Basketball from a fans perspective

Leave it to the “experts”
I’m going to allow you to listen to game analysis by those on ESPN, Fox Sports and other sources. All I can simply state is from a friend.  He told me on Sunday; “Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are very good but they are not championship players.”  The Thunder with a 3 games to 1 lead allowed the Warriors to win three straight and a 96-88 victory in game 7.

There is a lesson here
Kansas City can’t figure out what to do with Kemper Arena former home of its NBA team, Big 8 post-season tournament concerts and the circus.  As I’ve mentioned the building has been used sparingly in recent years do to the Sprint Center dominance.  Sprint Center located in the Power & Light District in downtown Kansas City (MO) is more convenient to and from the arena than Kemper ever was.  In any event Los Angeles has figured out what to do with a little used arena they decided to tear it down. The Sports Arena once served as home for the Lakers, Clippers and UCLA basketball prior to Pauley Pavilion.  The Sports Arena opened in 1959 is being demolished in order to build a soccer arena for the city.

NOTE: Not a done deal however prior to publication of this story a proposal was approved by the city. The arena would become a mixed use venue for amateur youth and adult sports.  Restaurants would also be part of the refurbish.

Can’t shoot free-throws
Does a Hack a Shaq strategy work successfully?  Shaq hasn’t played since 2011 however whenever a player is intentionally fouled the broadcast media continues to refer this strategy as “Hack-a-Shaq. “ I’m asking the question but have no answer just an opinion.  First off unlike others I don’t subscribe to the belief of many especially in the media it slows down the game.  I maintain the poor free throw shooters can defeat the strategy by simply hitting their free throws. You say easier said than done baloney, I’ve witnessed too may poor at the line become better shooters.  Can DeAndre Jordan 43.0% Andre Drummond 35.5% Dwight Howard 48.9% and others improve their poor free-throw shooting?

Of course they can, I believe they could shoot 60.0% which ain’t good but far above their present numbers.  Rick Barry in the Hall of Fame is critical of poor throw shooters.  Barry has good reason for his take on the issue of free-throw shooting, his career numbers in the ABA and NBA over 14 seasons was 89.3%.  In the 1978-79 NBA season Barry shot 94.7% from the line, he shot his free-throws underhand.  Barry calls Jordan pathetic because he won’t change to the under hand shot. Andre Igouodala could also stand to raise his free-throw shooting, his first year in the NBA with the 76ers he shot 74.3% from the line.  He reached a high of 82.0% his third year in the NBA.  Since ‘07-‘08 his free throw shooting has been on a steady downward trend, this past season he shoot 61.4% from the line.  

It’s not too early
How about looking ahead to the 2016-17 college season.  Which teams are expected to be near the top of the heap?  This is ESPN’s Top Five best of the best for the upcoming year of basketball:

1 Duke
2 Villanova
3 Kentucky
4 Kansas
5 Louisville

I decided to check ESPN’s 2015-16 pre-season list for a comparison.
The front number is pre-season and the number in parenthesis is the final ranking.

1 Maryland (12)
2 North Carolina (2)
3 Kentucky (16)
4 Virginia (5)
5 Kansas (3)

This is not intended as criticism; there are far too many variables to accurately forecast a season running from November through early April.  Key injuries, academics, suspensions and even coaching changes could severally affect a team’s performance.

Basketball from a fans perspective

And the winner
The _______ are winners of Game 7 and will face the Cavs for the NBA Championship.  You took note I left a blank space.  I cannot figure out the Thunder, holding a 3 games to 1 lead they allowed the Warriors to “crawl” back into the series.  In Game 6 the Warriors scored 10 points off Thunder turnovers (108-101) and outscored them 33-18 in the fourth quarter.  It was more than Klay Thompson’s 41 points the Thunder simply imploded.  Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder in scoring with 29 points but only shot 32% from the floor.  As for Russell Westbrook he would score 28 points on 37% shooting and contributed 5 turnovers.  The two scoring leaders of the Thunder are very good players but I'm unsure if they are championship quality.  

Noteworthy 
I was critical at one point regarding LeBron James.  It was never a talent issue however I believed the media especially the ESPN worship.  I admit I was upset with LeBron leaving Cleveland in order to “win an NBA Championship.”  The balance of the story is history he managed to win two while playing for the Heat.  I smiled and applauded at the time LeBron indicated he was returning to Cleveland.  The Cavs came up short last season against the Warriors however it wasn’t all LeBron’s fault.

Do you realize LeBron James will have now participated in six (6) consecutive NBA Championship series?  We must return to the 1950’s Celtics to discover Russell, Cousy and others accomplishing this same feat.  Consider this fact he’s accomplished this feat with two different teams.  Russell and the others were able to do this with one team, what does that say about LeBron being able to lead two teams?

Dad must be a fan
An NBA player from Kansas City is hosting a one-day basketball camp for kids in the area.  One of the television stations interviewed him and two of the 60 kids who will attend the camp.  A youngster responded to the reporters question in a plainspoken manner.  His name was placed beneath his imagine and when I read it I smiled.  His Dad (or maybe mom) must be a fan, the name is spelled differently but you get the idea.  The 10-year old youngsters name Coby LaBron ________.

Losing to A&M
This is different, Kansas losing a prospect to Texas A&M.  Before you A&M fans get too upset with me allow a brief explanation.  Deshawn Corprew a 6-5 shooting guard was headed to Arkansas-Little Rock and then de-committed.  Kansas, LSU and A&M were on his radar however this Rivals 4-star prospect decided in favor of A&M.  Billy Kennedy’s team won 27 games this past season so the Aggies are good really good.  Usually in competition for prospects  Kansas is not a loser this time out.

Wearing of the Green
We have overlooked the Celtics with all the lottery emphasis on the 76ers and Lakers.  The Danny Ainge have enough draft picks to create a starting five and have three reserves.  Yes that’s correct, the Celtics have three first round picks and five in the second round.  We talk about the 76ers stockpiling draft choices what about the Celtics.  Allow me to speculate, they are likely to keep the number three pick but could trade number 16 and 23.  As for the second round the choices are 31, 35, 45, 51 and 58 do you smell a trade or maybe two?

A story floating around doesn’t comprehend for me.  Kris Dunn from Providence is practically a local guy plus he’s a talent, to pass over 7-1 Dragan Bender makes little sense to me.  The same goes for Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, the Celtics are overloaded with guards; Bender might not be able to play right away having to adjust to the NBA at this point it would appear totally stupid to take the chance he can’t play.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Can they win three straight?
This is written prior to the game so I have no idea who won.  I pose the question can the Warriors win three straight games and force a game seven?  It could occur in fact as recently as last season. The Clippers holding a 3-1 lead over the Rockets would eventually lose the series.  If the Warriors are losers than its time to re-tool for next season.  This is the team that was “built for the future” according to owner Joe Lacob.

Last two hires
NBA coaching ranks are full (for now) the last two open coaching positions have been announced.   The Rockets and Grizzlies have hired the man they wanted to coach the team.  Heat assistant David Fitzdale will now take the reins of the Grizzlies.  We don’t know Fitzdale so this one requires a wait and see how it develops.  As for the Rockets they hired a well-known name Mike D’Antoni. This is D’Antoni’s fifth head coaching job, Denver, Phoenix, New York and Lakers are on his resume.

Did you know?
Kevin Love is an NBA star however celebrity was in his DNA prior to his arrival in the NBA. He would first became a household name at UCLA, later it would be the Wolves.  Once LeBron returned to Cleveland in his role as de-facto general manager he orchestrated the trade for Kevin. As for Kevin’s bloodline Kevin’s father and uncle were NBA player Stan Love and Beach Boys founder member Mike Love.

Stan Love was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in 1971 played for the Lakers and last played with the ABA Spurs leaving the game in 1975.  Older brother Mike Love helped found the musical group the Beach Boys in the early 1960’s.  Famous for their surfer sound the musical group would later move into the rock and pop music area.  Although most members are now in their 70’s they are still musically active.

The Duke connection
For those who might question why the Duke love fest yesterday.  I’d read an earlier report indicating Duke players had not experienced much success in the NBA.  The better question might be what the people’s barometer of success is?  I once questioned if Kyrie Irving was prepared for the NBA after a brief 11 games at Duke.  He suffered a severe ligament injury to his right big toe which sidelined him the balance of his freshman year.

Luol Deng is another former Duke player who’s found a permanent home in the NBA now with the Heat.  We could even include former Duke standout Shane Battier in the number too.  He came into the NBA as an offensive player but retired a defensive specialist.  Battier was a 2X NBA Champions and 2X All-NBA Defensive Second Team member.  Coach K. has turned out a number of highly successful NBA players despite what some might believe.

