This is proof I have no life

Saturday afternoon I watched Mizzou beat Texas Tech, late afternoon I witnessed Colorado State upset 13th ranked San Diego State. I was able to switch channels and catch the last 4:00 minutes of the Missouri State-Northern Iowa game. I then finished the day by watching my Lakers face the Bucks Saturday evening. That's four games in one sitting, I do need to explain I did exercise myself by rising from the couch on occasion.

He's good

Now that I have been "fired" from my scouting position allow me to fill you in. I've been watching Wolves games on League Pass, my memory says the only time I watch the Wolves were games against the Lakers. I didn't watch them last year with Mr. Double Double Kevin Love on the scene. I'm watching them now to access the progress of Ricky Rubio. His field goal percentage is not particularly high but time in the league it will improve. The other areas are good for a rookie. Rubio is dishing out close to 9 assists a game. He hits the boards as well, the 5 rebounds a game prove that. In addition he's proved quite adept with 3 steals a game. Rubio is averaging close to 11 points a game with a field goal percentage of .386. Last Wednesday against the Mavs Rubio's numbers were 12 assists, 4 steals, 7 rebounds and 17 points. scored. If you mention Rubio had 7 turnovers in that game, you are correct however veteran Kobe Bryant had the same number of turnover's in his game.

NBA Draft 2012
I thought it most interesting the two mock draft sites I routinely follow contained the name of two Mizzou players. I'm always pleasantly surprised when the site(s) profile Mizzou players as possible draft choices. A number of good players have come through the program over the years but few have been successful in the NBA. Draftexpress.com has Ricardo Ratliff as it's 42nd pick in the second round. NBA Draftnet.net has Ratliff at 46 in the second round, Marcus Denmon is the 50th pick in the second round of draftexpress.com. I don't know if one or both get drafted however it's interesting to speculate. Prior to the start of the 2009 season no Mizzou players were listed on either of these sites. Small forward DeMarre Carroll was probably an unknown name nationally, hard work during his senior year landed Carroll on one of the sites. Sure enough Carroll would be drafted by the Grizzlies, he is now in his second year with the Nuggets. Maybe lighting will strike again and one or both make an NBA roster.

Patience is required

Upfront I admit I am sometimes impatient, there are times when patience is required. Patient is required in building or restoring a team to the height it once held. That is the case with the University of Indiana basketball program. I've heard it takes a new coach at least four years of recruiting for a team to regain a measure of success. Often in this microwave society new coaches are not allowed even two years. It's great that the administration was willing to allow Tom Crean to recruit and implement his system. Coach Tom Crean is now in his fourth year and Indiana basketball is just now returning to a point of prominence. The Bobby Knight days are over, there is far too much competition for an Indiana to run over member Big 10 schools. Crean inherited a program that was pretty much in shambles after Kelviin Sampson was asked to leave. That first year Indiana was 6-25 and for the next two years his teams would finish below .500. It appears his coaching effort has been partially resolved, Indiana this year is currently 16-5. Reviewing the mess Crean inherited I guess I (along with other Mizzou fans) owe Mike Anderson a thank you. Not thanking him for leaving but the cupboard was not bare when Frank Haith came on board. I've come to the realization a major portion of Mizzou's success this season lies with the coach no longer on the scene---Mike Anderson.

Could it be

I certainly don't consider myself superstitious you know the black cat thing, number 13. A pitcher has a no-hitter working but no one says anything for fear of a batter getting a hit and breaking up the no-hitter. I dunno in the case of the athlete maybe being spotlighted might cause the person greater anxiety than normal. That could be the case but in any event I'm laying story before you. Steve Johnson (former Kansas City King) when at Oregon State set a field goal record which has stood for 31 years. Johnson's field goal setting record was 74.6%, no one over the course of a season has been close until now. "For years, Johnson believed his 74.6 percent shooting from his senior season was almost unmatchable in today's college basketball. Then he went home, scoured the internet, scoured the internet and learned that 6-8 Missouri senior Ricardo Ratliffe is shooting a blistering 77.2% this season." Ratliffe has six more weeks so there is no guarantee the record will be broken but it's fun watching the possibility of history in the making. (Yahoo Sports)

I foresaw this coming
Allow me to state this up front I had an uneasy feeling regarding Mizzou's journey to Stillwater Oklahoma. After the teams outstanding effort against Baylor I felt this might be a "trap" game. Sure enough that's what it turned out to be, Mizzou was on the losing end of a 79-72 contest but it's a little more than the score. Mizzou never put up the stop sign on the Cowboys. They allowed the Cowboys to out shoot, out rebound and out hustle them. I liked the comment made by Coach Haith, he said "we got their best effort tonight, they didn't get our best!" No excuses, Oklahoma State certainly didn't play like a .500 team.

He said what
Is Andrew Bynum the best big man in today's NBA? Shaquille O' Neal claims he is!  We might ask "why Bynum over Dwight Howard?" His response "Bynum has a variety of post moves that Howard can't match." For the immediate time being the Laker offense will continue to flow through Kobe, in all probability and will remain so until he retires. If we just looked at the numbers Dwight Howard would be the clear winner. There is a difference between the two and it has nothing to do with the fact that Howard is 6-11 and Bynum is 7-0. The Magic offense flows through Howard, Laker offense continues to flow through Bryant. Bynum's numbers this season read 16.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and almost 2 blocks a game. Although Bynum has struggled at the free-throw line recently he exceeds Howard in this area 53% versus 44%. Over the course of their careers Bynum is 68% and Howard 59%. I like Bynum but I'm not ready to declare him the best yet. We could produce a superior center if we could clone the best of each of these existing NBA centers. We'd clone the defensive skills of Tyson Chandler, the warp speed and exuberance of Jaokim Noah and the offensive expertise of David Lee.

He's good!
Kentucky's John Calipari recruits for the right now, his teams always seem to be stocked with NBA players. Remember the 2010 draft three of his players were drafted in the first round. I once read (undocumented) former coach Tubby Smith begin to carefully pick and chose recruits, no more McDonald All-American types if he could help it. Smith won an NCAA Championship at Kentucky but was asked to leave. Smith's teams were less and less successful on the court due to his recruiting efforts. On the other hand the one n done players don't appear to phase Coach Cal. This is not an indictment of Calipari it's his method of recruiting. Despite what Anthony Davis might state I will be in total shock if he remains at Kentucky for his sophomore year. His game against Arkansas is the prime reason, I hope you have an opportunity to see freshman this outstanding freshman play. Most mock NBA drafts have him listed number one or two in the 2012 draft. His game against Arkansas was nothing short of spectacular. He scored 27 points on 10 of 12 from the floor. Davis was 7 of 8 from the free throw line, grabbed 14 rebounds along with 7 blocked shots. Davis was key to the Wildcats thumping Arkansas 86-63. If he does leave there is no need to feel sorry for Calipari, he's signed a Kansas City metro kid. 6-10 Willie Cauley is on his way to Lexington in August, can Cauley play big time basketball only time will tell. Some kids are talented enough to not skip a beat elevating their game to the collegiate level while other struggle.

