas, based on AJ Storr’s play at Wisconsin this led Bill Self and Jayhawk Nation to believe they had a valuable addition when he arrived on campus.

Can I say he never played at the level expected by Self or anyone for that matter? Hunter Dickinson doesn’t escape either, he earned 3rd team Big XII but in his case as well more was expected. Across the state line in Missouri John Tonje was supposed to aid the cause. He spent most of last season on the injured list and transferred to Wisconsin without contributing anything to Missouri’s effort on the basketball court. I would say utilize it but don’t fall in love with it. Just concentrating on high school talent alone a coach has no idea what he is going to receive as well. I continue to take a neutral opinion regarding the transfer portal despite the view of Pitino and maybe others.

Hoosiers

Have you seen the movie Hoosiers staring the late Gene Hackman? The movie released in 1986 detailed the basketball season of a small fictional Indiana basketball team which won a state championship. The movie took liberties with an actual 1954 event. Once upon a time the state basketball championship was not separated by student enrollment; a tiny school of several hundred would sometimes face an opposing one with thousands of students. This would change in 1997 as school’s were reclassified by student enrollment. Milan Indiana High School back then had an enrollment of 161 students, the town population was 1,014.

In 2020 the population of the city has swelled to 1,823 so we could guess Milan High School’s enrollment has risen as well. As for the game itself Milan played and defeated Muncie Central High School from Muncie Indiana. Muncie has merged with another high school and now has an enrollment of 1,340. I was unable to locate any information from 1954 but guess Muncie at a minimum must have contained at least 900 students, Milan finished the season 19-2 and overall 28-2. Playing in Milan’s tiny gymnasium team members of Milan must have been overwhelmed by the size of Hinkle (then Butler) Fieldhouse as depicted in the movie. The final score of the championship game read Milan 32 while Muncie Central was 30.

It's different this time

Victor Wembanyama was literally an unknown, my view was tempered by scouting reports and YouTube videos. He was a talent based on the view of NBA management and scouts. Finally some months prior to the draft he and his Metropolitans 92 team arrived on these shores. They were matched against a G-League Team Elite and for the first time most of us were able to witness him in live action. That was 2023 the calendar now reads 2025 and we have another wunderkind before us. His name is Cooper Flagg and you are aware he’s been demonstrating his talent as a Duke freshman. Of course the two (Wemby & Flagg) play distinct positions on the court but there is the stark difference.

I’ve had numerous opportunities to see Flagg in action. Roughly since last summer the majority of mock draft sites have Flagg projected as the top NBA draft pick in 2025. Every week, sometimes twice a week I check for movement wondering if some other talent has moved in front of him. What I’ve seen thus far is that an athlete able to perform a number of basketball assignments on the court, does he have shortcomings? I’m quite sure they exist however they haven’t smacked anyone in the face saying, “He can’t do this or his game at _____ could show improvement.” On June 26 if Flagg has declared for the draft, this speech will emanate on our television sets. “With the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft the ________ select Cooper Flagg from Duke University.”

Meanwhile…

Florida is a number one seed in contention for the 2025 NCAA Championship. Despite that fact there is at least one player we haven’t seen play yet. His name is Oliver Rioux, he is being redshirted in his freshman year. Rioux did not play in any of the team’s first four games when Coach Todd Golden decided to redshirt him. Although not playing Rioux already has a unique distinction, Guinness World Records declared him the tallest teen in the world in 2021. He measured 7 feet 5 inches at the time, Rioux now stands 7-9, that would make him the tallest ever to play in an NCAA game. The youngster is from Terrebonne, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal.

This is Lakers too but somewhat of a different vein. I’ve read over the course of time the Buss family have “nothing to fall back on besides Laker basketball. Unlike other owners like Dan Gilbert, or the Mavs group they and others operate businesses separate from their basketball teams.” Perhaps moves made in the past by Laker management was more in line with league rules over personal operating capital. This is not representative of the entire family however the net worth of Jeannie Buss is reported to be in the neighborhood of $700 million. She has invested in a considerable number of business ventures outside of Laker basketball.

The Mount St. Mary’s-Duke Tourney game is about to begin as this is written. The CBS chyron for Cooper Flagg listed him as a guard/forward, it’s my contention without offering you any evidence just an opinion. At 205 pounds he might be somewhat light to play small forward in the NBA. Generally this position in the NBA would see a player at least 220 pounds and maybe LeBron size (245-250). In the games I’ve seen Flagg handles the ball well, in addition he’s got an outside shot although he does have an inside game. In this age it’s not uncommon to see a shooting guard at 6 foot 9, what do you think, am I off base with my hypothesis?

