Basketball from a fans perspective

Confused, that’s me

Kansas City lies 350 road miles from Oklahoma City, yet Thunder games are blacked out.  Tonight I discovered Kansas City is also included in the black-out games involving the Denver Nuggets despite the fact we are 600 miles from that city.  This is the confusing part, Thunder and Nuggets games on ESPN/ABC and TNT are available however the games telecast on NBA TV are blacked out.  I have no idea if this rule applies to Kansas City area fans with NBA League Pass I don't have the subscription service.  Stay tuned as I investigate the black-out rules further.   

North American Premier Basketball League

The KC Buzz, scratch that nickname its now the Tornadoes will soon begin play in a brand new pro basketball league.  How do you change nicknames prior to your first game?  You do it when threatened legally, the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets mascot is nicknamed Buzz.  The school contacted the KC ownership group and the decision was quickly made to change the team name.  The North American Basketball League is an 8-team league comprised of the following cities:

Albany, New York

Owensboro, Kentucky

Mesquite, Nevada

Akron, Ohio

Rochester, New York

Richmond, British Columbia (Canada)

Yakima, Washington

Kansas City, Missouri  

In 2019 Bellevue Washington will begin play in the new league.  As for Kansas City's team it's likely former Kansas guard Sherron Collins will be the only familiar player to Kansas City spectators.  I certainly don’t wish to paint a gloom and doom picture but I can’t help but wonder if the timing is right for a brand-new basketball league.  After all we have the NBA, G-League plus the revitalized ABA founded in 2000, I’ve not included college basketball in the picture.  We shall see if this new league can gain a toe hold with basketball fans across the nation. 

I’m old

Nobody needs to remind me of my age, my once somewhat competent jumper has abandon me.  My leaping ability which was good for my height has departed my legs.  My knees ache and I am winded much sooner than I was at one point in life.  You ask how old, old enough to remember LeBron James play for St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School in Akron (OH).  I’m writing this December 30^th which is LeBron’s 33^rd birthday, my oh my he’s 33 now?  Slow down, forget that LeBron continues to play at a high skill level….Happy birthday LeBron. 

Technology

It should be apparent by now technology has outpaced the speed of today’s game.  An example might be Friday evenings game between the Bucks and Thunder.  Bucks forward Giannis Antetounmpo stepped out of bounds in his last drive toward the basket before he scored what became the winner 97-95.  In the NFL and MLB, the officials call a timeout turn to instant replay and make the call good or bad depending on your perspective.  Basketball certainly has replay capability but not on a similar type play.  Basketball has become too speedy a game to make the correct call all the time. 

If you check out the replay the official is within 5 feet of Antetounmpo at the time the player is driving toward the basket.  The officials focus is on Antetounmpo’s upper body he’s not looking at the location of the players foot.  Was the official in error, likely not he was in the position he should have been in.  Thunder broadcasters were not pleased with the outcome of the game however there is really nothing that could have been done to prevent the result in my view.  NOTE:  As this was being completed came word the NBA Competition Committee will explore viable solutions to late-game out of bound plays.  All I can say to that is good luck.  

Basketball from a fans perspective

Which one

We’ve discussed polls and the fact students, faculty, alums and fans point to them with pride.  Good ole Fictional University is the number 10 team in the country they say to all within earshot.  Is one poll more valuable than the other, well consider this.  As for the Associated Press poll much as a writer might know about the sport its highly likely he ever coached the game, he could have played but that’s about it.  How about the USA Coaches poll, if a basketball coach is worth his weight he can’t do what I do?  I watch easily 10 or more college games a week.  It’s likely the head coach relinquishes his voting rights to an assistant coach.  So there you have the flaw in both polls but guess what we love them. 

Bits n Pieces

Speaking of the draft a brief discussion of the Ball brothers and their eligibility for the draft. The brothers have signed a 1-year contract but only one will be eligible for the 2018 NBA draft.  Middle son LiAngelo has no issue, he’s already qualified based on his high school graduation.  As for LaMelo that’s another story, below are the qualifications for the NBA draft I located on Wikipedia. 

“All drafted players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft.”