Older senior
He's not a senior citizen although in NBA circles A.J. Hammons might be placed in that category. Hammons is 24-years old and his age might be a draw back for a number of teams.  He's likely a second round pick or perhaps a free-agent signing for the Gary Indiana native.  Hammons numbers at Purdue have been sound over four years, this past season numbers 15.0 ppg, 8.2 rebounds and nearly three block shots a game. One downside similar to most big men this 7-foot center suffers at the free-throw line.  He’s not “DeAndre Jordan” at the line however .709 was his best in four years.

Basketball from a fans perspective

This is different
Rivals and ESPNU Recruiting only contain a listing of American prospects.  Thon Maker was omitted from both sites once he moved from the U.S. to Canada.  I discovered Scout Hoops takes an entirely different view of prospects when it was announced Omer Yurtseven from Turkey had made a commitment to North Carolina State.

The commitment part is not unusual for the 6-11 230 pound power forward however his status is. Unlike Rivals and ESPNU sites Scout Hoops includes international players and Yurtseven is listed a 5-star prospect in the Class of 2016.  In addition the site listed more than 10 international players who are also included in the Class of 2016; all are commitments to schools in the U.S. so I’m unsure if that’s the basis for tracking.

Blue Devils in the association
As we prepare for the NBA draft and the possibility of Brandon Ingram being added to the count lets check the record.  Duke has managed to send a number of players into the NBA over the years.  A number have tasted success while others managed just a brief period.  We have no idea how good an NBA player Bobby Hurley or Jay Williams might have been had they not suffered injuries which cut their careers short.  Grant Hill was a different story, he had a
19-year NBA career but never approached his pre-injury self.

Hill was Rookie of the Year and many believed was headed to the Naismith Hall of Fame if not for injuries.  We could make the same statement for Christian Laettner with a competent 20-year NBA career.  Both Hill and Laettner left the NBA with respectable numbers for their years.  Kyrie Irving, J.J. Redick, Luol Deng and over 17 other former players from Duke were in the NBA this past season.  Duke’s sent a significant of athletes into the association over the past several years.

Speaking of
An ESPN reporter to use his words; “Coach K. is bullish on his team.”  I don’t believe any of us would fail to believe that.  With the number one (or two depending on your source) recruited freshman class in the nation why wouldn’t he be thrilled.  With all this incoming talent it will be interesting to see how the coach molds this team to fit his image.

Why
Maybe I should stop reading and watching television sports.  I often hear incredibly stupid statements at times.  “Friend” Mike Greenberg of ESPN once again.  “I hope Phil Jackson wasn’t influenced by players or fans when he chose to hire Jeff Hornacek as the coach of the Knicks.”  I don’t tweet so I couldn’t respond but if I could.

“All of us are amenable to our bosses, why would PJ hire someone for such a critical position and then be standing by to fire him?  By the way this is the same group that claimed “Nate McMillian would be fired in three years.”  McMillian is yet to run a single scrimmage and Greenberg’s got him terminated.  I’m considering placing Greenberg on my “Stephen A. Smith-Skip Bayless” boycott.

Watch your words
Sometimes your statements can come back and haunt you.  I read the piece in the New York Times last month; “What Happen When Venture Capitalist took Over the Golden State Warriors." Owner Joe Lacob appeared to be standing on top of his desk pounding his chest with pride. “We’ve crushed them on the basketball court, and we are to continue to for years because of the way we built this team.”  Well Mr. Lacob you can see how quickly things can change especially in the NBA.

Mr. Lacob’s business sense gives him great insight into present and future corporate moves, the moves in the NBA are not quite so precise.  After a record breaking regular season won-loss record and the incredible exploits of Steph Curry the Warriors are at the edge of a cliff peering over.  The automobile (Warriors) is about to go over the edge and come crashing down to the ground.  I hope this is not considered a criticism of Lacob the Warriors or their fans because that’s not the intent. It’s simply an attempt to point out somebody at some point might do it better despite what you might believe is preparation.

Basketball from a fans perspective

The fat lady ain’t singing
She is not singing but is certainly tuning up for the finale, boy did someone miss this.  With a 118-94 victory the Thunder take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals.  Somebody I know quite well predicted weeks ago the Thunder would not get past the Spurs, this same person also predicted the Warriors would represent the Western Conference for the NBA Championship.  I guess maybe I---hmmmm “he” should stick to making calls on something he knows well.

No for the following reasons
I speculated at one point the Lakers drafting Dragan Bender with their pick.  I’ve now changed my view for a number of reasons.  1.  Although Bender is 7-feet he’s is a power forward at 220 pounds.  2.  We don’t know if he’s the future or not but Julius Randle is implanted at the power forward.  3.  Talent is not the issue Bender appears talented enough unless he’s prepared to play center its no for the Lakers.  4.  Smokescreen planted by the Celtics or another team to cause confusion.  5.  Ben Simmons/Brandon Ingram are the top prospects in this draft not Bender.

Again
Once again I was surprised, Toronto 105 Cleveland 99, we have a series tie 2-2.  Sorry Raptor fans I believe you have a very good team however I don’t believe they are capable of winning this series.  On the other hand I could be wrong; I’ve missed predictions in the past we shall see.

“Should I stay or should I go”
In 1982 the Clash released a tune which became a hit; “Should I stay or should I go”.  That might also become the declaration of Kentucky’s John Calipari, the coach declared he intended to retire at the school.  Can you believe no future NBA or no move to another college for the coach.  He’s a “youthful” 57-year old so there certainly is no rush by the administration to advocate retirement. In this instance and a number of others there are factors at work we cannot see.

It’s not likely to occur but the school could ask Cal to leave if the program is not competitive. Don’t think so fans, alum and administration influenced former Coach Tubby Smith to “leave” despite winning an NCAA Championship.  It’s reported many fans had issues with the recruiting stance of the former coach.  It was a different time but it’s believed Smith refused to recruit players he believed were one and done candidates.  Smith wanted athletes he believed would remain in school at least three years.

Revise please
The NBA Draft lottery was first held in 1985 and the Knicks with the winning selection would later pick Georgetown center Patrick Ewing.  The balance of the story is Knicks history.  Prior to 1985 the team with the worst record would automatically be awarded the number one pick.  If two teams were tied a coin flip would determine the draft position.  A coin flip allowed the Bucks to select Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) and the Suns losing the coin flip chose Neal Walk.

The lottery was instituted even back then a concern existed teams might lose on purpose in order to benefit their draft position.  As for the lottery it’s changed a bit from that first year.  It‘s weighted now the worst a teams record is the more ping pong balls are placed in the hopper. Sounds fair except the 76ers have made a mockery of the lottery and the draft in recent years. Philadelphia has three picks in this years draft; they had five picks in the 2015 draft.  In 2014 they also had six picks I didn’t go back any further than 2014.

The 76ers won exactly 10 games while losing 72 in the 2015-16 season, I believe we could foresee them falling into the lottery however they could have selected an entire team with the number of picks over three years, is there any progress on the court?  General Manager Sam Henkie is gone and well he should collecting draft picks and failing to improve the team.  This is not me alone I listened to former NBA player Brian Scalabrine discuss the NBA Draft and the need for revision.

Scalabrine said; “Why should a team spend little money on developing a team and be rewarded with a lottery pick at the end of the season?”  His words not mine but I agree with his take on the issue 1000%.    Scalabrine says; “A team just missing the playoffs should have first crack at college talent they would have a real opportunity to improve their position and record.”  What do you think, is Scalabrine correct?  Maybe his method might not be the best revision but think of other methods to improve.  

Basketball from a fans perspective

I’m sticking to my prediction
Did I expect the Thunder to run the Warriors out of the gym?  You better believe it was unexpected, the score reached a point where I believed there was no way the Warriors were coming back.  I turned the game off and figured I would check the web for the final score, Thunder 133 Warriors 105.  Okay the Thunder has a two games to one lead are they favored to win?  Not in my house I continue to believe if everyone is healthy the Warriors win the series.

He’s amazing
I continue to be amazed at the dumb statements attributed to ESPN’s Skip Bayless.  My wife has a saying; “What comes up comes out. “  In other words from her perspective if you think it you announce it no matter how strange and stupid it might appear to others.  Bayless sent out this tweet; “LeBron is lucky he plays in the Eastern Conference.”

See if you understand the logic of one Skip Bayless.  Its LeBron’s fault he was drafted by the Cavs went to Miami instead of some Western Conference team and returned again to Cleveland. It’s also LeBron’s fault the Eastern Conference is much weaker than the Western Conference. Come on Skip get a grip on reality of life and the NBA.

