There is a distinction between lack of talent and lack of effort!
-------Larry Laker
A prince and a king---kinda of
America’s fascination with royalty was over the top this past Monday. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose to attend an NBA game while in America; the game of choice was the Nets and Cavs. Prince Harry his wife and company did not arrive until the second half of the game we must speculate other business must have delayed their arrival. In any event they may have witnessed the best portion of the game “King“ James was at his best and elevated his game even higher in the third quarter. LeBron was not the Cavs high scorer (18 points) however his game was key to the Cavs victory as he shot and assisted on several baskets. After the game the prince his wife and the king met and exchanged pleasantries.
This would be funny if------
Remember the numerous complaints we’ve heard regarding the BCS and college football over the last several years. They (whoever they are) said; “We’ll fix this, we’ll assemble a committee of experts, they will decide a system that’s fair to everybody.” This is Monday after the weekend decision by the committee and all we’ve heard are complaints by fans, coaches and the media. Even funnier the ESPN college basketball page contained a headline above photos of the top four teams. It read; “What if a committee decided hoops’ Final Four right now?” Of course this was an overt slam at the football committee. The final proof of course is the basketball tourney which is superior to the BCS or the 2014 method to determine the top college football team.
In college basketball usually the only argument for discussion occurs when a 20 win team fails to receive an NCAA invitation. 72 collegiate basketball teams guarantees almost no team in any portion of the nation is overlooked. About the only argument we hear is the basketball committees seeding of teams. As for the football side this is just one of the arguments I’ve heard; “The Big 12 has no playoff system, other conferences were benefited by playoffs.” I can’t speak to the logic of the disagreement all I can say is basketball is much cleaner. Can we state with conviction the best basketball team wins the tourney every year probably not. We can state with certainty at the end of 40 minutes the best team on that date is crowned NCAA Basketball Champion.
Change in the other direction
The change must be coordinated with the players association so it’s no slam-dunk. I’m referring to the minimum age issue for entry into the NBA. Commissioner Silver is likely to cast a vote with those raising the age limit, Silver has gone on record indicating he wants to raise the age limit from 19 to 20 years. Raising the age limit would resolve the one and done issue, athletes might continue to leave early for the NBA but only after their sophomore year. What do you think about the possibility of an age change for entry into the NBA?
They share a border too
I have lamented the loss of the Kansas-Missouri rivalry with the SEC move by the Tigers. For those who might be unfamiliar with the geography Kansas and Missouri share a common border. Missouri also shares a border with several others including the State of Arkansas. Arkansas and Mizzou have played one another over the years in football and basketball however until the move two never competed in the same conference. Arkansas was a member of the defunct Southwest Conference for 76 years the only non-Texas school.
In 1990 Arkansas became a member of the Southeastern Conference. Mizzou had been a founding member of the conference which would eventually become the Big 12 Conference, Mizzou made its move to the SEC in 2012. The “Bottlelike Trophy” has been implemented; this is a traveling trophy in football awarded to the winning school. As for basketball that’s a different matter, it’s been mentioned on several occasions Mike Anderson left Mizzou to coach Arkansas basketball. There might not yet be a basketball equivalent of the Battleline Trophy however due to the coach a natural rivalry is already in existence between the two border schools.
Reminds me of Tyson Chandler
The basketball world was introduced to Tyson Chandler as 8th grade student/basketball talent. The time was 1996 and Chandler’s introduction occurred on the television news magazine 60 Minutes. There was no 19-year old rule then Chandler was drafted in the 2001 draft out of high school. Willie Cauley-Stein’s game at Kentucky is on the same path limited offensive skills but a defensive/rebounding specialist. Cauley-Stein would suffer an injury which may have been a blessing in disguise for him.
Instead of submitting his name for the NBA draft he returned to school where he worked on improving his game. The early portion of his college career was spent as a backup to Nerlens Noel. Although his offensive game is somewhat limited he can score when called on. His game against Texas proves he can score when necessary. His box score read: 23 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and 5 steals. On the other hand he could follow in the footsteps of another Kentucky center Anthony Davis. We’ve been witness to his offensive growth once Davis arrived in the NBA.
