There is a distinction between lack of talent and lack of effort!
-------Larry Laker
I doubt it
You’ve may have heard by now the Thunder have fired Scott Brooks. These are names floated around as replacements Florida’s Billy Donovan and UConn’s Kevin Ollie there may be others mentioned in the next few days. (NOTE: Olllie took his name out of the running before I could publish this) Add the name of Bill Self to the list of potential candidates. It’s likely Self’s name has only come to the forefront in Metro Kansas City. For those who might question why Self would be included in this group he’s from Oklahoma and played basketball at Oklahoma State.
Consider this tidbit of information name the last college coach to succeed at the NBA level NBA? You cannot include SMU’s Larry Brown in your count he began his coaching career at the pro level. Much later Brown had coaching stops at UCLA, Kansas and now SMU. Between the Kansas and SMU jobs were a number of NBA stops. Interesting in that a number of successful college coaches had only had limited success in the NBA. Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Mike Montgomery and Lon Kruger are just a few names that come to mind.
The cupboard’s not exactly bare
Warning, if you are a Duke hater you can skip this report and go on to the next story. Much of the college basketball news was focused on the Kentucky Wildcats losing 7 players to the NBA draft. What about the defending champion Duke Blue Devils you ask? I’m sure many believed Jahlil Okafor was going to be a one n done player but Tyus Jones. As for Justise Winslow he may have returned if not for an outstanding last half season and NCAA play. Poor, poor Duke what will they do for an encore? Despite the sour grapes expressed by Wisconsin’s coach “you survey the landscape and adjust.”
Will 6-10 and 5-star prospect Chase Jeter replace Okafor at the center position? Is it necessary for Derryck Thornton replace Jones at the point? Thornton a 5-star prospect is also rated highly on Rivals and ESPN Recruiting Nation. How about the shooting guard who broke LeBron James high school scoring record. That would be 6-5 Luke Kennard a 4-star prospect. One of the freshman not leaving is Grayson Allen who came off the bench to save the bacon for Duke. Duke might not repeat as NCAA Champions but they will be competitive in the 2015-16 season.
It ain’t over yet
The Mavs are down 0-2, there is still much basketball to be played. The Mavs could come back and win their match against the Rockets. I’ve expressed my disbelief in statements attributed to Mavs owner Mark Cuban from time to time. This is a brief portion of a Grantland interview prior to the series. "There's no more predictable team than the Rockets.”
Cuban went on to say; “Because they are very talented, and James Harden, I think, is the MVP. Because that's not a very good team over there.” I believe Cuban makes these statements for effect; he doesn’t believe half of what he says. In the future I will attempt to refrain from any future comments regarding Mr. Cuban. One other note, please sign Rondo to an extended contract so Laker fans won‘t lobby for the team to sign him.
Keep an eye on him
According to nbadraft.net he stands 7 feet without shoes and he’s just 15 years old. If you live in the Little Rock area you may have had an opportunity to witness his play. I’m referring to freshman Connor Vanover who’s enrolled at Arkansas Baptist High School. Vanover in shoes stands 7-2 and is a skinny 205 pounds however he’s got age ample time to gain weight and continue growing. A publication indicates he grew 7 inches in a 10 month period. With each parent being 6-3 it’s easy to see why he’s grown so tall. The greater question might be will he gain additional basketball skill over the next three years. There is video of him available on Youtube for you to check out.
2010 NBA draft
This is two-fold, the significance of the NBA draft. Consider this fact Hassan Whiteside has experienced a break-out year. Did anyone believe he was capable of 18 points, 25 rebounds, 4 blocked shots while shooting .600 from the floor? That’s what he accomplished against my Lakers. Whiteside was the 33rd pick in the second round; you ask who was chosen ahead of him? Well John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George were several of the names. As for a number of the others you might question the thought process of several NBA front offices. Cole Aldrich was taken with the number 11 pick by the Hornets but traded to the Thunder. He’s been serviceable but strictly in a reserve role. Kentucky center Patrick Patterson was the 14th pick in the first round by the Rockets; he’s playing for his third NBA team. Kentucky’s Daniel Orton was the 29th pick in the in the first round by the Magic. The last sighting of Orton was in the Philippine pro league.
This is not intended to criticize Aldrich, Patterson or Orton it’s simply intended to point out difficulties with the NBA draft. Early entry has forced a number of to decide they are ready to play in the NBA when that is not the case. We need look no further than Whiteside who left Marshall University after his freshman year and “drifted” before securing a solid roster spot. The maturity factor, several of these athletes have played the game for a number of years as the best on their respective teams. The NBA is a “big boys” league and those unprepared for it will be eaten alive. The last discussion item is the heart (motor); you might ask what I’m talking about. The built in drive to succeed by an athlete is often difficult to detect. In addition the desire to succeed is not always evident in everyone. In closing we might offer our best wishes to the scouting staff and front offices of NBA teams as they attempt to make the 2015 draft sane.