This is wild

Depending on your age the name Nate Thurmond might not be familiar to most of you. Thurmond is enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield (MA). This 6-11 225 pound center spent the majority of his career with the San Francisco /Golden State Warriors. From 1963-1974 he played for the Warriors, 1974-1976 he spent with the Bulls. He finally concluded his career in 1976-1977 while a member of the Cavs. On October 18, 1974 against the Hawks Thurmond recorded a quadruple-double. Check out these numbers, 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots. Over the course of his career Thurmond scored 14,437 points and pulled down 14,464 rebounds. A 15.0 per game average in both categories. Few players have pulled down more rebounds than they scored. (Wikipedia)

The teams not very good
Nick Fasulo MSNBC wrote a piece titled "Seven good players who are great reasons to watch bad teams." It caused me to pause a moment and think the majority of time we are force feed a study diet of Carolina and Duke basketball. ESPN, Fox Sports and CBS generally telecast best teams, we don't have the opportunity to see the below radar teams. In this instance I could find no fault with networks, their desire is to televise the best teams to maximize their audience. With purpose they fill their broadcast time with high profile teams. I read Fasulo's piece and he is correct there are numerous good players on bad teams. One of the players he profiled is playing at Rice University, as this is written Rice is 10-8 two games above .500.  Arsalan Kazemi is a 6-8 225 pound small forward, from Estahan Iran. Whether he Kazemi ever plays in the NBA is still a question, DraftExpress.com list him as their number 20 pick in the second round of the 2013 mock draft. Rice University is located in Houston Texas.

The Wildcats
I'm a little unsure now if the December 19th game between Davidson and Kansas was an actual upset. Prior to the game perhaps many of the Kansas faithful figured this school 's mascot was the "Mildcats" after all it's Davidson. Well understand this Davidson is currently 14-4, 8-0 in the Southern Conference. Davidson is another school the media titles "mid-major," I hate that term because it's misleading. It smacks you in the in the face stating "were a smaller school in a smaller conference" therefore we are not as good as you are." Davidson proved that mindset is totally bogus. Need I remind the KU faithful of Northern Iowa another mid-major.

He's gone

"Another one bits the dust!" The Wizards fired Coach Flip Saunders after the team got off to a 2-15 mark. Something appeared to be missing with this team, they certainly are not the most talented team in the NBA but I think they have more talent than has been shown thus far. Randy Wittman was named interim coach which we assume would be the balance of the season. It's really too bad I liked Saunders but it must be apparent Wizard players didn't otherwise they would have played better.

 

He did it again

Coach Popovich sat his star player Tim Duncan down again. No injury or other factor, Popovich allows Duncan "to rest" in order for him to be healthy for the playoffs. This is the second instance Popovich has done this with Duncan having no apparent injuries. Manu Ginobili is a total different matter, the guy is on the injury list we cannot say the same for Duncan. I pose the question again---is it fair to fans who can often might pay large sums of money for their seat(s), parking and vendors. I wonder why the commissioner is not in the middle of this? Where is David Stern when you need him?

 

I missed this one!

Due to the two hour time difference I often miss West coast NBA games. It's usually midnight when the game is over, as for an overtime game almost certainly out of the question. I once remembered a Laker game that concluded at 12:30 a.m., I managed to see the conclusion but that's rare anymore for me. I wish I'd stay awake to see this one, Dwight Howard had a monster game 45 points, 23 rebounds and 3 assists. Howard is such a poor free throw shooter Warriors Coach Mark Jackson had his players foul Howard intentionally. I am unsure if Hack-a-Howard worked out he was on the free throw line a total of 39 attempts. In any event he managed to a respectable (for him) 21 of 39 attempt. Howard broke a 50-year old record established by Wilt Chamberlain for free throws in a single game.

 

He receives a shout out

David Kahn has made several questionable moves in my view, if you are unfamiliar with the name Kahn serves as Wolves general manager. The most recent questionable move was replacing the coach. Replacing Kurt Rambis was not the issue, the issue for me and others was Kahn had created a media frenzy allowing the story to circulate for weeks. I think almost everyone who follows the sport were well aware Kurt Rambis was going to be fired. Kahn never explained why he allowed the story continued circulation. I had concluded Rambis might not have been a good fit or even the best coach at the time. The shout out or pat on the back for Kahn is the courage to draft Ricky Rubio despite no prospect of him playing in the NBA right away, on top of that sticking to the view Rubio would eventually play for the Wolves. Many thought this guy (Rubio) is never leaving Spain. Perhaps in the dark recesses of his mind Kahn might have held reservations too, if he did he never revealed them to anyone. Kahn receives a second shout out for hiring Rick Adelman, although his track record as a coach is good I held reservations. The team is a work in progress however Adelman appears to have changed the mentality of this young team. Given time Adelman might turn this team around on the basketball floor. I'm not comfortable admitting this but I might have missed this one, Rubio and Kahn that is.

 

It's our fault

Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com wrote an interesting story last week. He titled it "A look at America's starving big men." He compiled a list of 10 skilled collegiate players used improperly by their respective schools. Several such as Meyers Leonard at Illinois and Anthony Davis of Kentucky I've witnessed their games on television, the other eight I'm going to trust Medcalf's research. There might be other writers that share Medcalf's view this is the first one I've read detailing the problem. The main fault of this issue can be laid at the feet of the coaches, after all you recruited the player. You recruit the player and then offer then sparse playing time. According to Medcalf we have met the enemy, all that is required is to look into the mirror. With few exceptions big men are not the instigator of a teams offense, that lies with the coach through his point guard. Pass the ball to the big man and "throw it down big man! Throw it DOWN!" That was a catch phrase former player and color analyst Bill Walton would often use.

Bulletin..........Bulletin...........Bulletin
Last Friday I explained to you in so many words my concern playing Baylor in Waco. They meet Baylor again but this time in Columbia.  I almost forgot I was so excited by the 89-88 Mizzou win I failed to inform you which team won. I am lost for words with this "tiny" team and it's 7 scholarship players, I now fully understand how you can run a four guard lineup. Next season with a much taller team the offense will change because there will be no need to play four guards. Mizzou was rated number five in the nation prior to this game. Baylor was number three so the Tigers could be voted number three after this weekend, in addition to the win Mizzou managed to outrebound a much taller Baylor team. Baylor's front line stood 6-11, 6-9 and 6-7 so you could see clearly they should have held a rebounding edge. Mizzou didn't play an error free game, they took the occasional bad shot or turned the ball over at critical times, times I felt they could have shut Baylor down period. A casual observer reading the box score would assume they beat Baylor by one point, Baylor tossed in a 3-pointer as the horn was sounded. It pains me to make this statement, a Mike Anderson Mizzou team would have lost this game. The focus was on Ricardo Ratliffe as it might have been having to shoot an rebound and play defense against a much taller Baylor front line. My eyes were on 5-10 Phil (Flip) Pressey, his box score read 18 points on 55% shooting, seven assists, five rebounds and six steals. Pressey actually outrebounded 6-11 Perry Jones III, in conclusion "I have faith in Haith!"

