The “Manimal"
As I prepared this story I thought; “I wonder how many NBA players Morehead State has produced.” The school located in Morehead Kentucky is about 75 miles from Lexington home of the Wildcats. Of course the University of Kentucky dominates the headlines nationally. Morehead State has produced six NBA players in its history the first in 1959 and the latest in 2011. The Nuggets made Kenneth “Manimal“ Faried the number 22 pick in the 1^st round of the 2011 NBA Draft. He’s been the best NBA player the schools’ produced thus far.

We should have figured he’d be an “animal” on the boards based on his Morehead numbers, 13, 13 and 14.5 rebounds a game. These rebounding numbers from a 6-8 225 pound power forward. Playing for the Nuggets he managed to make the NBA All Rookie Team and was chosen the NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP. Faried is never going to wow anyone with his scoring or rebounding numbers however his blue collar work will astound. I doubt if the Nuggets run plays for Faried. Watch his NBA game continue to grow over the next several years.

Bits n Pieces
Wolves’ fans initially appear pleased with the Love trade. Oftentimes when an established star is traded or leaves in free agency fans have been known to voice objections (See Cavs fans four years ago). Preliminary reports indicate ticket sales have risen since the Love for Wiggin’s trade. Maybe the explanation is simple, Wolves fans wanted him gone since he wanted out.

After flirting with Under Armour Kevin Durant made his decision, he’s sticking with Nike for a reported $285 million. The Under Armour brand established in 1996 is a new player in the shoe department only offering footwear since 2006. If they had been able to secure the services of Durant he would have been the highest profile athlete to date.

Occasionally I have an opportunity to “scout” an athlete up close. I plan to check out 6-7 225 pound Kevin Puryear‘s game this winter. Puryear a senior at Blue Springs South High School verbally committed to Mizzou recently. Blue Springs is located about 20 miles from downtown Kansas City (MO).

I’m pleased the NBA and NCAA are addressing head trauma seriously. I have no statistics however it would appear the risk of concussion is higher in football and soccer. With that said it’s still a good idea for basketball players who suffer head injuries to be medically cleared before returning to the basketball court.

The future?
I’ve often stated it’s impossible to see into the future, this is certainly no intent to prognosticate simply pose a question. Bruce Pearl was highly successful at Tennessee however he was fired due to NCAA violations. He was forced to the sidelines for a
3-year period until a show-cause hearing before the NCAA. After meeting with the NCAA Pearl was cleared and Auburn hired him. Pearl hit’s the recruiting trail immediately and the old Pearl magic is apparent. One of these early recruits maturity could be considered questionable.

Trayvon Reed is a 7-1 240 pound prospect; he committed to Maryland however an incident caused the school to withdraw their offer. Reed stole a candy bar and was arrested attempting to elude police. He accepted responsibility for his actions claiming he’d been drinking. There is no doubt on Reed’s talent at least at the high school level it’s his maturity that’s called into question. As for Reed he’s enrolled in prep school but will be “eligible” to play at Auburn in December. The question more revolves around Pearl than Reed, is he headed down the same path that led to his termination at Tennessee?

My curiosity got the best of me
A Laker fan website posed the question; “Who is your least favorite Laker coach”? With any poll it certainly cannot be considered scientific or accurate. I checked it out because I was curious how Laker fans would vote. D’Antoni won easily with 47%; not surprising considering his team set an all-time won-loss record. He was followed in the vote by Mike Brown at 36%, then Magic Johnson 8% and Dell Harris 7%. Sometimes over the course of time fans forget historical events. Magic and Kareem had retired, James Worthy and Byron Scott’s game had aged. The defense anchored by Michael Cooper was no longer preeminent as it once had been.

The Lakers finished below .500 for two consecutive seasons before Harris took over the team. I will defend Harris for this fact alone, he inherited a Laker team that finished below .500 and led them to a 48-34 record. Each year after that first season they won an increasing number of games culminating with a 61-21 record in the 1997-98 season. The team made the playoffs every year during his tenure however he was never able to lead them to a championship. The failure of his teams to advance in the playoffs probably led to his downfall as Lakers coach, Harris was fired 12 games into the 1998-99 season.