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.