I'm guilty
I confess I'm guilty of of sometimes falling prey to the media hype surrounding the "new" York Knicks. Notice the new in this instance is in lower case letters, there is a reason. Early on I thought adding Tyson Chandler would make a difference defensively. Guess what, I think Chandler has made a difference how bout the power forward and small forward? He can't provide defense for his position and the other two as well. I didn't foresee it would be necessary to convince Anthony and Stoudemire there is a defensive side of the court. I realize this is the NBA but if your coach doesn't emphasis defense how do you fix the problem? Mike D'Antoni is a coach who wins more than he loses but his teams never advance very far in the playoffs because his teams (Phoenix and New York) play little if any defense. Please, please no Isiah Thomas---you think the situation is critical know watch the series of events if Thomas is ever allowed on the premises again.

He's coming out
As I mentioned I don't predict I only speculate, here's one for you to mull over, I'm speculating on Jared Sullinger Ohio State power forward. Sullinger announced early last spring he would be returning to Ohio State for his sophomore year. Although he had an outstanding freshman year the threat of an NBA Lockout probably entered the picture. This son of a coach would only see his NBA stock rise as he continues play in his sophomore season. His weight at 265 pounds certainly bodes well for the NBA, my only question might be his height, can he play power forward in the NBA at 6-9? By that last statement can he adjust to play as a power forward in the NBA? Then I look at the Spurs DeJuan Blair at 6-8 and 270 pounds, Tiago Splitter at 6-11 and 240 pounds was intended to be the next center for the Spurs but can't seem to dislodge Blair. Then there is Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer who is also 6-9 weighing in at 266 pounds. I guess we see how good Charles Barkley was playing power forward at 6-5 and 1/2 inches in height, it's strength, stamina and the ability to shoot decent to play power forward in the NBA.

He's the real deal
I hope you had an opportunity to see Shabazz Muhammad display his skills. ESPNU televised the entire tournament so I was able to view Findlay Prep and Simeon which is the number one team in the nation. Muhammad's Bishop Gorman team was matched again DeMatha in the Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield (MA). Bishop Gorman is is the number 24 team in the nation, DeMatha was rated number 5. Muhammad's Gorman team defeated DeMatha dropping them from the ranks of the undefeated. Muhammad certainly did not disappoint as he scored 37 points, the scoring was only a part of his outstanding game. Muhammad continues to give no indication of his college choice. A number of NBA coaches and scouts were in attendance at this tournament.

I guess haters must continue to hate
Just finished an article where Michael Jordan states "Kobe is the nearest player to my game!" Naturally an article such as that the haters come rushing to the front with their opinions. The haters use all sources to invalidate MJ's remarks. The first is Colorado and the rape charge against Bryant, he had sex with the woman no doubt that occurred however the case was settled without a formal trial. The accuser settled for a large sum of money, I never remember reading the figure just the fact it was large. They state "he (Bryant) is responsible for Shaq being traded, they say the team could have won several more championships if Kobe hadn't been so selfish." Those are just two of the remarks I've read over and over and over again, now that Bryant is facing divorce that too will be added to the hater arsenal. The majority of critical remarks don't often relate to Kobe's production on the basketball court. There's a reason why, Kobe's number speak for themselves. Has he conducted his life off the court responsibility, no doubt he's made mistakes I couldn't argue with that statement. I'll close this exercise with a question for you. You are the coach for a mythical team, time remaining of the game clock is 5 seconds. Who would have take the shot, would it be LeBron, Dirk or Kobe? If MJ says Kobe's game most closely resembles his I think the argument is over!

I willing to admit up front I'm scared!
My Tigers play Baylor tomorrow afternoon. This is the first Big XII conference game that's caused me anxiety. 1. Baylor coming off a loss to Kansas will be ready to bite through nails. They were embarrassed by their performance in Lawrence Kansas. 2. The game is in Waco, if it were Columbia I would feel better. 3. Baylor's length is a problem!  Their roster contains two 6-9 players, one 6-10 and two more at 6-11. I think you understand my concern, Mizzou's front court is 6-9, 6-8 and English at 6-6.  I do think Mizzou's guards are better than those of Baylor.

The East
Several NBA types are at it again, they have crowned the Heat Eastern Conference and NBA Champs in January. Really it's their choice however I'd be careful to hand the trophy to the Heat this early. They might indeed accomplish the aforementioned feat but they should focus on the Eastern Conference first. The opposition will be key, naturally the Heat will not face all the Eastern Conference teams but matchups and injuries play a role. One team we certainly overlooked in the conference is the one-time doormat 76ers. To date they are clearly better than they were last season, Doug Collins crew is off to a 7-2 start as this is written. This is the 76ers fastest start in 11 years.

You did what?
I read the story myself, at first I thought it was a joke. It might still be in some circles. Kwame Brown is taking credit for Andrew Bynum's success. "I taught him everything he knows," Brown recently told the Times' Mike Bresnahan "I'm one of the better defenders in the league, and we played against each other every day in practice. I told him if you can score against me, you can score on anyone." This is the same Kwame Brown playing for NBA team number six, Brown seemed tentative when he played for the Lakers which I think is understandable. How could he play with so little passion after all his 6-11 275 pound frame was imposing figure. I shared this undocumented story earlier but many of you might not have heard it. Brown was supposed to have told Kobe during a timeout to not pass the ball to him! "I might mess up" was his statement. I have no method of verifying if the story is true. I do know this I was witness to a game Brown fumbled the ball out of bounds on two consecutive trips down court. All the years I've followed the Lakers I don't ever remember the home crowd booing a Laker to that extent, Phil Jackson took him out of the game. (Los Angeles Times)

The engine that needs no battery
This is the era of the point guard, even fewer numbers play the position with skill. A quality point guard has always been key to a teams success, the point guard is the engine for the team. An NBA team without a quality point guard suffers. Dallas certainly had an advantage over Miami their advantage was Kidd and Barea. Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving has become key to the Cavs, to date Irving has displayed quality numbers. This 6-3 guard is in the starting lineup and scoring at a 15.0 points per game, 5.1 assists and 3.97 rebounds.