“Houston we’ve had a problem here”
Those were the words uttered by astronaut Jack Swigert aboard Apollo 13.  He was announcing to NASA headquarters in Houston their spacecraft had developed a problem.  Our issue is on the ground but it still involves Houston, the Rockets have expanded their coaching search.  We’ve received reports Mike D’Antoni and Hornets assistant Stephen Silas are the leading candidates. Someone or maybe several someone’s in the organization decided to widen the search.  All together the list of candidates consisted of 12 former coaches, assistants plus one television analyst.

Can you say excitement? 
Jayhawk Nation is ecstatic in that 6-7 Rivals number one prospect Josh Jackson chose Kansas. They should be excited gaining Jackson over the likes of Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina and Louisville.  Those are just a few of the basketball heavyweights who sought his services. Jackson attends Prolific Prep a basketball academy located in Napa California quite a distance from his Detroit area home.  How excited is Coach Bill Self you ask, well he’s made the comparison to former Rivals number one recruit Andrew Wiggins.

It’s not just the arrival of Jackson that has many in Jayhawk Nation jumping up and down with anticipation.  Joining him will be Udoka Azubuike a 6-11 280 pound center.  Arriving along with Jackson and Azubuike is a third prospect 6-8 215 pound forward Mitch Lightfood.  Rivals contend the incoming crop is number one, 27 and 118 in their list of Top 150 prospects.  With this incoming class plus most of last year’s team returning you can understand why Bill Self might be grinning from ear to ear.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Decisions, decisions
I’ve always had problems with people who are unable to make up their minds.  If it sounds as though I’m critical of undecided folks I’m including yours truly as a card caring member.  I believed in the warmer months of the year basketball news slows to a crawl however that’s not always the case.  So in this latest change Instead of publishing three days a week Words will be a Monday through Friday journal.  Thank you for your readership and please continue and spread the word if you will.

It’s likely over
I’ve lost count the number of times we’ve pronounced the Spurs on life-support/or on their dead bed.  We did this because they appeared older than all their NBA competition.  At the conclusion of the Thunder-Spurs series we might be correct this time around.  Tim Duncan, “The Big Fundamental” is 40 and played like it at times during the season.  Despite limited minutes in the season just ended he registered his lowest totals in his brilliant 18-year career.  Manu Ginobili is 38 and even youthful looking Tony Parker is 33 years old now.  As for other teammates David West is 35, LeMarcus Aldridge is 30 Boris Diaw 34 and Matt Bonner is 36.

In the concluding game the Spurs had two 40-years old on the floor at the same time Duncan and Andre Miller.  This is not all doom and gloom, shooting guard Danny Green is 28 and Khawi Leonard is only 24.  Both represent the continued future of the Spurs however there’s not a great deal of fear-factor with the balance of the roster. For years we’ve been giving Pop credit for being a great coach now we’ll have a chance to see him operate with the remainder of a good team but certainly not championship quality.  A quality re-build could occur quickly based on attracting free-agents to the city.  The Spurs were able to bring in Aldridge at a time the Rockets, Dallas (his hometown) and the Lakers were all bidding for his services.    

The verdict
Marques Bolden 5-star prospect and number 11 in the nation has made his commitment known. Bolden is headed to Durham (NC) in the fall to play for Coach K.  The 6-11 250 pound center hails from Desoto (TX) a suburb of Dallas.  Charlie Moore is a 4-star prospect and number 55 in the nation is headed to Cal the 5-11 160 pound point guard hails from Chicago.

Moore was headed to Memphis but de-committed after Coach Pastner left for Geogia Tech. Bolden and Moore are a few of the outstanding prospects that remained uncommitted until mid-May.  You make the decision based on your observation which school is number one in class rankings.  According to figures provided by ESPNU Duke and Kentucky both have six outstanding freshmen incoming.

A recap
Change the nameplate above the door; file a change of address with the post office.  New names in new places, the interim tag removed from Earl Watson’s name.  Tyronn Lue is yet to conduct Cavs training camp so he’s included in the count.

Houston Rockets         open
Memphis Grizzlies       open
Indiana Pacers             Nate McMillian
Los Angeles Lakers Luke Walton
New York Knicks          Jeff Hornchek
Orlando Magic              Frank Vogel
Phoenix Suns              Earl Watson
Minnesota Wolves       Tom Thibodeau
Brooklyn Nets              Kenny Atkinson
Cleveland Cavs           Tyronn Lue
Sacramento Kings       Dave Joerger

Do you have a desire for a well-paying position with plenty of job security?  You might want to send your resume somewhere other than to an NBA team.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Told you so
Remember a few weeks ago a discussion involving Jeff Van Gundy.  He was said to be in the names mentioned as a possible head coach of the Rockets.  The Rockets are yet to announce a hire but the former coach is no longer in the running.  You might remember I said at the time words similar to this; “When the smoke clears Van Gundy will be sitting beside Mike Breen and Mark Jackson.”  Van Gundy has tasted success as a television analyst why risk resentment and indignation from fans by taking a coaching job?  

Lottery and draft
The choice by the Lakers in the draft next month is based on the 76er pick; it will be Duke’s Brandon Ingram or Ben Simmons from LSU.  The lottery has been finalized and this is pure speculation on my part, if the Lakers had dropped to three I believe they may have traded the pick for a veteran player.   DraftExpress.com says the 76ers will choose Brandon Ingram at one and the Lakers Ben Simmons at two, NBADraft.net mock draft is exactly opposite in their picks.

If you remember last year the D’Angelo Russell pick completely fooled all of us, I seriously doubt if that occurs on June 23rd.  The Jim Buss leadership of the Lakers is at stake this time around, remember his promise at the end of three years “If I cannot turn this team around.“  Time’s up for Mr. Buss at the end of the 2016-17 NBA season.

The Lakers will be winners regardless of the pick; they have lacked a competent small forward for a number of years.  As for the individual assessment currently Simmons would appear to be the better all-around player as for Ingram the superior shooter from the field.  Fan speculation by a number of folks has the Lakers trading the pick, I cannot see that scenario playing out in the real world.  On the other hand Kevin Durant or some other high profile talent might cause me to change my perspective.

“The could have beens”
ESPN.com ran a story regarding athletes who never reached the potential many expected.  In all honesty a number succumbed to injury which impacted their brief career.  Although the story covered all sports this focus is on the basketball players mentioned in the article.  Roy Tarpley died in January of 2015; he was a first round pick of the Mavs in 1986.  The 6-11 power forward/center could do it all, he made the All-Rookie Team his first and was selected as Sixth Man of the Year the following year.  He was on the road to a brilliant NBA career until alcohol and drug problems curtailed his career.  

Tarpley was the first NBA player to be banned for life after a number of subsequent suspensions. No longer able to play in the NBA Tarpley’s career took him to foreign shores until his retired in 2006.  The cause of his 2015 death was never revealed, Roy Tarpley one of the most talented players to ever play in the NBA.

We see Jay Williams on ESPN as a college basketball analyst nightly during the season, a number might not be aware he was an outstanding player at Duke.  He was drafted number two by the Bulls in 2002, Williams had but one year in the league.  An off-season motorcycle accident would curtail his NBA hopes and aspirations.

Sam Bowie like Williams was hampered by injuries.  He would become the second pick in the 1984 draft and noteworthy for one reason alone.  The Blazers had an opportunity to draft Michael Jordan but chose the 7-1 Kentucky center.  In fairness to Bowie the Blazers drafted Clyde Drexler in 1983 why draft MJ when both played the same position?  In any event an assortment of injuries curtailed Bowie and we never witnessed any play close to that he exhibited at Kentucky.

Basketball from a fans perspective

I say it again
We’ve discussed the difficulty of officiating NBA games.  Too fast, players too big and court too small, all add up for missed calls by officials.  My continuing problem is the NBA after the fact saying; “We made an error.”  The NBA offices said they missed a travel call on Russell Westbrook with 20 seconds left in the Thunder-Warriors game.

He’s the best
The trophy for Rookie of the Year might remain in Minnesota for a period of time.  Last season forward/guard Andrew Wiggins was the 2015 winner in 2016 it would become Karl-Anthony Towns.  The numbers Towns posted were outstanding for the rookie from New Jersey 18.1 ppg, 10.7 rebounds and 1.7 block shots for the Wolves.  We believed Towns was talented but we had questions regarding his total game.  The reservation was based on the platoon system employed by Coach Cal his freshman year at Kentucky.

We saw witnesses of his talent but the total package was missing due to the limited minutes on the court.  How would this youngster adapt his game to 48 minutes or more plus the wear and tear of a long NBA season?  Well the answer is quite well based on his performance.  What does the future appear five or six years from now for the Wolves?  I believe I’ll take a young Wolves team over the others, the Thunder, Warriors, Spurs and Cavs how about you?