“Any player who is not an “international player”, as defined in the CBA, must be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class.”    

Youngest son LaMelo cannot be considered for the 2018 draft as for 2019 that’s a different story.

Unless we gauge talent through the eyes of a coach or scout our view can sometimes be jaded.  An example might be Mizzou power forward Kevin Puryear.  Puryear played high school ball at Blue Springs South in the Kansas City metro. I was excited when he announced three years ago he’d be attending Mizzou.  The 6-7 220-pound Puryear arrived on campus to a new coach, new system but a bad team.  Despite the teams’ poor play, he demonstrated he’d made the leap from high school to Division I basketball.  His scoring and rebound numbers will not wow you and I’m certainly not declaring him an NBA prospect, this I do know despite what my wife’s cousin told me three years ago 

he can play. 

I saw a video of Shareef O’Neal son of Shaquille O’Neal giving away a pair of his shoes after a basketball game.  I decided to check on the shoes his father markets, unlike Nike, Adidas and some of the other manufactures the basketball shoes are moderately priced ($40.00).  In addition, Shoe Carnival and Wal Mart are just two of the retail outlets stores with his shoes on their shelves.  Get this footwearnews.com claims Shaq sold over 120 million shoes at Wal Mart alone in 2016.    

History of televised college basketball

College basketball has been broadcast on television since 1940 when the first experimental game was telecast from Madison Square Garden.  World War II impacted the growth of television especially in the sports world however basketball would gain a toe hold in this new medium of mass communication.  During the 1950’s we’d witness an increasing number of basketball games become available however they were regionally telecast.  Those reading this under age 40 might find it difficult to believe in this day of ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports Network and the YES Network there were no nationally telecast games prior to the mid- ‘60’s.  No coast to coast telecast for basketball only regional.  

The landscape would change forever in January 1968, number one UCLA led by Lew Alcindor faced Elvin Hayes leader of the University of Houston.  The TVS Network was able to string together a gathering of network and independent stations to link up forming a national television audience.  The game was played in Houston’s Astrodome before 100,000 fans and would become the first ever nationally televised college basketball game.  Many trace that game for the groundwork that would become the sports networks of today.  Eddie Einhorn owner of TVS sold his interest in the network in 1980 although still operating today its on a much smaller scale than its heyday.  The history cannot be compiled in a few sentences however this is intended to provide a brief overview.  

Basketball from a fans perspective

Yessssss

In my Marv Albert voice, I’m saying yes to the trade if it occurs, what trade you say?  The trade where the Lakers acquire DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins.  Don’t turn on ESPN or NBA.com looking for details it’s not occurred, and it just might never be completed.  There are reports the Lakers are attempting a trade at the deadline for Boogie.  I know what you are saying: “Head case why in the world do they want him.?”  Until Joel Embiid plays a full season, until DeAndre Jordan can shoot free-throws Boogie is the best big man in the NBA. 

Check out these numbers: nearly 26 points and 12 rebounds along with 1.5 blocked shots per game.  At the ripe ol age of 27 Boogie’s got seven NBA seasons under his belt plenty of time to win a championship or two.  Back to you mentioning him being a head case, I likely have the number wrong, but it appears he played for four coaches his first five years.  The Kings hire a coach he loves (Mike Malone) and management fires him after his first year. The 6-11 270-pound Boogie wants to win a feat unattainable by the Kings. Why do I want him on the Lakers, simple he’s a talented big man, I’m sure the Lakers can deal with his drama? 

Mr. GQ

The Villanova Wildcats are number one in the most recent polls; Jay Wright is number one in style among basketball coaches.  Pat Riley lost his first place standing several years ago, Riley remains just as stylish but as president of the Heat rather than coaching he moved out of his first-place slot.  In addition to a stylish wardrobe Wright’s Wildcats are none again at the top of the collegiate ranks, as this is written they are 12-0 and trending upward.  They will likely lose a game or two maybe three prior to the NCAA Tournament.  One thing we know for sure the Wildcats will be there, Wright will be prowling the sidelines in one of the many suits he owns coaching the Wildcats or ready for GQ photo shoot. 

