Anymore siblings?
Duke is losing a number of players to graduation and NBA early entry. Among that number is 7 foot center Marshall Plumlee. We might check to be sure however I believe he’s the “baby” of the basketball playing brothers. They have a sister who plays volleyball at Notre Dame. Even more unique this trio all played for Coach K., Miles drafted in 2012 now plays for the Bucks.
Mason was drafted in 2013 and is a member of the Blazers. Unlike his brothers Marshall is headed for military service, enrolled in Army ROTC at Duke. He will be commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant at some point in 2016. This story reminds us of another serviceman Ensign David Robinson. He also stood 7 feet tall far too tall for submarine service. After his Navy commitment was complete he returned to civilian life and became a valued teammate of the Spurs.
Rookie of the Year
The Wolves Karl-Anthony Towns is the 2016 NBA Rookie of the Year. It’s not been announced yet but that’s only timing this is written ahead of the announcement. The youngster adapted to NBA play much quicker than many expected, maybe his play at Kentucky might be the reason. We witnessed glimpses however Coach Cal’s platoon system saw Towns play not a great deal of time on the court. The 7-foot Towns scored nearly 19 points, 11 rebounds a game while shooting .542 from the floor.
In addition the free-throw line is not this big-man’s Kryptonite as he shot 81% from the line. Town’s led the way as the young Wolves have improved their record over last season. With Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and other Wolve pups the future looks extremely bright in the Twin Cities. If they can retain this corps of players less the possibility of free agency and injury they should continue to improve.
Junior college
I’m often unsure of junior college players; they have an advantage over incoming freshman because they have played at least one season at a higher level. This certainly enhances their skill and game experience. There is a downsize to junior college prospects sometimes they have great difficulty adjusting to Division I as much as any incoming freshman might.
Mizzou received a commitment from a 6-3 combo guard. Jordan Geist will arrive in the fall from Ranger Community College in Ranger (TX) about 100 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Geist was a second team All-American during his only school year. Five players were dismissed or transferred so there definitely is an open space for Geist.
We overlooked him
No argument the Lakers have been pretty bad over the last several years, who do we blame? We could point the finger of blame at Jimmy Buss, Mitch Kupchak, Mike Brown or Mike D’Antoni; we could include Byron Scott or somebody else. I submit for your examination former Commissioner David Stern as that somebody else. Let’s journey back to 2011; the Lakers and Hornets (Pelicans) consummated a trade with Chris Paul headed to the Lakers. Pau Gasol would go to the Rockets, Lamar Odom and three other players plus a draft pick would head to the Hornets. The NBA had taken over operation of the franchise while a search was conducted for new ownership. Acting as owner Commissioner Stern stepped in and vetoed the trade “In the best interest of the NBA.”
Several days later Paul was traded to the Clippers and the rest is history. In the recent past you have been highly critical of Paul mainly his poor sportsmanship. I’m not going to deny my previous stance however I don’t remember ever stating he couldn’t play. I questioned also if he would be considered a superstar. As for the Lakers w/o Paul injuries to Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Andrew Bynum never continued to excel. You might ask if the Paul trade had not been overturned would the Lakers be any better. That question will remain unanswered because we have no method to provide one. Let’s just say for all the major accomplishments of the David Stern years it’s my belief he laid the foundation for the wreck that’s become the Lakers.
"You can never have enough talent"-Pat Riley