We hear the term Dubs to describe the Warriors or something connected with them. How did it come about, I was curious so I decided to uncover the basis. This is from the net, “The nickname “Dubs” for the Golden State Warriors emerged from fans shortening the team’s name to “W’s” (referring to the “W” in “Warriors”) and then even further to “Dubs.” I am easily adaptable to nicknames however this one leaves me asking the question why. If you are okay with Dubs certainly continue to use it…for me it’s a different issue. As an example I don’t like “Slim Reaper” for Kevin Durant or “King” for LeBron James. It’s just a preference on my part.

Basketball from a fans perspective

June awaits

I’ve written several accounts regarding Cooper Flagg of Duke. Most recently it was mentioned he indicated he might return to school for his sophomore year…to that statement I ask WHY? It’s been pointed out Flagg has one of the largest NIL contracts in collegiate sports, despite that fact he can earn even more as an NBA rookie. However wealth might not be the driving force for him, in his position there is only one opportunity for the college experience so I certainly could understand if he decided to return to school.

On the other hand if it’s only a degree, numerous players in all sports have returned to school and graduated. Critics are quick to point out “his numbers are not all that exciting” and they are correct. For me it’s all facets of the game he plays at a cerebral level. Will Flagg come into the NBA and dominate, I can inform you right now that will not occur. What I see in the future is a skillful player able to blend his game with those of his teammates. In a tie game I could see him take the game winner, he appears that confident. So there, I’ve made up Cooper Flagg’s mind for Cooper Flagg although I have no connection whatsoever with his decision forthcoming in April or May.  

Who goes and who remains

As the Lakers prepare for the balance of the season and playoffs decisions must be made. They have three players on two-way contracts, these must be converted to a regular contract in order for a player to be playoff eligible. In all likelihood Cam Reddish and Alex Len will likely be released, that opens up two roster positions for three players, the question becomes who goes and who remains? Who are they, guard Jordan Goodwin, post players Trey Jemison III and Christian Koloko would be vying for the final two spots.

Goodwin has been a spot starter due to the number of injuries the Lakers have suffered recently. JJ Redick has appeared pleased with the effort of Goodwin for a time now. As for Jemison III and Koloko its strictly a best guess on my part. Both post players in my view are raw, so what occurs for the future? If I used a scale with 5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest Jemison III would be a 3 while Koloko is a 2 maybe 2.5. Goodwin is a slam dunk, his athleticism and the fact he’s been a part-time starter bodes well for him. The other two are a little more difficult to gauge although what you just read is my best guess. Stay tuned, I believed a decision will be made sooner rather than later.     

NOTE: Prior to this being published one member of the media is claiming the Lakers could sign all three players. I still maintain Jemison is ahead of Koloko although they might keep both, please keep that possibility in mind.  

The Transfer Portal

This is what we heard and continue to hear from fans and many in the media, “The transfer portal will ruin college basketball!” Remember back in time what was said, “We can’t widen the lane because of Wilt Chamberlain” or “The dunk shot (Lew Alcindor) will ruin the game, there is no way to defend besides there is the injury factor.” Those were changes to basketball that upset folks at the time. Face it friends I have a neutral opinion on the transfer portal, is it good…is it bad? Probably depends on who you converse with. What I read the concept was to make for an easier path for athletes to change schools. You might believe that’s always been a straightforward process, allow me to provide a little history.

In 2017 Mizzou had two transfers incoming Dru and Mark Smith (no relation), I don’t remember which Smith but the NCAA said yes to one and no to the other. The school appealed the ruling, there was no public information related to academics however one of the Smith’s was forced to sat out a semester while the other played. Of course both would eventually play but the issue was a little confusing. As with any topic involving human beings there are going to be technical glitches. I believe there should be a limit on the number of transfers. Mizzou (yes my school) had Josh Gray on its roster, previously he played at LSU and South Carolina. Has the portal fulfilled it’s purpose, depends on who you discuss the matter with. If the NCAA decides to eliminate it they certainly need a plan other than what occurred with the Smith’s in 2017 and much of the past.

Never, ever

Technically speaking the NBA began play in 1949, that was 76 years ago. Almost half of the leagues championships have been won by two teams, the Celtics with 18 championships and the Lakers totaling 17, that’s 35 between them. Are there NBA teams lacking championships, who are they you might ask?  The Brooklyn Nets won 2 ABA Championships but not one since they became a member of the NBA. The Charlotte Hornets were born as the Bobcats but they failed to win under either name. The Indiana Pacers tasted success while in the ABA but lack a championship as an NBA member.

The Buffalo Braves would become the San Diego Clippers and later move to Los Angeles retaining the name, they also lack a championship. The expansion Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis also have no championship. Also added to our list of the missing we have the Minnesota Wolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz, that completes those NBA missing a championship parade. Officially the Sonics are not the Thunder although the team moved from Seattle which won a championship. The Thunder are not the former Sonics since Seattle owns the rights to the name. We could say the Thunder also should be included in our count as a never won team. It’s interesting several teams named have been successful on the basketball court but unable to win an NBA Championship.