And now there are four
We are almost there; the 2016 NBA Championship will be decided in a month’s time.  I’m sure NFL fans won’t like this statement I believe a series is the best method to decide a championship. Baseball’s World Series and basketball’s NBA Championship a team can begin with a bad start (0-2) and still come back and win the series.  The Super Bowl its “one n done” period---end of story.

The Thunder versus the Warriors, the Raptors versus the Cavs.  I could pick the winners in both series but based on my past predictions I’m unsure if I should.  Well I’m going to do it anyway; I’m going to venture out on that shaky branch.  I might add I haven’t read anybody else this is purely Larry Laker.  It will be a repeat of last year for the NBA Championship the Warriors and Cavs will face-off against one another, I will call the winner prior to the series start.

Where it all began
I believe it is always good to refresh, this basketball history has been covered previously however there might be new readers to the blog.  They may are may not be aware of the facts presented. The league known as the National Basketball Association is a collection of teams from two different leagues.  The National Basketball League was founded in 1937 and at one time contained 38 teams. Several of today’s teams had their start in the NBL as an example; The Pistons then in Fort Wayne (IN) and the Royals (Kings) who were located in Rochester (NY).  The Minneapolis Lakers and Syracuse Nationals (76ers) were also NBL teams.  Cleveland, Cincinnati, Buffalo and Indianapolis also had franchises.  The Basketball Association of America was younger and smaller (16 teams) having been established in 1946.

As with the NBL many of the original teams no longer reside in the city of their founding several present day NBA teams came out of the BAA.  The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Philadelphia Warriors (Golden State) were charter members of the BAA.  My research uncovered an interesting fact the August 1949 merger witnessed both leagues becoming one under the National Basketball Association.  “The NBA claims the BAA’s history as its own.  It reckons the 1949 deal as expansion, not a merger and does, not recognize NBL records.”  What is even more interesting the same scenario would play itself out years later?  In 1976 when the ABA merged with the NBA no records were recognized.  ABA players have been honored with inclusion in the Naismith and College Hall of Fame but that’s it.

Wikipedia

Basketball from a fans perspective 

Not just them
Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram sat out the draft combine however they were not the only ones. Kentucky’s Jamal Murray and Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield in Chicago but did not participate.  Dragan Bender is in Israel where his team is finishing the season.  As stated in an earlier account none of those skipping the combine will affect their draft status.

New head man
The Pacers hired Nate McMillan as head coach replacing Frank Vogel.  McMillan had been on the staff with Vogel serving as his assistant coach.  For those who might be unfamiliar with McMillan this is not the first trip around the block for him.  He played for the Sonics from 1986 through 1998 and then became their head coach serving in that role from 2000 to 2005.  In July 2005 McMillan left for Portland where he would become Blazer coach and lead them until March 2012.

Timmy
On the road to the playoffs Tim Duncan experienced his poorest year in the NBA, in the 2015-16 season in 25 minutes a game he scored 8.6 ppg and grabbed 7.3 rebounds.  In the playoffs his numbers dipped even lower 21.8 minutes and 5.6 and 4.2.  All season long I heard member after member of the media stating; “Kobe was over the hill or similar statements.”

We never heard or hear negative comments regarding Duncan, wonder why?  I can partially answer the question, future Hall of Fame candidate Duncan is quiet, has little to say to the media beyond what’s required.  Kobe has always been a “lighting rod” most of it untrue and perception by media members (Jason Whitlock leads the way).  Kobe and Timmy careers have been exceptional.

Bits n Pieces
I wanted to clarify a position I‘d taken earlier, I stated a desire to see assistants be taken into consideration as head coaching jobs become open.  This is not across the board there are instances a youthful NBA team might require a veteran coach particularly for teaching and leadership.  

The NBA Draft other than Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram is full of many questions.  The draft combine provided a quantity of insight into this year’s crop of players.  As it continues to unfold it doesn’t appear to be a very deep draft.  Players will be evaluated on several facets of the game to determine their draft ability.  In addition NBA teams will invite individual players for workouts which could impact their draft choice.

Doc Rivers continues to mystify me in some of the things he says.  He indicates he has no desire to trade Blake Griffin, Chris Paul or DeAndre Jordan, he further states his bench is good. Come on Doc who you are trying to convince, Griffin missed almost half a season and the Clippers didn’t miss a beat.  Jordan is a good at rebounding the basketball and plays tough defense however his effort on the free-throw line, what can I say.  I wonder if the Clippers have lost any games due to his poor shooting from the line.  Of all the talent I would suspect CP3 is the only no trade player on the roster.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Beginning tomorrow
Monday May 16 Words eye view returns to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday format.  NBA coaching positions to be filled, NBA Championship to be decided the draft and Summer League.  The news is always slower at the amateur level but will be covered. If you enjoy reading Words thank you.

??????
Wunderkind Thon Maker will not participate in any 5 on 5 drills at the NBA Draft Combine, think what that’s all about.  The move is certainly the prerogative of his agent but it causes us to speculate.  If Maker is attempting to prove he belongs in the NBA wouldn’t he be willing to demonstrate his talent.  On the other hand if there is concern he might not look good against college level competition.  How are GM’s and scouts expected to access his talent level without seeing him compete against similar talented athletes?  I don’t have a scout’s eye so perhaps Maker can impress in individual workouts for perspective teams.

Speaking of the combine
Reports are Skal Labissiere has impressed early on in the combine.  The Haitian youngster had an uneventful freshman year at Kentucky he surprised many by declaring for the NBA draft. This is no declaration of talent just a statement maybe a year playing against top notch competition has allowed his game to develop.  He still might be considered a project however he’s got one clear advantage he’s 6-11 and you cannot teach that.

Surprise
Kenny Smith TNT analyst interviewed for the Rockets job.  To my knowledge Smith has never exhibited any inclination to move into the coaching ranks.  The Jet played the bulk of his NBA career with the Rockets however its television work many recognize since he was first hired in 1998 by Turner Sports.  It’s reported Smith has a close relationship with Rockets owner Les Alexander.

The promise
Cheick Diallo 6-9 218 pounds must be sure he’s going to be drafted, there were questions at the time he declared for the NBA draft.  His eligibility issue with the NCAA only allowed him to participate in 27 of the 38 games Kansas played.  In addition the freshman was a reserve and didn’t start a single game.  Checking his numbers he played 7.5 minutes per game 3.0 ppg and 2.5 rebounds hardly numbers that would cause anyone to believe he was ready for the NBA. Diallo will soon hire an agent and the point of no return will have been crossed.  I hope this youngster and others are receiving sound advice.  Often the athletes are guided by parties with dollar signs in their eyes.

He’s skinny
190 pounds is no light-weight but if you are a legitimate 6-11 it screams skinny very loudly.  The youngsters name is Bol Bol and if the last night sounds familiar it should.  His dad the late Manute Bol stood 7-7 and had an 11-year NBA career.  While Manute was a basketball specialist the younger Bol has an all-around game.  In a recent AAU game Bol flicked the ball away from an opposing player picked it up and dribbled the length of the floor in three huge strides.  He proceeded to dunk the ball after switching it between his legs while in the air.  In August Bol will enter his junior year at Bishop Miege High School located in Roeland Park (KS) a Kansas City suburb.  Four schools are on Bol’s short however it appears Kansas is at the top of the list, he attended a Kansas game last fall.

Basketball from a fans perspective

“Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me”
Every heard the old idiom above?  Well it certainly applies to yours truly.  The “Fool me once” belongs to the Thunder, the “fool me twice” fits on me.  Two teams I said would not emerge from the Western Conference one I said would be the Clippers---check.  The other team was the Thunder---check, hold on a moment there.  I thought Russell Westbrook plays out of control, he still does but boy is he fearless.  He and Kevin Durant have won this series over the Spurs a team I believed they couldn’t beat.  As for the Thunder what can I say; I totally missed the boat on this one.  Still a team game and the New Zealander Steven Adams was just as important. I believe at the beginning of the season Enes Kanter was the starter at center and Adams was back-up.

Adams is never going to be confused as the second coming of Kareem, Shaq or some other offensive center of the past.  The guy hustles grabs rebounds and is a general nuisance to the opposition.  I love the line used by Neil Everett ESPN Sports Center, when the game was still in doubt Tim Duncan driving toward the basket.  His shot was blocked by Serge Ibaka and the ESPN commentator used the term “Serge protector.”  Coach Billy Donovan made a superb adjustment to the NBA over his counterpart with the Bulls.  As for the Spurs they won 67 games during the season and only lost 15.  The Thunder won two games at AT&T Center the home arena for the Spurs and were 40-0 at one point in the season.

