Basketball from a fans perspective
Damn if you do, Damn if you don’t!
Media folks please get off LeBron’s back, by the time you read this it’s Monday and Game 2 was played yesterday. I don’t know who won the game, I’m not pulling for either side I just want a competitive NBA Championship. Last Friday morning everybody and their brother offered critical remark after critical remark about LeBron taking a difficult shot at the end of regulation.
No doubt in my mind he could have taken a better shot but those in the media resonate in a manner similar to the adults in those Charlie Brown Peanuts cartoons, wha, wha, wha, wha, wha. Game one was a throw-back to the Pistons-Bulls series of the ‘90’s. The Pistons (Warriors) allowed Michael Jordan (LeBron in this instance) to score his points (44) and they shut down other members of the (Bulls) Cavs.
It’s the coach man
For those who agree it’s the coach rather than the school I offer further proof. Noah Dickerson 6-8 power forward was the last high profile uncommitted athlete in the Class of 2015. Dickerson first committed to Georgetown changed his mind and decided instead on Florida. Of course later Billy Donovan announced he was leaving for the NBA Thunder are you still following the story? Dickerson de-committed and began his search for a new school once again. He’s made his decision; he’s headed to Washington to play for Coach Lorenzo Romar.
Don’t sleep on him
Every draft year a name is announced that causes fans to say; “Who,” these are athletes from smaller schools with little national fanfare. It could have been Central Arkansas’s Scottie Pippen or maybe Damian Lillard of Weber State. These two are but a number who arrived in the NBA from smaller schools yet became stars in the associaton. We might not be familiar with the players name but an NBA scout will locate talent beneath a rock if necessary, nobody escapes their view.
That’s not to say they don’t miss on occasion but they uncover talent most of us miss. Cameron Payne a 6-2 point guard is one of those talents. Payne attended Murray State (KY) a school located about 250 miles southwest of Louisville. His numbers this past season 20.3 ppg, nearly 4 rebounds and 6 assists. As usual this report contains the usual disclaimer this is no guarantee of future NBA success for this young man its’ a name you should just store in your memory bank.
Cultural change
If we think of Canadian sports hockey comes to mind first and possibly soccer. The sport rising significantly with younger Canadians is basketball. According to several sources immigration is one of the chief reasons for increased interest in basketball. This from the Globe and Mail October 31, 2014. “Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., CEO Tim Leiweke. In 10 years, he said, as demographic change chisels away at our collective tastes, the Raptors will be more popular than the Maple Leafs.” Was Leiweke bonkers for making such a statement? It’s been awhile since I visited Canada and I was there for a vacation not to check out basketball. According to that same article there are 12 NBA players from Canada that might not seem a large number however it is.
We’ve seen the rise in Euro and African players however no nation other than the U.S. comes close to Canada. The sport is played throughout the nation however in recent years Metro Toronto has become a hotbed for basketball. Need further proof, the first pick in the 2013 NBA Draft Anthony Bennett is Canadian so is Andrew Wiggins first pick in the 2014 draft (NBA Rookie of the Year). Recently Wiggins was selected NBA Rookie of the Year. Checking northpolehoops.com I discovered the top 5 high school basketball players in the nation are all headed to U.S. colleges to play ball. Might former CEO Lieweke’s statement come to fruition?
Stay at Home
If I were coaching at Texas, Baylor or A&M I’d never have to leave the state to recruit.
(Hope Shaka Smart is reading me). I realize that’s a bold statement but consider how much talent makes its way to the NBA from the state. Kevin Durant might be the rare exception (Washington D.C. area) who played in Texas but didn’t attend high school in the state. According to basketball-reference.com there are 140 athletes who managed to play one or more games in the ABA or NBA. The Bulls Jimmy Butler, Heat forward Chris Bosh, Clipper DeAndre Jordan and LaMarcus Aldridge are just a few of the present day players as for the past.
Recognize the names of Larry Johnson, Grant Hill, Bill Sharman or Michael Ray Richardson? Truth is there is so much talent all of it fails to enroll at Texas schools. Phil Pressey, Mizzou (Celtics), Julius Randle, Kentucky (Lakers), Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State (Celtics) and Emeka Okafor UConn (several NBA teams) are Texans who left the state. Football reigns supreme in the State of Texas and will probably always be number one in the hearts of the residents. There was an old adage that stated “there are two seasons in the state football season and spring football.” That is no longer the case basketball has made tremendous inroads in this football happy state.