A quality big man
Roy Hibbert is a name relatively unknown by most fans, it's his quiet demeanor.  He played basketball and graduated from Georgetown University. Hibbert was born in the U.S., his parents emigrated from Jamaica. Hibbert was originally drafted by the Raptors in the 1st round and was the 17th overall pick. His draft rights were traded to the Pacers where he remains. It's often been stated playing center in the NBA most of the time is a growth process, it takes time. That certainly was the case with Hibbert. This 7-2 278 pound center is entering his fourth year in the Association which is his best yet. Currently Hibbert is scoring at 14.3 clip per game, 9.8 rebounds and almost 2 blocks a game.

I keep saying never

There was promise made by me to you. I said I would ignore the asinine comments by a handful of KU fans. I'm sorry, I cannot do what I said I would. Today's edition of the Kansas City Star contained an article quoting AD Mike Alden. The short version Alden stated the possibility of the SEC tournament being held in Kansas City. The article indicated the SEC post-season tournament has been moved in a similar manner as the Big XII. Out come the trolls, never mind the fact they they have no involvement in the planning or possible execution. The following are the emails:

"St. Louis will get the SEC tournament before KC is ever considered. I'm sure Gov. Jay Nixon and Mizzou have had talks with the SEC about it before Mizzou defected. Just another example of the continued slant of the state agenda towards St. Louis. KCMO would be better served seceding to Kansas."

"never happen. the SEC is playing Kansas City/MU as fools."

"Do they really believe anyone in KC area will give a damn about SEC tournament? Won't be able to give tickets away, especially since MU will be lucky to be there."

He's at it again

Can we truly believe the validity of this story? The New York Post conducted an interview with Isiah Thomas. We are only receiving one side of the story we don't know if it's valid. Thomas voiced criticism of the Knicks for acquiring Tyson Chandler and releasing Chauncey Billups. I'm not going to second guess the Knicks on the moves they were the decision of parties responsible for the franchise. Thomas (at least in print) has continued a patter of discussing moves conducted by the franchise. I think a person directly or indirectly responsible for the Knicks losing millions of dollars would shut his trap at some point. Name recognition is the issue, we all know Thomas the former NBA player and general manager. As a player that's the only area I could state I appreciate, the other positions he's held as general manager and coach have been disasters.

Check him out

NBA League Pass has allowed me to focus on a rookie during their initial foray in the NBA. Surprising as it might sound I'm not just focused on the Lakers, I love watching rookies improve their game skills. As an example I was able to follow LeBron James that first year with the Cavs. Last season my focus was on the Wizards John Wall. I had watched several of Wall's Kentucky games and I was anxious the type of impact he'd make on the NBA. With the late NBA start this year my focus wasn't on any particular player. The fast start for Ricky Rubio said to me "maybe I'd better follow this guy!" So far Rubio has made me eat my words of criticism, my plan now is to watch as many Wolves games as possible.

The Mother Ship

For several of you Dan Patrick who once worked for the network refers to it as "The Mother Ship." A headline might draw your attention if the column appears to be a good read, I might be guilty myself I hope not. The customer (fan) cannot read the article without paying for it as an "ESPN Insider." The attention grabbing headline read "Can Kevin Durant catch MJ?" We are provided the first paragraph of the story, the balance you must pay for. The writer noted how many scoring crowns Durant has won since he's been in the NBA. The writer then speculates Durant could surpass Jordan in the number of scoring titles. The writer gave 10 and then stated it's quite possible. I have no grip with Durant but I do with the author, why so early in Durant's career would you write this story? The key for Durant and any other athlete is to remain healthy. Last week Kobe Bryant was interviewed on his wrist injury. He was then asked how his game has changed over the years. Briefly he said " you cannot fool father time" I think most of us realize the meaning of Bryant's statement. Your mind is telling you one thing and the body is saying no I cannot do that any longer! We certainly must consider injuries in this type of story, we have no idea if Durant is going to be a Derek Fisher. It was mentioned Fisher has played in 500+ consecutive games.

He's good too!

Kyrie Irving played 11 games at Duke last season. He played so few games I don't even remember seeing him on the court. His announcement last spring declaring for the NBA Draft I was some what surprised. Since his arrival in the NBA I had two chances (NBA League Pass) to see him. I must say at least at this point it appears he is NBA ready. A scoring distributing point guard who is also swift. His play might allow Cavs fans to forget what's his name.

It could happen

During the podcast of ESPN's Chad Ford was asked a compelling question. The caller asked him if he thought Ricky Rubio might be Rookie of the Year, Ford said yes it might be possible. He connected the dots on a story probably none of us thought about. Rubio could possibly become the third Rookie of the Year drafted in 2009. Tyreke Evans, Blake Griffin and Rubio were all drafted in the 2009 draft. Tyreke Evans in 2009-2010, Blake Griffin in 2010-2011 and Rubio 2011-2012. Of course we are still early in the season and there are questions if his game develops to Rookie of the Year status. Just in case you'd forgotten Griffin was drafted in 2009 but missed the entire 2009-10 season due to injury.

Trouble in South Beach

Did you read or hear this story? I'm going to paraphrase the comments of Chris Bosh. He simply stated he thought Dwayne Wade should have the ball in his hands in the closing moments of a game. Bosh probably is correct but why make it public, these types of statements are for the clubhouse only I thought? Should we suppose Bosh is referring to their overtime loss to the Clips? In any event the Heat record as I write this 8-4 only the Bulls and Thunder have won more games than the Heat. In any event I thought it interesting and and a prime topic of discussion with your friends. Even more interesting is reading letters in the Miami Herald, can you say "the natives" are getting frustrated. In all honesty I thought a repeat of last season wasn't possible, guess I might have been wrong.

Allow me to introduce

Isaac Chew currently serves as an assistant coach to Frank Haith. Prior to his arrival in Columbia he served four years as an assistant at Murray State in Murray Kentucky. Although he's from Chicago he has Kansas City connections, he played ball at Avila College in the city. He served as an assistant coach at Avila on two separate occasions. As this is written the Murray State Racers are 18-0 and the Mizzou Tigers are 16-1 Chew's recruiting certainly must have contributed to the fine play of Murray State. Murray State is that little school nobody knows, I'm unsure why the school has a rich basketball history. Next season will see the first influx of players he and Haith have recruited. Texas Coach Rick Barnes said "criticism of Haith's so-so record at Miami was unwarranted because it was so difficult to win at that school. "I love Frank," Barnes said. "Missouri did good getting him and they'd better do everything they can to keep him." (Associated Press)

WIP

I watched the Bobcats run on, run around and run through the Knicks soundly defeating them. They accomplished this feat no less in the "world's greatest arena!" Please don't think I'm discounting the Bobcats, although he's not coached in a number of years I like the Paul Silas hire. To refresh your memory Silas was Lebron James first NBA coach, he coached the Cavs from 2003 through March of 2005. The Bobcats did a beat-down on the Knicks in MSG 118-110. I wrote several weeks ago I expected the Knicks to be a better team, they would have Carmelo Anthony at the beginning of the season. In addition adding the defense of Tyson Chandler certainly would provide the team with a defensive mindset. Rookie Iman Shumpert has been impressive to date, this 6-5 guard from Georgia Tech has added firepower and leadership off the bench. The Knicks probably will be better but for now they are a WIP (work in progress).