Close the border

The calendar has not turned to 2018 and already we are discussing 2019.   The Kansas City Star article headline read; “In-state talent will be a good test for Missouri’s Cuonzo Martin.”  The article asks the question if 2019 will be the class Martin is able to “close the border.”  There are several highly talented in Missouri and on the Kansas side of the Kansas City MO metro. I’ve mentioned this previously former Mizzou football Coach Gary Pinkel might have been the first to popularize closing the border, i.e. recruiting much of the talent in the state.  

I can agree with that view and find an opposing one.  Oklahoma has struck gold this season with Trae Young, the freshman phenom whom they recruited from the same location of the university. Consider the Duke’s, Carolina’s and Kentucky’s have recruited talent from North Carolina and Kentucky.  They have also recruited talent from across the country and well.  Mizzou certainly is not held in the same breath with prospects as these others however they can build on 2017.

Changes in HOF voting

I hate to be an “I told you so” however I expressed an opinion earlier and it will now be addressed.  Several years back news media identified North Carolina basketball had a troubled academic program.  The coach was identified as part of the problem and that would-be Roy Williams, Hall of Fame Roy Williams.  I remember questioning at the time why the HOF allows active coaches in the HOF but demands former players must wait years to be enshrined.  The Naismith Hall of Fame sought to correct this issue by changing a portion of the eligibility requirements. 

Rick Pitino long-time Louisville coach was terminated before the season due to improper activities with the basketball program.  I’d like to refer to these recent changes instituted by Naismith as the “Rick Pitino” rule.  Coaches now are now required to have coached 25 years or more in addition they must reach a minimum age of 60 years.  Those two changes don’t go all the way however they certainly addressed a concern I once raised.  Evidence could be exposed regarding a coach with 30 years and age 65 but it’s highly unlikely.     

Basketball from a fans perspective

I had no response

I’ve mentioned on several occasions in the past my wife is a casual NBA fan, she hardly knows any of today’s NBA players except maybe LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade.  She probably only knows Wade due to the fact he’s married to actress Gabrielle Union, she is acquitted with the Ball family thanks to yours truly.  I informed her Lonzo had purchased a $300,000 Rolls-Royce as a Christmas gift to his parents.  My wife said: “Did they ask for it?”  I had no further comment because I didn’t have an answer to her question and its clear to me my wife was unimpressed. 

Integrity

I’ve mentioned this at least once last season and it’s worth mentioning again with another incident.  The Christmas day game between the Warriors and Cavs contained errors.  The NBA office in its “Last Two Minute” report indicated game officials missed three fouls on Durant and one by LeBron as they guarded one another.  Game officials have missed calls since the beginning of time is there a purpose in later admitting an error was made? 

Trivia

Tick, tick, tick the clock is ticking, do you have the answer?  Remember I stated both have been mentioned in past basketball stories.  The answer is Nate Thurmond and Gus Johnson and I’ll provide a brief bio.   Gus Johnson was born in Akron Ohio in 1938 three years later Nate Thurmond was born also from Akron.    The 6-11 Thurmond and 6-6 power forward Johnson were teammates at Central High School in the city.  After outstanding NBA careers Thurmond would be enshrined in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame and Johnson in the Naismith Hall.    

Johnson was nicknamed “Honeycomb” by his college coach due to his sweet play.  Kareem Abdul Jabbar claimed of all the opposing centers he faced Thurmond played him toughest.  Johnson would die in 1987 at age of 48 from brain cancer, Thurmond passed away at age 74 in 2016 from leukemia.  I researched this duo, as far as I could determine this is the only instance of two high school teammates in the HOF.  As I indicated there are baseball and football teammates enshrined in the NFL Hall in Canton and Cooperstown for baseball however they became teammates in college or in the professional ranks.   

Six months from now 

It’s not June, we have plenty of time to decide who becomes the top pick in the 2018 NBA draft.  DraftXpress is asking should Luka Doncic be that pick, their contention the Slovenia’s is a pro currently versus a Bagley or Ayton who still retain amateur status.  If Doncic does indeed become the top choice it will not be the first time an international play has been the top pick.  I researched NBA draft history and you probably knew this, but I wanted to remind you. 

