Basketball from a fans perspective

“I ain’t scurred!“
Kyrie Irving didn’t actually phrase his statement in the above manner; he did indicate he was unafraid of facing the Sixers Joel Embiid.  In his short limited minutes NBA career Embiid’s reputation for blocking shots has preceded him.  Irving’s 39 points allowed the Cavs to slip past the Sixers 112 to 108.  As for that guy that blocks shots he only had 3 however the balance of his numbers were 4 assists along with 9 rebounds and 22 points. This accomplished in his limit of 25 minutes court-time.  

Pre-occupation with numbers
I’m sometimes unsure why ESPN.com NBA is so pre-occupied with records.  “Russell Westbrook is now tied with LeBron James in career triple-doubles” reads the sentence. That’s not exactly correct; Westbrook accomplished the feat in a lesser number of games than LeBron.  Don’t confuse us ESPN that’s not exactly correct.  

A gradual increase
I’m not sure who to attribute the statement however I certainly agree. It was during the recent Laker-Warriors game and the announcer said “Laker Brandon Ingram was a fan of Kevin Durant.” He stated how thin Durant was on his arrival in the NBA; Durant packed about 210 pounds on his 6-9 frame.  

Ingram checks in a 190 pounds on at 6-9 and the announcer said “Durant couldn’t bench press 185 pounds at the time he first came into the NBA.”  Durant now weighs about 240 pounds adding weight and muscle over his career.  “Ingram should gain weight in the same manner” which makes sense.  If Ingram were to put on 20 pounds immediately he’d probably be sluggish and much slower, a gradual weight increase is the best method to pack on weight.      

Plenty of bragging
North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, Kentucky and UCLA fans like to argue their basketball program is better than yours.  I am steering this ship in neutral waters because I have no favoritism toward any of the programs profiled.   Year after year witness these schools are usually at the top of the college basketball world.  On occasion with the exception of UCLA one or more are competing for the NCAA Championship.  These schools are among the best due to good coaching and the fact they are able to attract top-notch talent to their respective campus.  What about the NBA might be your question.  The NBA certainly is should not be considered a barometer of skill.  I believe there are a number of good to great college players at each of these schools.  Sometimes they are unable to transfer the success of college into the NBA.   With the disclaimer out of the way let’s check the numbers each of theses schools have provided NBA teams.    

Kentucky-168
UCLA-91
North Carolina-81
Kansas-68
Duke-66

I bet you were surprised to see UCLA in the mix?  Under a succession of coaches John Wooden, Larry Brown, Ben Howland and Steve Alford to name just a few.  

Stats Courtesy Real GM