True
As many are aware heights and measurements are always conducted at the NBA Draft Combine.  One of the more interesting stories was that of Kentucky’s Tyler Ulis, he measured
5-10 and 149 pounds.  The writer of a story claims; “His weight concerns several NBA types believing the long season will wear him down.”  We have no method of projecting “wear and tear” on the body of an NBA player.  Added to that we have no proposal indicating Ulis is talented enough for a career in the NBA.  This I know (and so should the writer) there were others who preceded Ulis much smaller in stature and weight.  After their names and stats are the years they played in the NBA.

Spud Webb 5-7 132lbs   1987-2002
Muggsy Bogues 5-3 137lbs 1985-1998
Earl Boykins 5-5 135lbs  1999-2012

Webb, Bogues and Boykins and others faced the same problem, the game always remains a Big-Man’s test.  The aforementioned players had to prove they could compete at the NBA level.  As for Ulis the same task is in front of him, prove to skeptics he can play competitive high level basketball.

Speaking of the NBA Combine
I still haven’t figured this one out, why does the NBA measure guys’ length with and without shoes.  My Nike’s don’t cost $200 dollars however I got my tape measure out cause I need to know.  My shoes added about 1.5 inches to my height.  Now I’m a flat 7 feet instead of 7-1, just kidding folks I’m nowhere close to 6-3.

This move caught us off guard
We knew the open jobs in the NBA we counted all except Orlando.  Scott Skiles appeared to be “safe”, safe until he abruptly resigned on Thursday.  I’ve not read anything but the headlines as I write this I have no idea why Skiles dropped a bomb on us.  Stay tuned for additional details, looks as though we can add the Magic along with the Kings, Rockets and Grizzlies searching for a coach.

What‘s best
The Cavs are sitting waiting for the conclusion of the Raptors-Heat series.  The question has been asked since the NBA first began playoffs.  Is it best to sit and wait or begin the next series almost immediately?  We’ve read and heard teams sitting become stale and miss the competitive nature of game action.  On the other hand several teams in the past have gone into the next series with little or no rest and never missed a beat.  Average age and a veteran presence probably impacts a team just as much, in conclusion there is no one answer

Basketball from a fans perspective

MVP
Several weeks back I mentioned several weeks back how stupid I believed the ESPN.com story of “Co-MVP’s.”  The Spurs Khawi Leonard was mentioned in the account indicated Steph Curry along with Leonard might be considered for co-MVP.  Fortunately sanity prevailed, Curry was named MVP for the second year in a row and well deserved.  It should be noted his selection was unanimous for the first time in NBA history.  Think about some of the giants of the game who never had this honor Magic, Michael, Larry and Kareem are just a few of the names.  Leonard is a tremendous talent but certainly not MVP at least this season that honor belongs to Steph Curry alone.

Life goes on
A website (I don’t remember which one) noted Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram were skipping the NBA Draft Combine.  In the next sentence they mentioned Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay and one other high profile pick missed the combine last year.  It’s my belief any player projected to be drafted in the Top 10 could easily miss the combine and it not affect their draft stock.  In any event 70 prospects have been invited to participate in the Chicago event.

The event is more important for players who might be on the periphery and need to demonstrate their skills to an NBA audience.  I cite DeMarre Carroll as an example, few outside of Mizzou and Big 12 basketball might have been aware of him.  The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and Draft Combine contributed to Carroll being the number 27 pick in the first round by the Grizzlies. Quite interesting in that 7-2 Chinese center Zhou Qi will be at the combine the only international player.

Bits n Pieces
“In 2014, Jim Buss told his five siblings, including Lakers president Jeannie Buss, he would step down in three years if the team did not reach that benchmark.  That expiration date is apparently set for after the 2016-17 season.”  Not my words those of the co-owner who made this public promise. As I’ve stated in the past “I’m from Missouri show-me.”

Los Angeles Daily News

It’s always been my belief you must travel two or three years down the road to fully analyze a draft. Some arrive fully prepared to deal with the rigors of the NBA while others require a long and extended trial.  As for others it’s just the opportunity to play, imagine a rookie trying to crack the starting lineup of the Warriors, Spurs or Cavs.  We are about eight or nine weeks from the 2016 draft and many in the 2015 class have not been fully evaluated.

If we change a few letters one almost becomes the other, I speak of the Thomas’s.  The HOF former Piston spells his first name Isiah and the other Isaiah, both were ballers.  It was funny the other evening on NBA TV, we had Isiah Thomas describing the best attributes of Isaish Thomas. The elder Thomas stood at 6-1 weighed 180 pounds while the younger Isaish stands 5-9 and 185. Both are point guards but that’s were the similarity ends, Isiah played for the Pistons at a time there was bad blood between his team and the Celtics.  The younger Isaish plays for those hated Celtics and mighty well we might state.  I’ve never read anywhere you suppose his parents might have been fans of Isiah and decided to name their baby after him?

Basketball from a fans perspective

Did you know?
Will corporate names on stadiums and arenas change due to the outcome of this suit?  After Enron went bankrupt in 2001 the ballpark in Houston was forced to under go a name change. Google college basketball and stadiums a number contain non-corporate names.  Elsewhere in Houston Hofheinz Pavilion home of the Houston Cougars basketball is trending currently.  The school is attempting to re-name the building and the Hofheinz family has filed a lawsuit.

In case you had a further question this was no courtesy move the Hofheinz family contributed $1.8 million dollars in 1969 estimated to be $8 million in today’s dollar.  According to news reports an unidentified party is reported to be willing to pay $20 million dollars for the naming rights. There are other “family” names attached to arenas and stadiums across the nation--might they also someday face the same problem?

Scouting reports
I’ve read a number of scouting reports over the years; “Not a very good athlete etc. etc.”  I always understood the report but wondered how critical it was for the athlete in question.  Magic Johnson is in the Naismith Hall of Fame and the College Hall of Fame, he was “not a very good athlete.”  I make that statement based on Magic’s first few years in the NBA; he had a mediocre jump shot. His three point shot would come later in his Laker career.  Magic was not a great defender speedy small point guards gave the 6-9 Magic problems.

Finally Magic was not the speediest guy on the court but was a little above average.  Now that I’ve “torn apart” the young Magic Johnson’s game we all know what he would become.  At the time the NBA announced its 50th Anniversary All-Time team Magic was one honored with a selection. Magic would be 5X NBA Champion, 3X NBA Finals MVP and 3X NBA MVP just a few of the honors bestowed on Magic.  Because he was “not a very good athlete” perhaps it caused him to access his game and decide those areas requiring improvement.

Father and son
The name Charles O’ Bannon sounded familiar only this O’ Bannon had Junior behind his name.  I wonder if he could be----yes jr. is the son of the O’ Bannon who played at UCLA from 1993-1997. Junior is 6-5 shooting guard and rated number 26 in the Class of 2017 by 247 Sports. Shaka Smart’s Texas Longhorn’s appear to be in the lead to sign Junior.  As for dad he had a brief career in the NBA, he’s been a world traveler playing for a number of teams around the world.  He continues to play at age 41; Panasonic Trians (Japan) is his current team.

Rookie of the Year
The award given to the outstanding rookie reads like a who’s who list.  Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) Oscar Robertson are just a few names of the past.  In more recent years Allen Iverson, Shaq and LeBron James have won the award. Winning Rookie of the Year is not a pronouncement of greatness; it provides proof of one’s talent.

Injuries rather than talent impacted the career of Brandon Roy and Grant Hill.
Several fell short of their rookie year and never reached the level many expected.  We might count Steve Francis, Mike Miller and Ralph Sampson in that number, decent NBA careers but nothing spectacular.  Who wins this year is a good question and one I’m not prepared to answer.

Wrong choice---maybe
April 30 I wrote of Semi Olejeye and his problem with playing time at Duke.  I cannot state he’s talented enough for major college but I believe we’ll discover this upcoming season if he can play at the D-1 level.  The 6-8 Olejeye found himself stuck fast to the bench at Duke he’s since transferred to SMU where he will get a chance to play.  By the way Olejeye set a State of Kansas scoring record for boys’ high school basketball.  Conner Frankamp is another example to take into account.  Standout All-State player from Wichita he headed to Lawrence and Kansas University to play for Bill Self.

Frankamp also played limited minutes at Kansas due to its deep roster.  He headed for home and is now enrolled at hometown Wichita State.  Olejeye and Frankamp represent two examples of choosing the wrong schools to exhibit your talents.  This is no criticism of Duke or Kansas it’s just reflects deep rosters and the fact you often have a numbers problem attempting to earn a starting spot.  There are other athletes who face a numbers issue this is an example of two.

Rocket Man
James Harden is one of the most talented players in the NBA.  He’s also a player who will never ever win an NBA Championship.  That’s a strong statement on my part but one I believe, Harden appears to be unwilling to do those little things that will raise the Rockets to the next level.  Harden was drafted by the Thunder in 2009 the 3rd pick in the first round.  A 9.9 ppg average in his rookie year would be followed by 12.2 and 16.8 in his third year.