He is what he is

I'm one Laker fan who likes Pau Gasol, sometimes I think I'm the only one. I just finished reading one of those complaints on the Laker fan website. All-Star ballots were announced and Gasol was one of four Lakers on the ballot. You've read and heard the same complaints from Laker fans I've heard. They say this about Gasol's game, "he plays to soft or I wish he was more aggressive." Gasol is 7 feet 250 pounds but he doesn't like to mix it up in the middle, his game lacks physical effort in other words he's no banger. My motto is "don't do more than you are capable of", Gasol game and his effort is just that. To me he always plays under control never venturing from what he knows he does best. Gasol is a power forward whose field goal percentage is always going to be .500+, a power forward with shooting range out to the 3-point line. A power forward who will score at the 18-20 point total nearly every game. A power forward who will grab 9 rebounds and block 2 shoots a game for you. My question to Laker fans "give me the name of the power forward you'd rather have in his place?" I thought about Kevin Garnett first, good power forward but appears to be near the end of his stellar career. The same goes for Tim Duncan as his game too has regressed. Then I came up with Amare Stoudememire with him it's all about scoring. Playing defense has never been Stoudemire's strong suit, so I'm left with Pau Gasol. Tim Duncan a quality player but like Garnett his game has slowed. Laker fans you cannot choose Blake Griffin, the only way he could play for the Lakers is free agency. Owner Donald Sterling would never, do I need to repeat never make any kind of trade with the Lakers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xO0nqUSF0g

I didn't realize

This is the 75th Anniversary of the NAIA Tournament. Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star wrote a very good article on the history of the NAIA. Several months ago I too wrote of this tournament and briefly covered it's history. I didn't realize until I read Covitz's column the tourney was 75 years old, most probably don't realize it's older than it's big brother the NCAA Tournament. The NAIA has suffered a reversal of fortune, as the game has grown Division I schools have overshadowed their brethren. Kansas City witnessed a steady stream of outstanding collegiate players several of whom went on to stellar NBA careers. I mentioned one of them last week, Hall of Famer Willis Reed. Reed had an outstanding NBA career, he first honed his basketball skill at Grambling State.

He's on the way to UNLV

For reasons only he knows freshman Khem Birch left Pitt recently. All sort of rumors began circulating "Birch is headed to Mizzou." I can only conclude the rumor began circulating due to Jabari Brown. The first reason he was never on Mizzou's radar. The second reason would be the make up the team in the fall. Mizzou is small now compared to most teams. All that will change in the fall, they will have Laurence Bowers and four players 6-9 and taller. If all four of the incoming freshman qualify they are going to be scrambling for playing time. Why would they need another 6-9 player?

He's on his last leg according to Jason Whitlock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZFN_5riRqU

Did you know

Michael Jordan's son's choose the same path of their father, Jeff and Marcus. The path has taken the two brothers in different directions. The path has been relativity smooth for younger brother Marcus, not the case for Jeff. Jeff began his journey as a walk-on at Illinois and he made the team. Later the school awarded him a scholarship. After Marcus graduated high school Marcus he headed off to the University of Central Florida on a scholarship. Exactly what occurred at Illinois with brother Jeff is a mystery, the next news we received Jeff was joining his brother at UCF. Marcus is a starter for the Knights while Jeff is unable to escape the bench. Jeff announced he wouldn't be returning to school for the spring semester. He thanked the coach and the school but gave no indication why he leaving. He just stated was leaving for "personal reasons, " Jeff is a senior, if he wasn't red-shirted at Illinois or UCF he's down to one semester of eligibility.

I love it

Tuesday's Best Andrew Ayres ESPN.com had one of those lines I love reading. He gave the Lakers Andrew Bynum a 10 on the "By-no-mite meter." Bynum had a magnificent game against the Rockets 21 points, 22 rebounds 3 block shocks. One of the studio analysis on NBA TV said "he's the second best center in the NBA." Bynum's history of injuries have caused many to question that statement. Chris Mannix of CNNSi.com had an interesting take, he said "people say Bynum is injury prone, not so Greg Oden is injury prone. The last injury Kobe Bryant fell into (Bynum's) knee." I reflected on the injuries and Mannix is correct, people have crashed into Bynum. How does he stack up, well he doesn't have the finesse of Kareem, he can't pass as well as Shaq. He lacks the scoring and rebounding prowess of Wilt. Those past Laker centers had skills Bynum lacks but he's got one clear advantage. He might be the best maybe second best free throw shooter of the bunch. I admit Bynum has shown some maturity issues in the past but healthy I certainly wouldn't trade him. The prime need of this team is a point guard that's why Gasol would have been history rather than Bynum. The center position is in capable hands, the point guard position is another matter. Factoring in the pluses and negatives I say Bynum's remains in place, did I fail to mention Bynum is 23 years old! Did I say I wouldn't trade Bynum for Howard?

No Rooney rule here

In order to resolve hiring complaints the NFL adopted the Rooney rule in 2003. Simply stated the Rooney rule requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates which had not been customary up to that time period. The NBA has had issues the same as other sports however a Rooney rule never had to be implemented. Perhaps part of it has to do with the history of the game, the NBA at that time had a "minor league" image with the general public. In 1947 Jackie Robinson had to endure a significant amount of racial taunts and threats as he broke the color barrier in baseball. Although baseball was the first sport to break the color barrier it existed for players managerial hiring was still reserved for whites only. Frank Robinson was hired by the Cleveland Indians in 1975 thus becoming the first African American manager. Unlike major league baseball the NBA never had the turmoil as it added African American players to it's rosters. Without any fanfare three African American players began play in the 1950-51 season. Chuck Cooper was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 1950 draft, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton was signed as a free agent by the Knicks. Earl Lloyd had been drafted by the Washington Capitols franchise which folded in 1951, Lloyd would later play for the Syracuse Nats and Detroit Pistons. Bill Russell was the first African American head coach in the NBA, assuming the position of head coach in 1966. Currently 15 of the 30 head coaches in the NBA are African American which exceeds MLB and the NFL combined. (Wikipedia)

I mentioned this before it became official

The Southeastern Conference now officially the conference of tigers, three schools have tigers as their team mascot. They are the Auburn Tigers, LSU Tigers and now Missouri Tigers. I doubt seriously if there is conference in the country with even two of the same mascots. Interesting isn't it?

Father and son

There have been several father-son combos throughout sports history. 99% of the time father was the coach and the son a player. The next two combos are different, dad's broadcasting the game his son is playing. I'm unsure of the total combos, I was witness to Bill Walton who worked a game for ESPN, his son Luke Walton spent time on the floor. Last week another father and son were in action at Staples Center. Mychal Thompson the father works as a color analyst for Laker radio broadcast. Warriors Rookie Klay Thompson is a 6-7 shooting guard who played at Washington State. Interesting both sons apparently had no problem following in their father's footsteps.