In 2002 Yao Ming was made the first choice in the draft by the Rockets, in 2005 Andrew Bogut became the pick that year by the Bucks.  The following year in 2006 Andrea Bargnani was the choice of the Raptors.  Several players had parents who were born elsewhere although their off-spring were born here.  In addition, I didn’t list any Canadian players (Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett).  So, as you can see if Doncic is made the top pick in June he wouldn’t be the first foreign born player.  

Basketball from a fans perspective

Christmas day and evening games

What’s your assessment of the Christmas games?   I’m not going to lie and tell you I saw all five games from start to finish…. I did see most of all the games.  In my estimation there was a tie between Sixers-Knicks and Warriors-Cavs as  the best games.  

Trivia

Several Yankee teammates are in the baseball hall of fame, same for the NFL with the Steelers and maybe the 49ers.  There is a trivia question which I believe might be the only time this has occurred.  Two high school basketball teammates are enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame.  I’ve checked, and there might be another combo, but I believe these are the only two in history.  If you’ve read Words eye view any length of time the two have been mentioned in the past.  One more hint: The two played in the in the NBA in the '60's.  The answer in tomorrow's Words eye view.     

Sometimes stuff is plain funny (other times its not)

In the Lakers win over the Rockets last week Kyle Kuzma was blazing hot almost as hot as the sun.  He was 12-17 from the floor (.706) and 3-6 (.500) from the 3-point line.  Kuzma scored 38 points leading the way as the Lakers ended the Rockets 14-game winning streak.  He said afterwards: “It was my hottest game since 5^th or 6^th grade.” 

This occurred last season on a SportsCenter segment, the reporter provided us the Wichita State score and then said with a smile on his face “I didn’t know Wichita had a state.” Evidently the dummy thought his comment must have been humorous.  I guess he failed to realize there’s a Ball State, Cheney State, Adams State and Albany State just to name a few.  

I omitted this one a few weeks back when discussing basketball characters, that was the late Charles Shackelford.  Shackelford playing for North Carolina State at the time once told a reporter: “I can shoot with my left hand, I can shoot with my right hand I’m amphibious.”

Michael Beasley and I share the same birthday although not the same year, January 9.  Beasley off the Knicks bench has exhibited blistering scoring recently.  Asked about his hot streak he responded: “I’ve been hot since January 9, 1989.”  That was the date Beasley was born which provides us an indication of his offensive prowess.  I’d mentioned this previously maturity and no other aspects of the game have impacted his NBA career thus far. 

Is he guilty?

Last year near this time-period Brian Bowen was sitting on top of the world.  Already a 5-star recruit in the Class of 2017 he would soon be named a McDonald’s All American.  Yes, the 6-7 forward was likely headed to the NBA after his freshman year at Louisville.  Then his entire world fell apart, the justice department/FBI investigation named his family in it’s investigation.  The report indicated an Adidas representative promised the family $100,000 if Bowen signed with Louisville. 

An initial payment of $19,500 was received by Brian Bowen Sr.  The scholarship was revoked at Louisville so on December 24 he remains out of school yet has done nothing wrong.  Bowen indicates he still wants to play college ball rather than the G-League or Europe however the later choices are probably his only remaining options at this point.  On the surface it appears the younger Bowen has done nothing wrong yet is punished just the same.  

Basketball from a fans perspective

Small ball…bah humbug

No argument from me the Warriors have certainly made small-ball the style to play however on Christmas day we witnessed a return to the Big Man’s game.  I’m referring to the Sixers-Knicks battle at Madison Square Garden, the Sixers were led by 7-foot Joel Embiid.  Leading the way for the Knicks was 6-11 Enes Kanter and 7-3 Kristaps Porzingis.  Side note it’s easy to see why Kanter is playing and Joakim Noah has found a permanent seat on the bench, the Sixers were winners 105-98.

Joel Embiid 25 points 16 rebounds 3 assists 3 blocked shots

Enes Kanter 31 points 22 rebounds

Kristaps Porzingis 22 points 7 rebounds 5 blocked shots

No one player is a team Embiid was capably assisted by teammates J.J. Redick with 25 points and T.J. McConnell's 15 points.  