Harden was named Sixth Man of the Year in 2011-12 the youngest player to ever win the award. The Thunder wanted to resign free-agent Harden however he took the offer from the Rockets. Other than his prolific shooting he’s become know for his full-length beard, “fear the beard.” Nobody including me doubts his talent or work ethic it’s his leadership ability that is called into question.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Cap versus the Big Aristotle
A website Pointafter compiled its list of all-time rosters for each NBA franchise.  Curious I skipped ahead to the Lakers to check out their view, point guard Magic no surprise.  Shooting guard Kobe again no surprise.  Small forward Elgin Baylor a little surprising with James Worthy to consider.  For the next two positions the writer placed Kareem Abdul Jabbar at power forward and Shaquille O’ Neal at the center position.  Someone is playing out of position but I‘m unsure which one.  Let’s check the numbers; Shaq was 7-1, Kareem an inch taller at 7-2.  Kareem weighed between 225 and 230 pounds that was Shaq’s weight in high school.  Let’s just say Shaq was 325 pounds in the NBA.  Kareem was pure finesse at the center position, his “Sky-hook” was never blocked, push him around and often double-teamed he still managed to get to his spot on the floor.

Ever heard the expression “Bull in a china closet” that might describe Shaq’s game we could locate few souls brave enough to stand in the way when he drove the lane.  Shaq never developed a pet shot but had a variety which he shot fairly well.  Both men were above average centers in passing the basketball.  Free-throws what can I say, Shaq’s been retired since 2011 but we continue to hear announcers use the term “Hack-a-Shaq” whenever a poor free-throw shooter is fouled intentionally.  Let’s just say at 72% Kareem was light years beyond Shaq from the line.  They are close career scoring wise Kareem at 24.6 ppg and Shaq 23.7.   Shaq was 10.9 Kareem 7.9 rebounds over a career.  After compiling these numbers I cannot come to a satisfactory conclusion which player is best suited for power forward or center.  

Class of 2016
Checking the ESPN Basketball Recruiting page Class of 2016 it was determined there remain undeclared players.  This is written May 7 and four of the Top 100 are yet to announce a decision. Generally by late April prospects made a commitment even if it’s verbal.  Below are the four their ranking, name, stats, hometown and number of schools on their list:

15 Jarrett Allen 6-10 235 center Austin (TX) 5 schools
16 Marques Bolden 6-10 240 center Dallas (TX) 7 schools
61 Charlie Moore 5-11 160 guard Chicago (IL) 5 schools
91 Deshawn Corprew 6-5 190 forward Norfolk (VA) 14 schools

Long gone 
There are a number of cities besides Kansas City that will never see the NBA again except television and pre-season games.  Seattle has come nearest to having the NBA return.  The Chris Hansen group was just about to write a check to the Maloof brothers and the Kings would become history in Sacramento.  Interests in California’s capital city made an end run thus saving the franchise for Sacramento.  The NBA is not expanding in the immediate future however an existing franchise could locate there.  As for the others, we lead off with Cincinnati.  The Royals arrived in the city in 1957 from Rochester (NY) and would call Cincinnati home until the 1969-70 season.  The following year the franchise moved to Kansas City.  The Buffalo Braves were an NBA expansion team that came into existence in 1970, the remained in upper New York State until 1978 when the owner moved them to San Diego where they were
re-named the Clippers.

Six years in San Diego saw them re-locate once again to Los Angeles where they have remained to the present.  The Wizards have a unique history, in 1961 the expansion Chicago Packers were born.  After the 1962-63 the re-named Chicago Zephyrs would move to Baltimore (MA) and become the Bullets.  In 1973 the team would move to the Washington D.C. metro and were re-born as the Capital Bullets and later in the city the Washington Bullets.  In 1997 the team name was changed to Wizards.  The last city on our list is St. Louis; the Hawks were an existing team playing out of Milwaukee before moving to St. Louis.  The team would remain in St. Louis until 1968 when the franchise moved to Atlanta which continues to be called home.

Kansas City
Cincinnati
Buffalo
Rochester
Baltimore
St. Louis
San Diego

I didn’t include Seattle in the count but you have seven cities highly unlikely to witness NBA basketball again except on television.

Basketball from a fans perspective 

Kings coaching vacancy
This story must be revised now to fast moving events.  I’d written Dave Joerger ex of the Grizzlies was to interview for the Kings job.  Before I could publish a story on Joerger firing (Tuesday) we receive word the former coach of the Grizzlies had accepted the job as head coach of the Kings.  I admit I don’t know a great deal about the new hire except the Grizzlies were winners while he coached them.

All indications he had the ear of his players.  Joerger’s problem appeared to be with management. We don’t have the full story on Memphis but we have a partial story on the Kings. Joerger becomes coach number 10 since the year 2000, in fairness all were not hired by this ownership group however you can see there is question of front office stability.  Hopefully Joerger can change the climate in Sacramento to that of a winner.  He must be given time and the opportunity to reach Boogie Cousins.

“I don’t get no respect”
For those to young the tag line at some point by the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield was; “I don’t get no respect.”  We could make the same statement regarding the San Antonio Spurs.  I held a conversation with a friend today and he made a statement which is the basis of this account.  He said; “The Spurs don’t excite anybody, you never see kids with Spurs jersey.  As bad as the Lakers have been they are still highly visible in the eyes of fans.”  I thought a minute the Lakers certainly have more championships (16) to the Spurs four but its more than that.

Despite their success on the court the Knicks, Bulls and Lakers probably receive more national media coverage.  Fans in San Antonio know the real deal; they know they have one of the longest playoff streak in the NBA.  Do you realize the last time the Spurs missed the playoffs the White House was occupied by Bill Clinton, we saw Titanic at the movie theatre.  Dennis Frantz won an Emmy as the lead actor in a drama series for NYPD Blue; Gillian Anderson won as lead actress in a drama series for X-Files.  So what if kids don’t buy Tim Duncan or Khawi Leonard jerseys we know who the winners are.

The window is closing
I’ve held a long-time belief professional teams no matter the sport have a limit on the time it has to win.  Teams with winning traditions (Celtics & Lakers) have constantly re-built rosters over the years which have led to 17 NBA Championships for the Celtics and 16 for the Lakers.  In 2006 with the arrival of Brandon Roy and others the Blazers intended to place the “Jail-Blazers’ in the rear-view mirror.  They had success on the court and made the fans forget those notorious teams of Rasheed Wallace, Bonzi Wells and others.  Just as they were about to ascend to the top of the mountain a devastating injury took Roy out whom I believed was the heart and soul of the team.

The Blazers began to regress not immediately but over the next several years less and less wins.  It was finally culminated with firing Nate McMillan who molded many of the “new Blazers. Injuries and other issues caused them to never climb the mountain and attain a championship. Maybe the Clippers are at the same spot the Blazers were several years back.  Doc Rivers might believe that, this is a quote from an interview last October.  “We are right on the borderline. I have no problem saying that.  I’m a believer that teams can get stale.  After awhile you don’t win.  It just doesn’t work.  We’re right at the edge.  Oklahoma City is on the edge.  Memphis too.  We just have to accept it.”

Reload
We speak of a Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina reload; they constantly attract the nation and sometimes the world’s best basketball talent.  The Lawrence (KS) School must be included with the others.  Kansas might lose four players the term in used because senior Perry Ellis is the only one unable to return.  As for the others there are two juniors and one freshman who submitted their names for NBA early entry.  Exit stage left entering stage right is three high profile candidates:

6-7 195 pound Josh Jackson
6-11 270 Udoka Azubuike
6-8 210 Mitch Lightfoot

Jackson is rated number one Azubuike number 27 by Rivals.com.  Next season looks good, the possibility of one, two or all three early entry candidates returning to a well-stocked roster.  The freshman trio must adjust to play at the collegiate level but the future looks bright for them along with the balance.

Basketball from a fans perspective 

Dad is leaving
Michael Porter Sr. is leaving Mizzou, who is he you ask?  Sr. is one of the assistant coaches for the women’s team.  He’s the father of Michael Porter Jr. the number 2 prospect by Rivals and number three by ESPN Recruiting Nation in 2017.  Sr. is leaving for Washington to serve in the same capacity for Lorenzo Romar.  As for Jr. the 6-9 small forward remains uncommitted although Mizzou is on his list of school.  Porter Jr.’s school Father Tolton Catholic High School is located 10 minutes and about 6 miles from Mizzou Arena.  It certainly would be quite a coup if Jr. remains in Columbia and signs with Mizzou however there are doubts.  Dad will be an assistant coach on the staff at Washington should we suppose Jr. might be headed for the Pacific Northwest?

