Basketball from a fans perspective

The wait is over
I’ve made my choice; of course my view doesn’t matter.  I’m not Sixers Coach Brett Brown or have any connection with the front office.  After watching Joel Embiid in action tonight (versus the Thunder) Jahlil Okafor should be placed immediately on the trading block.  Not because Okafor is a bad player he’s actually pretty good.  

Baring injury I believe offensively and defensively Embiid’s ceiling is much higher than that of Okafor.  What do I know I’m just a basketball fan?   In only 22 minutes on the court Embiid had 20 points grabbed 7 rebounds and blocked 2 shots, the Sixers fell to the Thunder 103-97.  It’s been reported rookie Ben Simmons will return in January, give them an adjustment period and the two will be a dynamic double I predict.  

1 down 16 to go
The Lakers won only 17 games last year, they only eclipsed the 76ers in wins last season. The win last night over the Rockets started the Lakers on the road to surpass last seasons win total. Basketball remains a team effort however if not for Jordan Clarkson’s 25 points the Lakers might have lost the game.  The guard is in a new role for now he’s the 6th man.  Who else impressed I’d have to say center Timofey Mosgov; I wasn’t sure what to expect.  

I witnessed few games Mosgov played last season while a member of the Cavs.  The Laker big man scored 12 points on a variety of shots grabbed 8 rebounds and did a decent job of clogging the lane.  I seriously doubt if Mosgov will allow Laker fans to forget the days of Chamberlain, Abdul Jabbar or Shaq.  Julius Randle’s line was 18 points 7 rebounds and 6 assists and 1 blocked shot.  This team is a WIP, work in progress they are so very young. Clarkson is age 24, Randle 21, Russell 20 and Ingram 19, there is a limited veteran presence.

Baltimore Bullets
We’ve discussed cities the NBA will never return Baltimore is certainly one of those cities.  The most recent Bullets team moved to the Washington D.C. area and eventually was re-named the Wizards.  The original Bullets had a unique history they were founded in 1944 and died in the 1954-1955 season.  In 1944 the team began life in the American Basketball League three years later (1947) they accepted an invitation and moved into the Basketball Association of America. 1948 would be the high water mark as they won the BAA Championship.  

Once the merger was consummated the Bullets moved into the National Basketball Association. From near that point on the team suffered on the court and at the box office.  In 1954 with a 3-11 record the Bullets team was dissolved.  Chicago was granted an NBA expansion team in 1961 thus the Packers were born and a year later they made a name change to the Zephyrs.  This team preceded the Bulls existence but could never gain a fan following.  They moved to Baltimore for the 1963-64 season and were re-named the Bullets.  In 1973 the franchise moved to the Washington D.C. area.  As you can see there have been basketball teams with Bullets on the jersey with two different franchises in Baltimore with no other connection other than the city.

Saluki 
Don’t worry if you are not familiar with a Saluki neither was I.  It’s a breed of dog also known as a Persian Greyhound.  I’m watching a Knicks-Nets game and Knick play by play announcer Walt Frazier mentioned Saluki’s in the NBA.  Only 10 Saluki’s have played in the NBA with Frazier leading the way.  The 6-4 Frazier would become the 5th pick in the 1967 NBA Draft by the Knicks and is double-double man.  Frazier has been enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame. He was a valued teammate in two Knicks NBA Champion seasons.   

In addition the former point guard was awarded another honor being selected a member of the NBA 50th Anniversary Team.  After he retired in 1980 he immediately went into broadcasting, he’s been a member of the MSG broadcast team as color analyst for the Knicks since that time. This is but a thumbnail sketch of the basketball accomplishments of Walt “Clyde” Frazier.  Finally TNT broadcaster Craig Sager has nothing on Frazier in the wardrobe department.  Truth is Frazier was wearing wild threads long before Sager arrived on the scene.  Walt Frazier another basketball legend who remains in the game.