Are there replacements on the horizon?
Larry Brown at SMU is still coaching at age 73 however he is a dinosaur and certainly the exception, longtime UConn coach Jim Calhoun retired in 2012. Long time Purdue coach Gene Keady retired in 2005 and Bobby Knight a few years later in 2008. There are others who may have been omitted however I hope you see the direction this is headed. Kentucky’s John Calipari, Roy Williams at North Carolina, Louisville’s Rick Pitino and Jim Boeheim at Syracuse are close to the end of their coaching careers. What does the future hold for the coaching profession? The future of coaching in the NBA is a little difficult to project there are few instances similar to Brad Stevens. Most often assistant coaches become head coaches in the NBA, few come from the collegiate ranks. We thought Stevens was a “lifer” at Butler, he remolded Butler into a national power once again. We could still include Stevens name as a possible future collegiate coach if the NBA doesn’t work out, he’s only 37.
Coaches are no longer mainstays at one school; most are always on the lookout for a bigger and better program and a sizable pay increase. We could mention Steve Alford’s name as a coach who’s made a number of upward bound moves and now coaching at UCLA. It’s yet to be determined how long 36-year old Shaka Smart will remain at VCU. Before fans and alumni of the program begin tossing rocks at me you realize it’s only a matter of time before an athletic director says “I gonna make him an him an offer he can’t refuse.” We could also include Josh Pastner; the school’s coaching search was not very far reaching. At the time John Calipari departed Memphis they hired his top assistant coach, Pastner is 36 years old. There are another 10 or so collegiate coaches all under age 40 who are establishing themselves. The future of collegiate coaches is bright the only concern is the revolving door mentality that exists with a number of them.
Tanking the season
All summer we’ve come across articles detailing a number of NBA teams losing on purpose, losing to qualify for the draft lottery. My Lakers were one of the first teams identified; later other teams such as the 76ers were mentioned. Drafting players is a roll of the dice in many instances; recently I heard a Kansas radio analyst description of freshman Joel Embiid. He said “Embiid’s game is similar to that of Dikembe Mutombo.” He went on to describe various elements he believed this 7 foot 250 pound center talent possesses.
The question, if he’s close to Mutombo talent and he leaves Kansas wills a team chance it and draft him? In the NBA especially with a big man we almost always draft on potential. The 2014 NBA Draft (on paper) is reported to be one of the best over the last several years; would a team lose on purpose? If a team secures the final playoff slot and then loses in the first round, is it worth the effort? Wouldn’t it be better to attempt to draft one of the talents who might emerge from the 2014 draft? Makes sense except I would hate to think my favorite team losing purpose in order to draft Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Marcus Smart or some other potential talent.
Bits n Pieces
Did you happen to catch the Jayhawk versus Jayhawk dunk. During a portion of the recent Laker-Pelican game Laker forward Xavier Henry dunked on Pelican center Jeff Withey. Most interesting since both were teammates at Kansas, Xavier left after his freshman year but the two were teammates for the 2009-2010 season.
Andrew Wiggins Kansas team won the game but his game and Jabari Parker appear similar. Wiggins scored 22 points on 9 for 15 shooting and grabbed 8 rebounds. As for Parker his total was 27 points, 9-18 from the floor and 9 rebounds with 3 steals.
M.I.A. from last night Duke-Kansas game was local kid Semi Ojeleye. This 6-8 230 pound forward was the number 31 prospect in Rivals Class of 2013. I don’t want to read anything into the fact he didn’t play just surprised.
Hey ESPN.com why not a nightly grade on all NBA teams rather than just focus on the Heat. LeBron, Wade and Bosh are awarded a letter grade yet the 76er team receives a game. Why don’t you provide the opposition a letter grade too?
Who plays the point?
I expressed a concern about the point guard play of Mizzou last season, 5-10 Phil Pressey was certainly talented however there was a missing element. It appeared on several occasions he appeared to butt heads with his coach. During his three years Pressey became Mizzou’s all-time assist and steals leader. The negatives especially last season appeared to outweigh the positives Pressey represented. He was not a very capable shooter however I don‘t believe he was expected to be a great shooter. The problem last season he often exhibited poor decision as to when to take the shot.
In fairness to Pressey the departure of Michael Dixon Jr. allowed him little time off the court. As for ball distribution it seemed he preferred the spectacular at times rather than a simple bounce pass. His replacement is a far different type of guard. 6-5 Jordan Clarkson transferred from Tulsa but was forced to sit out last season, he was able to practice with the team. The term combo guard has come into common usage in today’s game and that might be the best description of Jordan. His play against Southern Illinois was noteworthy; he scored 31 points on 12-18 from the floor. Clarkson’s game included 5 assists and 2 steals and 0 turnovers.