Conference play

The Tigers of Mizzou are off until next Wednesday January 3.  They play in that other Columbia the one located in South Carolina as SEC play begins.  There remain unanswered questions as league play begins the chief one is the exceeding high numbers of turnovers even in victory.  Coaching staffs in preparation will see this as a dent in the armor of the Tigers. 

The fix is______, who becomes the reliable steady point guard.  He steps up prepared to run the offense smoothly and limit the number of turnovers.  I hope you noticed I left the space blank because I’m unsure who Coach Martin moves into that spot.  I believe the offense will take care of itself once the point guard issue is resolved…. besides the fact generally the team has shot well from the floor. 

I’m going to check

USA Today contained a photo and story of Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s visit to the Chase Center under construction.  The 18,00-seat arena in San Francisco is scheduled to open in time for the 2019 NBA season.  I read an article recently by a bay area writer and he took the Warriors to task for this move.  Many know the story; the Warriors have moved from arena to arena throughout the bay area with no permanent home since their 1962 move from Philadelphia.  This writer indicated until the team moved to Oakland they basically had no fan base, the residents of east bay are that. 

They have one of the loudest arenas in the NBA containing rabid loyal fans.  This writer claims these are the “good days” two championships in the last three years.  He questions what occurs should the Warriors come back to earth, will those attending games in San Francisco maintain the loyalty of those in the east bay.  There are factors which cannot be fully detailed for years.  All we can say is this writer must represent many fans who are not pleased with the prospect of a new arena especially in San Francisco.     

Were they really the “good ol days”?

I listened briefly to a discussion on sports talk radio last week.  The host was discussing when tuning into a broadcast now you have no idea who the broadcaster might be.  In addition, you might not even be familiar with him or her.  You turned on the CBS telecast on Saturday morning/afternoon it was Verne Lundquist, Brent Musberger or Jim Nantz or some other name you might be familiar with.  I didn’t listen to the balance of the discussion, so I have no idea if they reached the conclusion I’m about to discuss. 

The advent of ESPN and other sports networks has expanded the broadcast field substantially.  The networks cannot rely on 5 or 6 broadcasters based on coverage.  During the basketball season there are games played every day of the week, no way can a small number be expected to handle the workload.  The old days of Lundquist, Musberger or Nantz are history, they represented broadcasting college basketball in the good ol days.  The other matter with the expanded number of games being televised it provides younger media talent to begin broadcast careers.   

Basketball from a fans perspective

We don’t need no NFL…. today belongs to us!

December 25 is Christmas for many throughout the nation and the world, I say Merry Christmas to all who celebrate to you and your family.  I remember in 2011 consumer advocate Ralph Nader wrote a letter to then Commissioner Stern asking the NBA to curb scheduling games on Christmas Day.  Nader’s reasoning didn’t make a great deal of sense below is the letter:    

“I urge you to reconsider the Christmas day NBA overload in a spirit of decency, regard and recognition as to how this will disrupt family gatherings throughout the day with predictable arguments between children and parents about watching the games instead of spending quality time with siblings, parents, relatives and friends.”

Never been in arguments in my household how about yours?  Forget I even mentioned this it didn’t make a great deal of sense in 2011 and it doesn’t now.  In any event the NBA schedule is full.  Below are the teams playing start time and network. 

Sixers at Knicks 11:00 a.m. Central ESPN

Cavs at Warriors 2:00 p.m. Central ABC

Wizards at Celtics 4:30 p.m. Central ABC

Rockets at Thunder 7:00 p.m. Central ABC

Wolves at Lakers 9:30 p.m. Central TNT 

They were still Kings

It’s been discussed the Kings were not very good during the 13 seasons Kansas City was home.  They finished above .500 only four times while here and the of those most games they won in any one season was 48.  Despite the poor team record and even poorer draft choices the Kansas City edition of the Kings had several outstanding players, this is my Top Five best of the best.  Leading the way is Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald, he’s in the Naismith Hall of Fame, need I say anymore.  Talking about records that will never be tied or eclipsed Archibald holds one of the records.  In the 1973 season he led the NBA in scoring (34.0) and assists (11.38).  It just so happens he might have been the first combo guard in the NBA. 

