There is a distinction between lack of talent and lack of effort!
-------Larry Laker
No Magic please no!
“If you are Going to Lose, You have to lose” so says former Laker great Magic Johnson. By this time even the most die hard Laker fan is willing to admit the team has played below expectations. The real world indicated prior to the season the Lakers didn’t have enough talent to compete effectively in the western conference. With the disclaimer out of the way back to Magic. Magic has certainly been more supportive of Byron Scott over the previous coach. We are sure a portion of this has to do with Scott being a former teammate of him.
I wrote an unpublished account for Words in which I hinted talent appears to exist in the collegiate ranks. A poor regular season would guarantee the Lakers prime drafts pick once again. I must re-visit the account but I don‘t believe I indicated in any portion of the account I stated the team should lose on purpose. If Magic and I are share a somewhat same view what‘s the issue? My words are those of a long-time Laker fan I have no connection with the team. On the other hand we have former All-Pro Magic Johnson stating; “You have to lose” carry far more weight than anything I might state. It appears Nick “Swaggy P” Young didn’t take kindly to Magic’s commentary
That time of the year
Arguments have begun already; “My _______ is better than yours _____why are they ranked higher?” That’s the argument we often here from students and fans of your favorite school. I’m referring to the Top 25 (or 26) college teams in the nation. A loss will result in a team moving down or in some instances being removed from the list. How important is the AP Top 25, CNN-USA Top 25 or other polls to anything? Bottom line the significance of a teams ranking carries very little weight. As an example the SMU Mustangs finished the
2013-14 season with a 27-10 record and tied for second in their conference.
In addition SMU spent the majority of last season in the Top 25. The reward for the basketball turn-around exclusion. The NCAA Selection Committee failed to chose the team for its post-season tournament. Although the record was good the committee believed they failed to measure up due to their non-conference record. There are probably other examples from the past the SMU may have been the most recent. How important is it to be ranked in the Top 25---not very depending on who your favorite team may or may not have played.
Is it an international game?
Major League Baseball has always contained a significant number of Latin American players. Over the last several years a growing number of European and Australia have managed to make it to the major leagues. As for American football or the NFL a small number on non-Americans have played the game. I was curious regarding basketball is it truly an international game?
If you check the FIBA world map it indicates few nations fail to produce teams.
There are a number of Latin and South America countries that don’t compete. Most countries on the African continent field FIBA teams however a few don’t. As for the balance of the world there are a smaller number of nations not competing. The FIBA map was comprised of nation teams which doesn’t take into account basketball is probably played in several nations even if it’s not number one in that particular country.
He agrees
You might refer back to the account I wrote on October 13 regarding Big 12 basketball? This is not exactly what I wrote but close; “With 10 championships won outright or tied Kansas is real good, as for the rest of the conference that’s a different story.” My barber read my column and said he agreed with my assessment. Brian stated; “K-State competed for awhile but fell back and Kansas continued to win. Texas did the same for a period of time fell in the pack, he continued Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and even Mizzou when it was in the conference.” I nodded my head and said “you forgot Iowa State which is on the upswing now but is yet to overtake Kansas.” I stated fans of Kansas basketball might believe I’m critical of them far from it I believe it’s an indictment of the other conference members.
Another big man on the horizon
He just entered his sophomore year of high school that’s the disclaimer. Both Rivals and ESPNU have him ranked number 4 in the Class of 2017. It’s difficult to project big men at the next level although at 7-1 and 260 pounds (230 one source claims) he already has the body of man. Zach Brown's numbers are staggering however matched against 6-5 or 6-7 opposing players we must reserve judgment. His upside video on the net details a number of skilled offensive moves around the basket. Nearly 19 points and 16+ rebounds and 7 blocked shots a game. No wonder all the usual suspect schools are recruiting him. The list includes hometown Miami U and Florida, as for several of the others they include UCLA, Kansas and UConn.
The Gold standard
It’s natural; we almost always compare a player’s talent to one who’s already achieved high marks. That’s why this former Kentucky centers game is being compared to that of LeBron James. He’s not alone, we have a tremendous amount of youthful NBA talent and it’s only going to get better. The athlete profiled was a 6-3 point guard in high school who now stands 6-10. He arrived from college with but a single year of high level play. I can’t speak for you however I’m always concerned after such a limited amount of competition. Often it’s my belief collegiate athletes don’t realize how difficult it is to play at the NBA level.
Davis wasn’t rookie of the year however his numbers were impressive for a player with only one year of college experience. Since his 2012-13 rookie year Davis has become a consistent Mr. Double-Double for the Pelicans. He’s at nearly 25 points a game while snatching 13 rebounds a game. To prove he plays both ends of the court Davis is nearly 3 assists and 4.2 blocked shots per game. Toss in his scoring and rebounding numbers you see they are outstanding for a 6-10 220 pound power forward. His most recent game against my Lakers 25 points 12 rebounds and 6 blocked shots.
