Basketball from a fans perspective
The Big “O”
He played in a different era and is among the athletes we seem to have somehow forgotten. Oscar Robertson is in the FIBA, College and Naismith Halls of Fame. In 1997 the NBA on its 50th anniversary selected its 50 greatest players and Robertson was one of those included. That should provide you proof of his impact on the game of basketball. Robertson nicknamed the Big O played guard at a time most players his size (6-5 220) were playing small forward. He was the pre-curser to what the NBA would become when drafted number one by the Cincinnati Royals (Kings) in 1960.
The Big O remains the only NBA player to average a triple-double for an entire NBA season. 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game gaudy numbers by any standards. In 1970 Robertson was traded to the Bucks and teamed with Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) to win an NBA Championship in 1971. Robertson once dished out 22 assists against the Knicks and Nationals (76ers) and scored 56 points against the Lakers. Now 76 years old he still attends University of Cincinnati games on occasion. This short account doesn’t do justice to one of the all-time greats. A number of books, magazines and internet can introduce you further to the Big O.
Kansas City in the NBA
I know you are tired of my belly aching about no NBA in Kansas City; I am tired of lamenting too over what might have been. If only somebody had vision way back when. I believe and continue to maintain Kansas City no longer has the Kings franchise due to its tight fisted owners. First off at one point there were upwards of eight (8) franchise owners. One or two individuals own a larger percentage of the team than the others but it was never clear who had the most clout. It’s the belief by many financial decisions were complicated with the numbers of owners. Fast forward a few years prior to the franchise sale to Greg Luckinbill the number of owners was reduced so decision making should have been easier with fewer partners. Anyway back to the why no NBA in Kansas City it amounts to $100,000, that’s the difference between the amount the Kings played Ron Boone over Moses Malone they could have drafted. If we take the payment adjust it for inflation and other variables it comes to $423,084.68 today. The NBA then and today despite the success of the Warriors is still a Big Mans game.
The 6-10 Moses in his first two seasons in the ABA averaged nearly 20 points and 13 rebounds a game. If it appears I’m thrashing the 6-2 Boone that is not the case he would only play for the Kings for two seasons before moving on although he played another 6 seasons. In the 1976 ABA dispersal draft players from folded franchises were placed in a pool. NBA teams were able to pick based on their season ending record. With the 3rd pick the Kings chose Boone and with 5th pick the Blazers choose Malone, the Buffalo Braves (Clippers) traded Malone to the Rockets were he became a 5-time All Star in six seasons with the Rockets. In 1979 he was named MVP while playing for the Rockets he would lead his team to the Finals in 1981 and win his second NBA MVP award. In 1982 Malone was traded to the 76ers where he would lead them to an NBA Championship. Other honors included being selected as a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team. He would be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2001. This is a what-if story; what if the Kings had not surrounded Malone with talent would he reach the astronomical levels he did as an NBA player? We could play what if all day and all night.
Are you scared?
The Warriors roster says Steph Curry is 6-3 and weighs 190 pound, I believe those might be exaggerated to a degree. He might be an inch or so shorter and may weigh 175-180 pounds. Seeing his slight build we might understand why there were few offers when Steph graduated high school. Steph didn’t appear to have the skill to play at the collegiate level despite his NBA genes. Davidson a small (1,770 enrollment) Division I school in Davidson (NC) is located about 27 miles north of Charlotte was one of the few offering him a scholarship. Has the diminutive point guard become the most popular player in the NBA?
Several in the media speculate Steph may have surpassed LeBron in popularity among NBA fans. That view can never be confirmed, there is a barometer we can check jersey sales. At this point I have no idea where Steph sales are compared to LeBron. As for the headline of this story allow me to pose a question to you. I’m sure if the 6-8 250 pound LeBron James walked into a room he could intimidate by his stature alone. I don‘t believe Steph would intimidate anyone except on the basketball court. Get this he was born in Akron too Steph might be the cities “second“ best know basketball player besides that other guy.
NCAA needs a fix
If the NCAA continues to be the overseer of collegiate sports they have work to do. In this instance we are only discussing a single issue, the issue of collegiate eligibility. Tacko Fall joins Cheik Diallo in being denied eligibility by the NCAA. Earlier we discussed the issue regarding Diallo enrolled at Kansas. The 7-6 Fall is at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He’s in school but his case is slightly different, Diallo’s not been allowed to practice while Fall was first permitted to practice and was later forced to sit down by the NCAA. A cynical person might speculate; “Another case of a school allowing a dumb jock into school just to play sports.” No dumb jock Fall had a 3.6 GPA his last two years of high school he enrolled in summer school at UCF and finished with an A and B in two classes. Fall is an engineering candidate so if there is no NBA career in his future he certainly can move into that field.
Fall is from Senegal on the west coast of the African continent, he came to the U.S. to attend high school. His guardian indicates they “plan on suing the NCAA if he’s not granted eligibility by the NCAA.” I don’t claim any inside knowledge but what goes here? First it was Skal Labissiere at Kentucky then Cheik Diallo and now Fall. ESPN’s Jay Bilas has been a long-time critic of the NCAA and its implementation of policy. Bilas says; “The NCAA should be about administering and governing athletic competition, not anything else and this is totally out its lane.” Bilas played basketball at Duke for Coach K and later served on his staff as an assistant coach, he‘s worked for ESPN since 1995. NOTE: Before I could publish this report the NCAA granted Fall a waiver to play basketball. I’m running the story because this will not be the last time this issue will come up, in addition the decision on Diallo is yet to be decided.
