Happy birthday
Nate Thurmond turned 72 yesterday, if you are younger than 45 Thurmond’s’ name might not be familiar to many of you. How good was Thurmond, Wilt Chamberlain was once asked which opposing center played the best defense against him, he identified that player as Thurmond. This Hall of Fame athlete made his way to the NBA after playing college ball at Bowling Green University. Thurmond spent the bulk of his playing career with the San Francisco Warriors although he later played for several other NBA teams.
They still command an audience-----at least in some circles!
Cynics can talk all they wish; the Lakers are still the Lakers. NBA fans with cable TV or satellite are ahead of those with only broadest or antenna television. Those fans have the opportunity to view NBA games prior to December 25. For those with broadcast television the Christmas day games are their first opportunity to see the NBA (other than in person). The NBA begins in earnest on broadcast TV Christmas, ABC kicks off its coverage with an NBA double-header. The programmers’ intent is to acquire as large a viewing audience as possible; they do this by ensuring the NBA provides them top notch teams for the telecast. It should be of note the late afternoon game has the Miami Heat 2X defending champions at the Los Angeles Lakers. No Howard, no Kobe (maybe) no matter making the Lakers part of the telecast will ensure an audience.
He remained in school because……..
Oklahoma States’ Marcus Smart is an unusual young man; at 6-4 and 225 pounds this combo guard already has an NBA body. I offer no proof however I will provide you an explanation why his name was not in the June 2013 draft. After his freshman season was completed he announced he was returning to Oklahoma State. If he’d declare for the draft he most likely would have been a lottery pick. The decision to return for his sophomore year could prove detrimental in a number of ways. First of all he suffers a slump and his draft stock suffers, players have returned to school and have been drafted in a lower position than the previous year. Worst yet is the prospect of a devastating injury.
A number of years ago a Colorado players’ name was listed on several mock draft sites. He returned the following season sustained an injury set out the next season and was never drafted. Of course the major positive another year under his belt could enhance his draft potential. Smart and his teammates were in the drivers’ seat after beating Kansas, the Jayhawks were number two 2 at the time. The win left OSU in sole position of first place in the Big XII Conference; in addition the win in Lawrence broke one of the nation’s longest collegiate winning streaks 33 in a row. The teams were to meet a month later with Kansas winning in 2 overtimes. Kansas lost all five of its starters; they might not have enough talent to hold off Oklahoma State for the conference championship. KU faithful will state “you are excluding Andrew Wiggins.” Wiggins is certainly a talent however there are 4 other players plus the Kansas bench to consider.
Its habit forming
A number of basketball programs across the country have established winning traditions. Year after year students, alum and fans expect ______to compete on the basketball court. For these schools winning has continued almost on an uninterrupted basis, there are few if any down seasons. A great deal of credit for the schools success must go to the coach; secondly being able to recruit talented athletes certainly doesn’t hurt either. Who are these schools, you know them and several others; Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Kentucky and Kansas are just a few. On the other hand schools with winning programs year after year have fallen off the edge of the cliff. This is not to say they don’t win nor even have successful seasons the program is just not as good as was in the past. We could add DePaul, University of San Francisco, Tennessee State and St. Bonaventure to this group.
Return to form
Nobody but LeBron James is aware of his 2014 future; in fact it might even be unclear to LeBron. Now That Andrew Bynum has signed a 2-year contract however questions remain on LeBron‘s destination. There are at least two if’s in Cavs territory; the following are just a few. If he Bynun can remain injury free, if he can approach the numbers he registered with the Lakers. Should Bynum be fully recovered the Cavs will be a sound young team. On paper this team can score the basketball ball, the bigger question might be improved defense. This might be the one area I could foresee better if for no other reason than Coach Mike Brown.
PG - Kyrie Irving
SG - Dion Waiters or rookie Sergey Karasev
SF - Tristan Thompson
PF - Anderson Varejaoa or rookie Anthony Bennett
C - Andrew Bynum
The Cavs current roster contains only two players over the age of 30, the emphasis is certainly on youth with this team. The old Huey Lewis tune might be appropriate for the Cavs, “the future is so bright I have to wear shades.” There is a learning curve, the team must learn how to play at a championship level, all the components are in place might LeBron be enticed to return “home? “