No doubt center Sam Lacey is the second best to wear a Kansas City Kings jersey. The 6-10 Lacey played tough defense on the best of centers of that period which include Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Dave Cowens and Nate Thurmond to name just a few.  Lacey was quite skillful at passing the basketball, in one season he averaged 5.7 assists leading NBA centers in that category.  Scott Wedman arrived in the NBA from Colorado, Wedman would go on to play a significant role with the Kings.  What happened, with free-agency pending the Kings could not afford to keep both Wedman and Otis Birdsong so what did they do?  They allowed Wedman to walk and traded Birdsong. 

Otis Birdsong was probably the best shooting guard the University of Houston had produced up to that time.  The Kings taking Birdsong in the first round he would have four outstanding seasons prior to his trade to the Nets.  Finally, we arrive at Phil Ford an All-American point guard at North Carolina.  Ford was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1979.  For reasons unknown Ford (now in the College Basketball Ford was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1979  For reasons unknown Ford (now in the College Basketball Hall of Fame) was trade to the Nets for Ray Williams.  Williams would play all of one season in a Kings jersey.  There you have it the best of the best, most left Kansas City due to managements inability to pay them.    

The year of someone else

It occurs every season, the bragging regarding the Big 12 conference.  At the end of the season Kansas is declared champion.  A few years they win the post-season tournament other years it’s been another team.  The invites go out and by the second or third round Big 12 teams have all been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. Could 2018 be different, let’s check the records as of December 24:

TCU 12-0

Texas Tech 11-1

West Virginia 11-1

Oklahoma 10-1

Baylor 10-2

54 wins versus 5 losses, could a weak non-conference schedule be the factor here?  Better yet do these schools wind up “beating each other up” in conference play thus allowing Kansas another championship?  I guess we must check back in the spring to determine how this all plays out.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Turnovers, @&%#$ turnovers

My friend Dwayne said the Mizzou loss “is summed up in 6 syllables: 21 turnovers.”   I could break at this point and you have the synopsis of the game but no I’m not going to stop there.  Final score appeared close 70-64 but there were portions Mizzou was behind as much as 20 points.  The game was “A Tale of Two Cities Half’s: Illinois 42 in the first half Mizzou 22, the second half it was Illinois 28 Mizzou 42. 

Even more interesting Illinois shooting 39% from the floor didn’t really out shoot Mizzou that badly (38.2%).  Coach Martin continues to rotate shooting guards at the point which I believe is key to the overwhelming number of turnovers in this game.  I'm disappointed but remain patient with the Tigers.  As for Mizzou's practice on Tuesday I’d certainly like to be a fly on the wall, I've never seen actual fire come out of a coaches mouth LOL.

Marching to his own pace

Celtic guard Kyrie Irving is a good basketball player, he’s also intelligent enough to enroll at Duke although he was only there his freshman year.   Kyrie is also one of those guys who marches to a different pace, not wrong just different.  Last year while a member of the Cavs he was reported to have stated his belief the world was flat.  Of course, that statement defies current scientific proof, so we move on.  Questioned recently regarding Christmas he indicated it was just a holiday or words to that effect.  I’m not going to debate that view either just state we should expect him to play basketball and forget questioning him on anything unrelated, just my thought. 

Junior college basketball 

Often there are athletes who attend junior colleges after high school.  Most often they attend a community or junior college to raise their GPA.  Often, it’s more than grades holding back an athlete, its skill.   The youngster shows promise but there are “holes” in their game a year or two in junior college can sometimes be beneficial to continued development.  They might wind up a Division I or II program somewhere in the nation with the NBA in their future.  Bob McAdoo former player is in the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame.  Prior to displaying his skill at North Carolina and later the NBA it began Vincennes then a junior college. 

McAdoo was enrolled there from 1969-71.  Also from the junior college ranks Dennis Rodman, Naismith Hall of Famer Rodman begin his basketball journey at Cook County Community College now known as North Central Texas College.  As for the present Wolves guard/forward Jimmy Butler begin his ascension to the NBA from Tyler Junior College in Tyler Texas.  Cavs forward Jae Crowder played at Howard College a two-year community college in Big Spring Texas.  There are others not mentioned but the point is this, it doesn’t matter where your journey begins the key is where it ends.               