Good for Mark

By the time you read this the visit will have been concluded. Mavs owner Mark Cuban is another NBA owner upset with the league. I had reported a couple of weeks back Rockets owner Leslie Alexander was also upset with the commissioner. The Lockout and condensed schedule meant no Mavs trip this year to play the Wizards. Mavs owner Mark Cuban was upset because his team wouldn't have the opportunity for photos and meeting with the president. This ceremony greeting the president and photos has existed for a number of years, the World Series, Super Bowl and NBA Champion always met with the president. Mr. Cuban made his own arrangements no thanks to the NBA, they had an east coast road trip which allowed them to stop in Washington D.C. to meet with President Obama.

“Well, isn't that SPE-CIAL?!”

Sorry church lady I borrowed your standard line.  My friends are asking me "what's wrong with the Lakers?" My statement is "nothing," they are referring to the slow start of the team. I knew this team could score that wasn't the problem, last season it seemed they couldn't stop anyone from scoring. I can see Mike Brown's influence already. The Lakers are in 3rd place among NBA teams giving up the fewest amount of points. Considering their middle of the pack standings last year this is great. They are giving up an average of 90.0 points per game. 

The NBA on television
NFL and major league baseball broadcast went over the television airways long before the NBA was even started. It's my belief television has been a key component to the NBA's growth since it was founded in 1947. Over the course of time the number of broadcast partners has changed significantly and the growth of cable and satellite has increased the number of partners. 1953-54 was the year of the NBA games being telecast nationally, the defunct Dumont Network broadcast 13 games and the NBA paid them a whopping $39,000. Over the next several years the broadcast partners changed from NBC to ABC and finally CBS. CBS held the rights from 1973-1990 and relinquished them to NBC which held them to the end of the 2002 season, Cable television made it's debut as a broadcast partner in 1979 with the USA Network. The cable side would later move to TBS/TNT and finally TNT. In the fall of 2002 ABC/ESPN came on board as broadcast partners. In the early '90's NBA League Pass came into existence, "NBA LEAGUE PASS is a regular season package that provides subscribers with games from outside their local viewing area." In the beginning League Pass was only available to satellite customers, later the service would be available to cable customers too. In March 1999 NBA TV was launched becoming the first network affiliated with a sport. Fan interest in the '50's was divided somewhat along these lines, baseball, college football, the NFL and college basketball. The NBA back then was barely on the radar of most fans that's certainly not true today. It will never surpass the NFL or baseball in popularity but it will never occupy a point of obscurity either. (Insidehoops.com, Wikipedia & NBA.com)

Did somebody inform him

I wonder if anyone informed Ricky of the derogatory words I expressed about him in the spring? I remember writing "his play has regressed" or "he wants no part of the NBA, he's probably scared." Of course I made those statements while Rubio was still in Spain. Drafted at age 17 my thought he wanted to stay at home. Yesterday was the youngsters eighth NBA game and the most noteworthy to date. He came off the Wolves bench dished out 14 assists, grabbed 6 rebounds scored 13 points with 1 blocked shot. I realize now I was off-base with my comments the kid can play and is good.

Disappointment
That's the only word I can think of after K-State manhandled my Tigers. I wasn't foolish enough to think Mizzou would remain undefeated. The Big XII at the top is very formidable, Mizzou, K-State, Kansas and Baylor represent the best in the conference. Note Baylor is the only Big XII south school on the board. My biggest disappointment is the manner Mizzou lost. Turnovers, poor shot selection and their attempt to force their will on the Sooners. K-State coming off a poor game against KU had to do something to redeem themselves. KU had applied the beat-down to K-State earlier in the week. I really don't like to look ahead however Mizzou playing at the top of their game could win 6 of their 7 games.


Urban versus Suburban
I watched an Outside the Lines feature on ESPN, the focus was the economic issues of Detroit and the 0-16 Lions. Several Detroit residents were profiled and interviewed, they all stated how much better they felt once the Lions became a winning team again. It was pointed out Detroit's (and any other cities) economic problems will not be resolved by successful sports teams. I don't believe any sports palaces of the immediate future will be built in the suburbs any longer. This is no statement of fact just an observation, think about this a minute where was the last new arena or stadium to open built. Ford Field home of the football Lions and Comerica Park the baseball Tiger's home are both in downtown Detroit and not in the suburbs. Those who live in the suburbs please don't consider this an indictment of where you chose to live. The Palace of Auburn Hills home of the Pistons is some 50 miles from downtown Detroit, that's about the distance from my home in south Kansas City (MO) to Lawrence (KS). The Palace might be the last suburban sports in existence for a long, long time. Back to Detroit, despite it's economic issues there is talk of the Pistons moving back to the city as well. There is talk and that's all it is at present the new ownership group is exploring a new arena for the Pistons. The new home would be built in a yet to be determined location in the downtown area.

Barclays Center

The $1 billion dollar arena and September grand opening is a story in itself. I've written a series of stories on the delays and resident complaints on the new home of the Nets. I'd lost track of time, I didn't realize how long it will actually have taken for completion of this enterprise. Liz Robbins New York Times wrote, "after more than eight years of lawsuits and construction delays, it will undoubtedly transform Downtown Brooklyn." Imagine eight years of legal wrangling and delays in construction but exactly how long is eight years? This is how long, a class of freshmen had just entered high school when the groundwork for the Barclays project was unveiled. Those students graduated four years ago and several of them entered college. Those high school freshman will receive their undergraduate degrees in May a full 3-4 months prior to the grand opening of Barclays Center. Ladies and gentlemen that's eight years, there is one other question. Are fans going to show up in November to watch a mediocre Nets team seated in a $1 billion dollar arena?

You pay your money I guess you take your chances

A portion of Spurs coach Greg Popovich's statement I fully understand, a better question is his view fair to fans who often pay a premium for game tickets? Last week the Spurs were in Houston for a game against the home town Rockets. Somewhere in the middle portion of the second quarter the Rockets began dismantling the Spurs. The Rockets did a number on the Spurs allowing Popovich to empty his bench. Popovich made this statement as he explained "to rest his veteran players." On the surface I think we can all understand however how about those fans who might have paid $75, $100 or more for tickets? Does Pop think this might be the last run of 35-year old Tim Duncan and 34-year old Manu Ginobili? The fan purchased the ticket(s) in anticipation of seeing Duncan or Ginobili on the court. We hear all the time the NBA is entertainment, how can it lay claim to that fact when it's key players are riding the bench?