“Can’t tell the players without a scorecard”
I’d always believed the idiom came out of baseball not true; it simply describes a scene of confusion.  That’s exactly what we have in Memphis another winning coach fired with the firing of head coach Dave Joerger after three seasons.  With the rash of hiring’s it was believed the only jobs open were Houston and Sacramento.  We’d better wait until the playoffs are complete before we declare all coaching positions filled.  After all Joerger’s injury plagued Grizzly team did make the playoffs too.

Have you noticed?
Speaking of Jeff Van Gundy have you noticed his name is mentioned annually as a possible replacement for a fired coach.  At the beginning of the following NBA season Van Gundy is again behind the microphone as an analyst for ESPN. He’s not coached since his firing by the Rockets in 2007, as this is written the Rockets and Kings are the only two positions remaining open.  If I were a betting man which I’m not I’d be willing to bet when the NBA season kicks off in the fall Van Gundy will be sitting beside Mike Breen and maybe Mark Jackson broadcasting an NBA game.

Kansas City connection
This was news a few weeks back however I wanted to provide an update to the account.  Tyronn Lue and Earl Watson are both seated at the head table for the Cavs and Suns.  The Cavs are in much better shape on the court than the Suns who need a re-build.  After first serving as interim Watson was secured as head coach. On Lue’s staff as an assistant is Larry Drew who’s held the top spot with the Hawks and Bucks.

In the collegiate ranks John Cooper serves as head men’s coach at Miami (OH), Cooper played his college ball at Wichita State.  Terry Nooner is currently an assistant basketball coach for the women’s team at Maryland.  The connection all the aforementioned played their high school basketball in the Kansas City (MO) Metro.  

Bits n Pieces
It ain’t Jonathan Goldsmith alone; you might ask me who is Goldsmith?  He’s the actor who portrays the “The most interesting man in the world “in those Dos Equis beer commercials.  I believe if anything it’s a shared title and I believe John Salley shares the title and along with another.  Salley has been a renaissance man for a significant number of years.  “A person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas.”

That certainly fits Salley, former NBA champion with the Pistons, Bulls and Lakers, actor, talk-show host, basketball analyst and Wellness Advocate.  Those are just a few pursuits in the world of John Salley.  Salley was the 11th pick in the first round of the 1986 NBA Draft; he would become a valued member of the “Bad Boy” Pistons.  After later playing for the Bulls and Lakers he retired in 2000 where he continued his other quests.

NYC has long been unable to retain basketball talent the boroughs and surrounding area produces.  Rawle Alkins might be the latest example of this continued trend, he’s a 6-4 shooting guard from Brooklyn.  Alkins is rated the number nine prospect in Rivals Class of 2016 and committed to Arizona in March.  Sean Miller continues to attract high quality talent to the school.

More video of Shaquille O’Neal’s 16-year old son has come forward.  The 6-9 Shareef O’Neal appears to have basketball talent but here is the disclaimer.  The video was from an AAU game and after Thon Maker blew up on video I have become cautious in accessing talent.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Bits n Pieces
We are a little under two weeks from the draft lottery.  On May 17 the order of draft selection by NBA teams who are in the lottery will be determined.  As this is written draftExpress.com list Duke’s Brandon Ingram as the top pick.  The other mock site I regularly visit nbadraft.net says the top pick will be LSU’s Ben Simmons.  Interesting that both sites are agreement with the third pick, 7-foot power forward Dragan Bender from Maccabi Tel Aviv.

It’s interesting I posed the question 6 or 8 weeks ago.  Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton on May 6 released a story asking the question “What if the Lakers win lottery? “  I’m unable to read their column because it’s ESPN.com Insider.  Now I’m not claiming any type of psychic ability just forethought on a subject very close to me.

I’m too old for the fashion stylings of Russell Westbrook.  I have issues with portions of his
on-court game however I have greater problems with his wardrobe.  It’s clear I’m not the only one TNT’s Charles Barkley made note prior to telecast of a Thunder game.  Google Russell Westbrook fashion and make your own judgement.  Its all okay I guess nobody will ever force me to wear any of his clothing choices.

Headed elsewhere
Zach Brown is a 7-foot 260 pound center from Miami (FL).  The highly rated 2017 prospect verbally committed to UConn, he would leave Florida for Putnam Science Academy in Putnam (CT).  An altercation with opposing players and the youngster was “asked to leave” and he’s returned home.  Brown has since de-committed from UConn with no indication where he’s headed.  Brown is a talent however he needs to get his act together if he intends to at least enroll in a college.

I could be (likely) wrong
You realize it’s difficult to admit you might have been wrong about something, well that’s exactly what I’m about to do.  I cannot provide you the day, date or time but I remember my statement. After construction cost and the like soared to $1 billion dollars for the Barclays Center I said something similar to this.  “The U.S. economy has improved but it’s my belief sports fans are tired of paying for billion dollar stadiums and arenas for billionaire owners.”  Since I made that statement no new arenas have opened however three are on the horizon.

I’m not sure of the order of events so I’ll just list them in order of planned opening date.  The 17,500 seat Golden I Center will open g next fall in Sacramento and will become the new home for the Kings.  The Milwaukee Bucks Arena which is yet to have a corporate name attached will open in 2018 and will seat 18,065.  In San Francisco the Chase Center an 18,000 seat arena will become the new home of the Warriors, it has a planned opening in 2019.  This account doesn’t end here as this is written Seattle is entertaining a downtown arena to replace Key.  The city council is voting on the proposal so it’s not a done deal.  I don’t have complete details on all these construction projects however public funds are probably being utilized in some form or another.  

Bits n Pieces
Thon Maker will be drafted in round ______ and he will be the _______pick.   Of course there are blanks we don’t know, we only can speculate at this point however these projections might be close to accurate.  NBADraft.net projects the 7 foot prospect as the number 28 pick by the Suns in the first round while draftExpress.com says number 39 by the Pelicans in the second round.

Junior Bridgeman played in the NBA from 1975 through 1987 the better portion of that time was spent as a member of the Bucks.  This 6-5 former guard retired from the NBA with a business plan in mind.  Bridgeman’s plan would allow him to eventually own 240 Wendy’s and 120 Chili’s, he’s placed sales sign on his restaurants to move into another business directions.  He intends to become a Coca-Cola bottler in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Nebraska.

Sikeston Missouri is located 150 miles south of St. Louis and is home to Fred Thatch.  Thatch is a 6-2 200 pound forward who led his Bulldog team to a 28-3 record this past season.  He does everything for his team, 20 points 10 rebounds 5 assists and 3 steals a game.  Did I mention he is completing his sophomore year at Sikeston High School?  The only issue unless he’s still growing it’s likely he’ll move over to a guard position in college.  

ESPN’s Mark Jackson was a member of the Knicks and Jeff Van Gundy coached the team.  The two are paired as analyst for the network but I couldn’t remember if they were in New York at the same time.  Jackson left after the ‘91-‘92 season for the Clippers Van Gundy arrived with the Knicks in ‘95-‘96.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Trade the pick
Journalist and noted Laker hater Bill Simmons has provided us a narrative.  He claims; “Two reliable sources inform him the Lakers will trade their first round pick for a veteran player“.  He further indicates that player is; “Likely to be the Pacers Paul George.”  There exist a number of problems with this story beginning with Simmons.  George is only 26 years old; he recovered from that devastating broken leg to lead the Pacers this year in scoring.  Fact is George had his highest average since his arrival in the NBA in addition led in rebounds and assists.

We believe Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram will be stars but that’s yet to be proven.  Who do the Lakers give up besides one of the two to make this trade work?  It could be 23-year old Jordan Clarkson or 20-year old D’Angelo Russell plus cash.  With his 2015-16 return why would the Pacers consider trading George?  Number two the Lakers have no problem scoring the "absent" Laker defense was and is the main issue.  George could aid the defense but cannot resolve the larger topic the defense.  I never say never however anytime Simmons is in the middle of a story especially one involving the Lakers I become very skeptical.

A legion
According to the dictionary a Roman legion consisted of a minimum of 3,000 men.  The number of potential candidates for the Rockets head coach position is not quite that sizeable however it’s noteworthy.  Former Suns Coach Jeff Hornacek and Stephen Silas Hornet assistant are to be interviewed.  J.B. Bickerstaff (interim coach), Chris Finch, Sam Cassell and Mike D’Antoni have already been interviewed.  Bickerstaff later withdrew his name, no word if Patrick Ewing might also interview for the position.