Has he turned the corner

During the month of December his field goal percentage has risen to .438, his scoring rose to 12.4 points per game while he averaged 6.3 assists and 6.6   rebounds.  Those numbers are certainly not eye-popping however they detail continued improvement especially in shooting.  The stats belong to Laker rookie Lonzo Ball who just might have turned the corner on his offense.  I doubt if he ever becomes a great shooter, but he could become a better shooter. 

The one area this “shot doctor” would desire additional improvement are drives to the basket and free-throw shooting.  As this is written he’s shooting .480 from the line far too low for a guard.  I hate to nitpick but an improvement in those areas could raise his scoring average 3-4 points.  On Friday he registered 24 points 5 rebounds and 5 assists against the Warriors, which demonstrates improvement.  Despite his effort I’m sure he would down play it since his team lost 113-106.  

Basketball from a fans perspective

The ceremony

Thank you Mike Wilbon of ESPN for pointing out a detail I’d quickly forgotten, the number of basketball attendees at Kobe’s jersey ceremony.  I know your haters always want to remind us how many people dislike Kobe, it’s clear that mentality doesn’t apply to many of his former teammates, adversaries or Hall of Fame athletes.  The gathering was a who’s who of the NBA, former Coach Phil Jackson was absent as for the others:

Jerry West

Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Allen Iverson

Bill Russell

Shaquille O’Neal

Elgin Baylor

Derek Fisher

I don’t count Magic Johnson or Luke Walton, as employees of the Lakers they were required to be in attendance.  There might have been other former players I might have omitted but those were among the number I saw on my television screen.  Any of them could have been anyplace but Staples but chose to be there for this ceremony.  So, there you have it former Lakers and advisories and Russell and Baylor who long ago retired from the game. 

Dick Einberg

Died on Thursday at the age of 82, for those who might be unfamiliar was a Hall of Fame broadcaster.  No one person or group is responsible for the growth of college basketball on television however this legendary broadcaster played a key role.  Einberg was the broadcaster for the UCLA-Houston Game of the Century basketball held in 1968.  The game held in Houston’s Astrodome featured UCLA’s Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) and Elvin Hayes of Houston.  This game played before 100,000 fans would become the first nationally telecast college game.  

At that time college basketball was a regional event however a defunct network TVS set up a national television audience.  Einberg was also behind the mic as Notre Dame upset UCLA’s 88-game winning streak back in 1974.  In 1979 Einberg was the broadcaster for the NCAA Championship match between Magic Johnson of Michigan State and Larry Joe Bird Indiana State.  Although closely identified with basketball Einberg broadcast other sports too including a considerable number of Super Bowl games.  He was among the number of pioneers responsible for expanding the boundaries of sports broadcasting Eingberg was in that number, R.I.P.

Tabloid sports reporting

I have no idea who Phil Mushnick is other than he writes for the New York Post.  On December 2 he decided to trash my Mizzou Tigers, his piece was titled; “Complacent media give broken sports world a pass” Among the shortcomings of sport, he was critical of Mizzou’s ethics in hiring Michael Porter Sr. who in turn might have been responsible for his son coming to the school.  The point he attempts to make Porter Sr is payed to guarantee Michael Porter Jr. plays at Mizzou.  

Mushnick doesn’t just stop there he goes back to Larry Brown hiring Ed Manning as an assistant in 1984 and son Danny Manning arriving on campus to play for Kansas. There are many questions involving college basketball we see that from the Justice Department/FBI action prior to the start of the season.  If Mizzou or Kansas for that matter did something illegal I would be at the head of the line asking for punishment.  Despite the attempt by Mushnick to besmirch Mizzou basketball this one falls flat on its face.  If he bothered to fully explore the sport college he’d discover the Porter/Manning account is not as new or unusual as he’d like to claim.  There have been examples in college football as well in the past.  “Move along there’s nothing to see here."  