A few tidbits

We knew this was coming
Paul Westphal is out as coach of the Kings, relieved of his duties by the general manager. Fired after a 2-5 start, has the NBA been playing two weeks yet? The byline says it all, the problem was the talented but troubled child DeMarcus Cousins. I'm unsure if Westphal made a mistake but he announced to the press Cousins had requested a trade. Cousins and agent followed his statement by saying no such demand had been made.   Westphal was on a short leash anyway, the team under achieved last season.  You know the age old story, "it's always easier to fire the coach than fire the team!"

Have you noticed
I have stated previously the impact of football specifically the BCS on conference realignment. Have you noticed the BCS term creeping into basketball discussions? A recent example, I heard an ESPN studio host refer to a school "as a non-BCS school," interesting commentary on the BCS isn't it?  Interesting because the story he was reporting was regarding basketball and not football.   

I'll take one of them
The Lakers starter at point guard is 37-years old, the backup point is 31. The Wolves have 31-year old Luke Ridnour as their starter backed up by 21-year old Ricky Rubio. Backing Rubio is 27-year old Jose Barea, do you see where I'm going with this story? Wednesday night Rubio came off the bench scoring 12 points and handing out 10 assists in only 32 minutes. No, I'm not suggesting the Wolves trade Rubio to the Lakers, I am proposing the Wolves trade Ridnour to the Lakers. This trade will allow Rubio to become the Wolves full-time starter, Ridnour will provide a slightly younger veteran presence at the point for the Lakers. Besides since Mike Brown is running a conventional offense it shouldn't be too difficult for any point guard to pick up.

Did you hear this
Andrei Kirilenko ain't coming back! Reports over the internet indicate Kirilenko is going to stay in Russia and not return to the NBA. He's an unrestricted free agent and still young enough to help a team. Should Kirilenko decide to come back next season as an unrestricted free agent he should be a good pickup for an NBA team.

Charles, it's about the money and fame

On a recent segment of NBA TV Open Court Barkley voiced an opinion I thought interesting. He said "people never say Dan Marjerle never won an NBA Championship, they say Charles Barkley never won an NBA Championship. We both were on the same team!" Allow me to explain to Charles, it's all about the fame and earnings. This is not a negative toward Dan Marjerle or other player, they didn't possess the star power of a Charles Barkley. For that reason alone fans focus on the Barkley's, Malone's and Stockton's of the NBA.

Which team is better
Daniel Hudson of bleacherreport.com providing a ranking for the starting 5 of each NBA team. A team's bench strength was not part of his assessment. See if you agree with his selection on the top 5 teams? Currently point guard Baron Davis is injured and not in the starting lineup for the Knicks.

1. Bulls-Rose, Hamilton, Deng, Boozer and Noah

2. Thunder-Westbrook, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka and Perkins

3. Knicks-Davis, Fields, Anthony Stoudemire and Chandler

4. Heat-Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh and Anthony

5. Lakers-Fisher, Bryant, Barnes, Gasol and Bynum

I don't think I told you

After arguing with myself for I know must have been two weeks I finally came to a decision. I had NBA League Pass added to my cable package, I wanted until Saturday December 24 at 11:59 p.m. Just kidding I didn't wait till nearly midnight just wanted to give you an idea just how hesitant I was. There were two issues that caused my indecision, I still held residual anger over the Lockout. In addition my continued anger over the commissioner and his heavy-handed action regarding my team (Lakers). We'll see how this goes, if it's determined there are enough games on TNT/ESPN/ABC/NBA TV I might cancel it around the 30th game or so.

Who are those guys?

That was the line from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! It might be applied to the idiots who continue to pronounce doom and gloom for Mizzou in the SEC. Do these idiots realize in football the SEC is divided into east-west divisions? Do these same idiots realize LSU and the other powers are in the west, Mizzou has been placed in the east! As I stated once before I make no predictions other than Mizzou will be okay. As for basketball that's a different matter, I don't wish to appear arrogant but I foresee Kentucky and Florida being the main competition and maybe Vanderbilt. Keep squawking Jayhawk fans continuous statements make you appear jealous. Are you jealous because nobody wants you despite your excellent basketball history? Interesting when the shoe is on the other foot isn't it?

Speed, rebounding and shooting
Mizzou outscored, outrebounded, and totally outplayed the Oklahoma Sooners 87-49 in the conference opener. Did I mention the Tigers speed up and down the court? There might have been questions based on Mizzou's non-conference schedule. Mizzou's margin of victory has been 23+ but conference play would produce different results right? Mizzou shot 59.3% from the floor and 57.1% from the 3-point line. Oklahoma's height issue wasn't evident tonight as Mizzou outrebounded the Sooners 37-19. Did I mention the Tigers speed? Mizzou is now 14-0, they must now prepare for a tough Saturday game against the 11-1 Kansas State Wildcats at Manhattan.

Change I expected is yet to be fulfilled

This long-time Laker fan thought Mike Brown would replace 37-year old Derek Fisher. It's a known fact, Fisher lost a step and in addition speedy quick point guards provide him all kinds of problems. Despite my hope Brown still has Fisher starting backed up by Steve Blake. Phil Jackson was reluctant to give any rookie minutes but I thought Brown might take a different approach. He did, Fisher's minutes have been cut considerably but Blake rather than rookie Darius Morris is receiving the balance. Morris remains glued to the bench, perhaps as the season progresses Morris will receive minutes. The key for Brown with veterans Fisher and Blake in the lineup he knows what he's going to get 99% of the time, Morris is an unknown Brown is only able to judge him in practice which has been limited to date.

"There isn't a single professional sports season now that doesn't go on at least a month too long."

I thought the quote was appropriate and somewhat funny. I'm old enough to remember a time period sports seasons didn't overlap as much as they do currently. I mentioned this story awhile back but it's worth repeating, this story is almost impossible in today's sports world. During the spring and summer Gene Conley pitched for the Red Sox, in the winter he was a reserve forward for the Celtics. He played during the Bill Russell/Bob Cousey era which meant the Celtics were competing for an NBA Championship every year. Naturally this meant the Celtics extended basketball season lasted through baseball's spring training and opening day. The NBA Championship was generally concluded by late April or early May, with a shortened "spring training" the Sox would add Conley to their roster by the middle of June. Bo Jackson might be the most recent athlete to play two major league sports however injuries shortened the NFL portion of his career. Conley had a 7 year career in the NBA and an 11 year major league baseball career. (Wikipedia)

Interesting turn

UConn's talented Andre Drummond was a late arrival. To refresh your memory this 6-11 freshman intended to play another year of high school ball. He decided in late summer to attend UConn and by that timeframe no scholarships existed. The next move upset many across the nation, UConn asked sophomore center Michael Bradley to surrender his scholarship. You can relax now all has returned to normalcy, Drummond relinquished his scholarship to Bradley in November. "UConn's compliance department discovered that a recruited player can pay his own way as long as any financial aid he receives is non-institutional." (Rivals.com)

"The Incredible Shrinking Man"

Was the title of a 1957 Sci-Fi movie remade in 2012. Due to a cataclysmic event the lead character who was of normal height and size began shrinking, eventually he shrunk to a microscopic speck. NBA pre-draft camps might be close to an incredible shrinking man story, players don seem to quite measure up. Players are run through a series of drills to determine their speed, leaping ability and other skills. Their height is measured with shoes on and off. It's always interesting checking a players after height, they are sometimes 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches shorter than their collegiate rosters list them. If you ask the question why maybe this story might provide a partial answer. At the time former Knick Willis Reed was enrolled at Grambling State a coach seeing him for for the first time ask "how tall are you?" Reed responded "I'm 6-9," his coach responded, don't say that! "Willis in the NBA they pay 6-10 people more money then a player whose 6-9, from now on you are 6-10."  