“All That Jazz” plus basketball
The late Bob Fossee directed a movie about his life in a 1979 movie titled “All that Jazz.”  As for Wayman Tisdale it was “All That Jazz plus basketball.”  The late Wayman Tisdale was an accomplished jazz bassist.  His discography consists of 10 recordings beginning in 1995.  It’s likely a number of basketball fans never realized Tisdale was a pro in the jazz field.  On the other hand many in the music industry probably didn’t realize Tisdale was an All-American basketball player.  Tisdale was a 3X First Team All-American and 3X All Big Eight Player of the Year while enrolled at Oklahoma.

Tisdale became the second pick in the 1985 draft by the Indiana Pacers.  The 6-9 240 pound power forward had a 12-year NBA career playing for the Pacers and Kings and concluded his career with the Suns.  He would leave the NBA with a scoring average of 15.3 ppg and 6.1 rebounds.  The former basketball player devoted the balance of his life to the music he loved once retired.  Tisdale died in 2009 at age 44 from cancer related health issues.  Tisdale was honored with enshrinement in the College Basketball Hall of Fame in November of 2009.  

No need to rush
6-11 220 pound Ivan Rabb had a fairly good freshman season at Cal.  In today’s “hurry-up” climate this freshman decided in favor of the NBA.  He announced he was headed to the NBA but later would change his mind.  Coach Cuzono Martin informed Rabb it was likely he would not be a high draft pick, draft ability but not as high as Rabb might hope.  At least this makes more sense over the decision made by Brannen Green of Kansas.  The draft combine didn’t enter into Rabb’s decision and unlike Green he didn’t hire an agent.  He can return to Cal for his sophomore year.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Change
The report is breaking news so I’m providing thoughts prior to reading or hearing about it on television.  Larry Bird decided in favor of not renewing head coach Frank Vogel’s contract.  The Pacers similar to the Kings and some team I’m forgetting have begun a coaching search.  Vogel was an assistant at Boston, Philly and Indiana.  He was named interim coach at the time Jim O’Brian was fired, he assumed head coaching duties in 2011.

Every Pacer team made the playoffs with the exception of the 2014-15 season.    Paul George missed the season with an injury and the team dealt with a number of issues.  In 2015 they bounced back making the playoffs but were eliminated by the Raptors.  Vogel’s Pacer teams had a .580 winning percentage.  The only direct quote included in this was one from Larry Bird; “The team needed a new voice.”

This is serious business
How can I state the Kings need to hire Patrick Ewing but it’s not okay for Kevin McHale?  There must be a problem with 7-foot assistant coaches because Ewing has never been hired despite credentials serving a number of teams.  On the other hand sources have stated Kevin McHale has taken his name out of consideration for the top job with the Kings.

I believe (I could be wrong) Ewing might be more amenable to the craziness existing with the
Sactown front office.  McHale after Houston probably is unwilling to deal with anymore strange goings on.  Don’t misunderstand I’m not stating Ewing is a yes man, having no prior head coaching experience he would approach the job different from McHale.  McHale with stops at Minnesota and Houston has a background coaching.

Can you be too ol skool?
I pose this question because of Byron Scott’s comments.  He will forever be a Laker to me being Magic Johnson’s back court mate.  You may have heard Scott on the Dan Patrick Show or Rachel Nichols ESPN program The Jump.  The coach claims he was blindsided by the firing, he believed “This was a rebuild which would take three years.”  I’m not going to attempt what went wrong but consider Scott had a veteran team, they went 21-61.

This past season with a team comprised of mostly youngsters and a few veterans they finished
17-65.  What went wrong requires far more time than a simple couple of paragraphs.  Reading between the lines it appeared Scott had problems with several of the young Laker players.  Who was right-- who was wrong, doesn’t matter an under achieving team usually changes head coaches. D’Angelo Russell and others probably didn’t listen to the coach at times; the coach with ol skool mentally was difficult to change his style of coaching.

Slippery Slope
Awhile back I mentioned the “Thon Maker” approach to the NBA draft might possibly cause a change.  I used the term “slippery slope” because the ruling might create a change in the basketball landscape.  It was pointed out earlier Maker graduated in 2015 turned 19 in January (2016) while attending prep school.  Two years ago my friend’s son graduated high school.  With a number of scholarships on the table a Division I school suggested he attend a prep school.  I can only guess it may have been to raise his G.P.A. or maybe for some other reason.

In any event the youngster took the prep school route and this past season was on the roster of the Division I school.  Academically a junior for basketball he will be a sophomore and likely in the starting lineup.  I don’t believe the young man is talented enough for the NBA however consider the fact Thon Maker took the same route as my friend’s son.  The difference one headed off to college and the other is headed to the NBA a fact to take into consideration.

He did it 
Youngsters want to grow up and become the next Michael, LeBron or Kobe.  Few will say I want to be the next Kyle O’Quinn.  Who is this O’Quinn guy you are probably questioning.  He’s a reserve forward for the New York Knicks and exactly what did he accomplish?  When the 600 or so graduates walk across the stage for Norfolk State to receive their diploma’s O’Quinn will be in that number.

O’Quinn drafted by the Magic has been in the NBA since 2012 so it’s likely he’s making a decent salary.  Despite the salary there was no college diploma hanging on the wall, there will be after May 7 because he promised his mom and dad he would complete his education.  It took him a great deal more time however he accomplished the task of graduation when he could have just rested on his laurels.  Congratulations Kyle O’Quinn 2016 college graduate.

Basketball from a fans perspective

My apologies 
Every now and then I take an opportunity to apologize; generally you will see few misspelled words on Words eye view.  As diligent as I attempt to be in writing on occasion the publication has contained grammatical errors.  After publication I re-read Words in an effort to catch my mistakes.  I’m my own proof-reader which creates problems in itself.  Again my apologies, if sentence syntax looks strange skip it I’ll try and correct it.

I like it
Steve Kerr had a very appropriate answer to the question.  Asked if Draymond Green was a superstar he said; “I’m not sure what a superstar is.  Because sometimes that can mean the guy with all the endorsements.  Draymond doesn’t have all the endorsements yet.”  I might add to Kerr’s comment I can state with conviction Green can play whether you consider him a superstar, star or just a very good player he can play.

How bout the other guy?
We have been focused on Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram since last fall regarding the NBA Draft.  Early on we viewed LSU’s Simmons as the number one pick in the 2016 draft.  As the season wore on dents were noted in the “body armor of his game.”  Simmons in first place on mock sites was supplanted by Duke’s Ingram.  It turns out skinny as Ingram is (196 pounds) he is a much better shooter while Simmons might be the better all-around player.  So there you are Simmons then Ingram, Ingram then Simmons back and forth we went all winter and into the spring.

What about the other guy Dragan Bender, my two sources indicate he will be either the number three or four pick in the draft.  Bender will arrive on our shores in a manner similar to Kristaps Porzingis last season, we know little about the 7-foot prospect except he‘s tall.  We don’t want another “Stephen A. Smith” rant once Bender is drafted.  He’s from Calpine a town of 28,000 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and plays for Macabbi Tel Aviv in Israel.  Although he’s played center Bender is more suited to play the power forward position in the NBA.  Is he Porzingis 2.0 you ask, I don’t know but you can bet the NBA team drafting him hopes so.

Growing in our eyes
I have grown in appreciation of Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra.  Although he played basketball in college and was an assistant coach with the Heat there were questions when he assumed the role of head coach.  Spoelstra was “invisible” his first two years at the helm despite the fact the Heat was in the playoffs both years.  Spoelstra’s third year as head coach must have been solar hot with pressure; the arrival of LeBron James along with Chris Bosh possibly created an immense burden.  With the assembly of talent the Heat were expected “win not one, not two” you remember the line.  Despite a 58-34 regular season record they faced the Mavs in the 2011 NBA Championship and came up on the losing end.  A number of critics stated Spoelstra had been out-coached and hindsight says maybe he was but he did learn from the experience.

The Heat would go on to win two consecutive NBA Championships and compete for a third.  Last season after LeBron left they finished 37-45; part of the downturn can be attributed to Chris Bosh.  After moving out of LeBron’s shadow he reverted to his Raptor days.  At the All-Star break he would suffer blot clots in his legs and would miss the balance of the season.  In 2015-16 the Heat returned to form as they posted a 48-34 regular season record finishing in 1st place in the Southeast Division.  They returned to the playoffs once again and slipped by the Hornets four games to three in the first round.  They are now matched against the Raptors in the semi-finals, regardless how the series turns out we are sure.  We are sure Erik Spoelstra has learned how to coach in the NBA.

Nationalism versus the NBA
Did you hear Kristaps Prozingis is skipping the Olympic qualification for Latvia?  Pure speculation on my part so take it as that.  The wear and tear of his rookie year with the Knicks has worn him down---he’s plain tired.  The other is not speculative the Knicks want him to remain here to work on portions of his game.  If he shows up in the Summer League I’ll know I was wrong about being worn down.