You had to see him play
Over the weekend a hero of my youth died, his name was Warren Jabali.  Jabali was a 6-2 205 pound combo guard before the term existed.  Google his name and read the numerous stories written by opposition players and sports scribes of the time.  

Nike Hoops Summit
He is not Yao Ming's replacement, he's not the second coming. Many in this country speculated China would abandon the NBA once Yao Ming retired. No doubt Yao was responsible for increased interest in the NBA however these same folks didn't seem to realize the nation had become fans of the NBA prior to Yao's emergence. "The NBA has broadcast games in China since the mid 1980s and was the first professional U.S. sports organization to stage games in China. Fifty-one television stations in 20 or China’s 22 provinces broadcast games, including state-owned CCTV network, which shows games live in the middle of the night. Televised NBA games have an average of 558,100 viewers. NBA.com/China website averages 12 million hits a day." Sorry I got sidetracked, back to the purpose of this story you might hear the name Wang Zhelin announced in the 2014 NBA draft. Zhelin is a 7-0 251 pound center from Fujian China, he exhibited his skill during the 2012 Nike Hoop Summit held in Portland in April 2012. Zhelin was a member of the world team as it battled the junior national select team representing USA. Check him out yourself there is YouTube video available of him in action. (factsanddetails.com)

The continent of African too has become a hotbed for basketball. Football or soccer is still the number one sport but basketball certainly has made inroads. Several nations south of the Sahara have sent players to college and the NBA. While compiling information on the above story I uncovered another diamond in the rough this prospect from Zambia in southern Africa. Teammate to Wang Zhelin on the Nike Hoops Summit team was 6-11 Patson Siame. Siame is a rail-thin 215 pounds but scouts indicate "he's a raw talent." A few weeks prior to the tourney Siame signed a letter of commitment to Loyola Marymount University. In addition to further enhancement of his game I think we can envision extensive time in the weight room for this native of Zambia.

Shared view
Last Friday I wrote of my old-fashioned view to return USA basketball to it's "amateur" status. I admitted at the beginning of my story my thoughts were those of an old guy. I reasoned (incorrectly) most folks are comfortable with NBA stars representing the US. Nationalism and the desire to win entered the picture as teams around the world increased the number of "pros" on their rosters. I have no idea of Mike Hugenin's age however we share a common view. He wrote an article for Rivals.com titled "How the U.S. Olympic basketball might look if no NBA players were allowed." Hugenin even selects a team excluding NBA talent, on paper his team looks imposing. An area both of us failed to cover is possibility of injuries, we can cite Blake Griffin as an example. If team USA was comprised of collegiate players headed to the NBA injuries could still be devastating for a team but there's a difference. We can re-visit the Blake Griffin story, an injury forced him to miss the 2009 season his rookie year. The Clippers were surely disappointed but at that point had no inkling of Griffin's ability. The next season he was NBA Rookie of the Year, now that he's an established NBA player this "Olympic" injury could be devastating for the Clippers. Is it possible Hugenin's team could beat Spain or some other Olympic power? We have no method to answer the question, I might repeat the old adage, "it's too late to close the barn door after the cow gets out."

Prove to me you can playIt seems at times even I become obsessed with tall players and reach but there is a reason. The game has evolved to a point a smaller man must prove he can play the game. A coaching staff will train and develop the skill set of a taller player doesn't matter if it's high school, college or an NBA team. The same emphasis on developing a player of smaller stature doesn't ring true. That's the case with Tahj Shamsid-Deen a 5-9 point guard for Columbia High School (Decatur Georgia). This is not an general indictment I'm sure a coach or series of coaches aided Shamsid-Deen's basketball development. The senior has led his team to a 3-peat state tournament championship. There are several Division I schools he'd like to attend however only Northwestern has made him an offer to date.

Future point guard
I thought a the time Ramon Sessions arrived on the scene he would save the day for the Lakers, he's now headed to Charlotte to play for the Bobcats. Initially Sessions indicated he would return to the Lakers and then it became "let me check my value to other teams." If Sessions agent had been familiar with Lakers management he would have known they had no intention to be held hostage. After an outstanding playoff series Trevor Ariza tried this same tactic several years back. The Lakers gave him a dollar number he hesitated, by the time he was ready to make a move the team had signed Metta World Peace to replace him. Steve Nash is the Lakers point guard but waiting in the wings is Darius Morris, remember him? Morris left Michigan after his sophomore year for the NBA, the Los Angeles native was drafted by the Lakers in the 2011 draft. Morris should have ample opportunity to view Nash's play at the point next season. The difficult Western Conference race and the fact he was a rookie left little playing time during his rookie year. Morris appears to have all the tools, size (6-4) and skill (2010-11 Big Ten assists leader) in addition he set the Michigan single-season assist record of 235. We don't know if he's truly NBA ready but that could be determined over the next two seasons, he's only 21 years old he has time on his side.

Lin-sanity
It appears Lin-sanity is over, it's over in New York at least! After leading all of us to believe the Knicks would resign Jeremy Lin it appears it ain't gonna happen. At the time the story first broke on the Rockets offer I questioned if Lin might be overpaid with this contract. Official or not word soon followed "the Knicks would match the offer." Knick coach Mike Woodson went even further pointing out Jeremy Lin was "his" point guard. Maybe the $$$ might have forced the Knicks front office to consider acquiring point guard Raymond Felton again. Felton had played well for the Knicks in scoring and assists before he was dealt to the Nuggets in the Carmelo Anthony deal. During the 2011 NBA draft Felton was traded to the Blazers, I try to refrain from just looking at numbers but a side by side comparison tells the story. Lin outscored Felton 16.4 to 11.4 however Lin only played 25 games before his injury while Felton totaled 60 games played. As for assist totals they are almost dead even, Felton at 6.5 assists to Lin's 6.2.