What's in a name

Prior to my research on the issue I thought naming rights for arenas and stadiums had begun in the '90's. Not so it started much earlier in fact 1912 when Fenway Park opened in Boston. "The stadium's owner had owned a realty company called "Fenway Realty", so the promotional value of the naming has been considered. Despite this, it is more widely believed to have begun in 1926 when William Wrigley, the chewing gum entrepreneur and owner of the Chicago Cubs, named his team's stadium "Wrigley Field." British bank Barclays is reported to pay $400 million dollars to place their name on the Nets new home in Brooklyn. This agreement is for 20 years and is subject to renewal prior to the actual expiration date. American Airlines paid $195 million (years unspecified) for their corporate name to be place in front of the Mavs Dallas home. I could locate no dollar figures for Staples Center in Los Angeles or American Airlines Arena in Miami. There are others of course, AT&T Arena in San Antonio, Toyota Center in Houston and Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte to name just a few more. Think this corporate thing only extends to NBA or NHL cities guess again. Kansas City has no NBA team or NHL team yet Sprint was willing to fork over large sums of money to attach their moniker to the front of the arena. In this case the dollars are unknown however the length is is in the 20 year range. Question, what do these corporations receive in exchange for their names being prominently displayed on the front of these buildings? This from Wikipedia, "the distinctive characteristic for this type of naming rights is that the buyer gets a marketing property to promote products and services, promote customer retention and or increase market share." (Wikipedia)

Tan lejos tan bueno
Ricky Rubio was reluctant to show up in Minnesota, it caused me to think he might be scared. Afraid he couldn't cut it in the in the NBA. After four games and the last two playing major minutes the Rubio many expected has come to the forefront. Against Miami his numbers were 12 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists his field goal percentage .571. He followed that game with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists while shooting .500 from the floor. He is progressing much faster than anyone expected and is playing much better than I thought. His shooting has been far better than anyone thought it would be, he appears confident in his basketball abilities.  At the rate he's progressing he'll become a better defender too.  So far so good, I admit I might have been wrong.

I'm okay not being included

A recent ESPN.com poll contained the Top 10 pleasant surprises in College Basketball and and Top 10 disappointments. Teams playing better than expected were Georgetown, San Diego State and Harvard to name a few. Several respondents took the writer to task because he didn't include Mizzou in his list of Top 10 surprise teams. Another writer pointed out the Tigers were a pre-season Top 25 team on most polls. Mizzou has certainly exceeded my expectations but I can hardly consider them a surprise team. Did I envision a 13-0 start, no way but I thought they would be okay for a few reasons. Despite the NCAA cloud hanging over Coach Haith's head nobody followed Mike Anderson to Arkansas. I hoped I wasn't making an excuse but I reasoned Haith's record might be misleading, it's difficult to win in a conference with Duke and North Carolina as rivals. Team members didn't bolt when they had an opportunity although I thought some might. My chief concern was losing Laurence Bowers rebounding prowess prior to the season. In this particular instance it's okay with me Mizzou was left off the list.

I don't do predictions

After finishing that story you are probably surprise to read the byline. I don't predict I speculate which to me is totally different. As I indicated in the above story there are elements in place which might make for a successful Mizzou team this season, but it's not guaranteed. Same with the NBA, various websites have predicted their version of how season events will turn out. To me that's a slippery slope, injuries might be a factor in derailing a team's aspirations. In addition to injuries middle of the season trades can elevate a team from a contender to the championship level. Of course I want my favorites to win but me stating it and wanting it doesn't make it so. As far as my favorites I must refer to a Daniel Hudson quote, Hudson writes for Bleacherreport.com. "Be loyal to your team, and defend it against all enemies."

Little brother

My wife's cousin (a KU fan) admitted to me "I think Trevor (Releford) is better than Travis!" Trevor is a 6-1 sophomore point guard at Alabama, his older brother is a redshirt junior at Kansas. We (me included) thought Travis a 6-5 shooting guard would be the superior player. Trevor has been the starting point guard since day one on his arrival, Travis's transition at Kansas has not been as smooth, last season he was at 3.7 points per game and this year 8.4. Trevor's Bama frosh numbers were 11.0 points and 3.4 assists per game, currently he's at 11.5 and 3.3. The numbers are certainly modest however little brother definitely plays with more confidence and passion than his older brother, the brothers attended Bishop Miege High School in suburban Kansas City.

Everybody hates Kris

Remember the television series Everybody hates Chris, a series loosely based on comedian Chris Rock's childhood. Although the series is only on the air in reruns the phrase has been resurrected by a number of NBA fans. Entering the game Kris Humphries was greeted with a chorus of boos from fans. The Nets-Knicks match was played at Madison Square Garden which is 14 miles and some 27 minutes from The Prudential Center in Newark according to Google. Certainly no home game for the Nets but if this had occurred in Los Angeles it might be understandable. To date the Nets have played few road games so we'll have to see how this plays out. I read an article a couple of months back a former KU player claims more than one of his teammates urged Coach Bill Self to not recruit Humphries. We have no idea if this story is true or not, we do know he didn't attend Kansas he attended the University of Minnesota. Forbes Magazines (Forbes?) published it's list of most hated NBA players. LeBron James moved to second place allowing Kris Humphries to ascend to first place, just in case you were wondering Kobe Bryant finished in third place. NOTE: I often write major portion of Words eye View prior to it's actual publication, I wrote this headline story prior to Fox Sports.com.

??????

Just when you think you've heard it all you hear one more story. This time as Morris (Spike Lee) Day might state, "it must be the shoes" and in this story it actually is the shoes. Stories across the nation detailed fights, stabbings, crowds being pepper sprayed and shootings. These series of occurrences were not part of any occupy movement nor any reported gang activity. The craziness was sparked by release of the new $180 Air Jordan's, to me the shoes look similar to a previously Air Jordan edition. Perhaps for that reason crowds began assembling at malls across the nation. The day after Christmas a purchaser was interviewed on the Today Show. He looked at the interviewer and said, "I'm asking $1,000 if anybody wants to buy these (Air Jordan) shoes!" What a sad commentary on greed