Basketball from a fans perspective

Speak in a manner I understand

Since I’ve been old enough I’ve realized I hate no dislike folks who always desire to appear the smartest person in the room.  I’ve concluded Stephen A. Smith is one of those guys, always guilty of using words far outside the realm of sports talk.  Years ago, my high school journalism teacher said; “You need to write on the level of an 8^th grade student reading your article that will ensure your story is easily understood.”  I would believe those words of wisdom apply to the spoken word as well. 

Today on First Take during a portion of the program held a discussion regarding LaVar Ball.   Smith used the word: “Bloviate” in his sentence.  Much later Smith used the word "Monetizing" when mentioning another story.  Merriam-Webster defines the word bloviate as “to speak or write verbosely and windily.”  As for monetizing there are three definitions; I believe the one that fits the sentence: “to utilize (something of value) as a source of profit”.  If you didn’t know the definition prior to reading the words after some thought don’ t you think he might have used an easier understandable word?    

Lakers snapped 14-game winning streak

The Lakers marched into the Toyota Center and beat the Rockets as their own game…. scoring.  The final score read 122-116 but it wasn’t quite as close as it appears.  Kyle Kuzma led the way scoring a season and career high 38 points, he was assisted by a team effort as five other players finished in double-figures.  The Beard scored 51 points and was his usual self however the balance of the Rockets decided to remain at home minus the injured Clint Capela. 

Its own

You asked what’s own, it’s the annual Braggin’ Rights game between Mizzou and Illinois.  The game will be played December 23 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, late reports indicate the 22,000-seat arena is sold out.  Mizzou after a tough win against Stephen F. Austin is 10-2, Illinois stands 8-5.  A few notes of interest, this annual event was first played in 1980, Illinois holds the all-time lead with 21 victories compared to 12 for Mizzou.  I’ve never attended the game however the television picture is quite interesting because its clear which side of the arena is rooting for Illinois and which side is Mizzou. 

Let’s wait awhile

The comment came from Sixers Coach Brett Brown after their December 7th game against the Lakers.  “Reminds you of a young (Kevin) Durant” was his comment.  Although we certainly have witnessed improved play on the part of Brandon Ingram I’m not ready to make a comparison to Durant quite yet.  The comparison to Durant is easy to understand both have nearly the same physical attributes arriving in the NBA plus both are small forwards.

Durant was 6-10 at the draft, Ingram 6-9 nearly the same height, Durant was 215 pounds (240 now) and Ingram was 190.  We have certainly witnessed an improvement in the play of Ingram across the board as all his numbers are up over last season.  In year two Ingram’s adjusted his game plus those other things he didn’t do well he worked on over the summer.  The other factor to consider he’s got a more skillful passer on the court with him.  D’Angelo Russell was going to look for his shot first, Lonzo Ball is looking to distribute the basketball.   

Clarification

I read the headline and immediately thought I’d missed a date, not so.  The headline indicated a university was looking at signing a prospect this week.  We are in the middle of December had I forgotten the date I thought.  For your information (and mine) the early signing period for Division I basketball ran from November 8, 2017 to November 15.  The regular period begins April 11, 2018 and runs through May 16.  

Basketball from a fans perspective

Kevin, Kevin.....    

The Kevin in this instance is Kevin Arnovitz ESPN.com writer.  He wrote this story on purpose just to provoke me, “Why Lonzo Ball want be the star the Lakers need” was the title.  First of all, Arnovitz came to this conclusion after Lonzo has played 28 games, it would be nice if he waited awhile like 82 games.  I’m not disputing the fact there are issues with Lonzo’s shot or his shot selection.  Part II, why must Lonzo become a “star”, isn’t it satisfactory if Lonzo is able to become a 12-7-7 point guard?  I know, Kevin wrote this just to upset me, guess what he managed to succeed in that task.   

Mid what

We held this discussion last season i.e. the difference between a mid-major versus major conference, exactly what is it?  We consider the Big 12, Big 10, SEC and ACC as power or major conferences.  The Patriot League, Missouri Valley, Southland and WAC along with several other conferences are termed “mid-major.”  I believed it was terminology visualized by a member of the media but that is not the case.  “The term "mid-major" was coined in 1977 by Jack Kvancz, head coach of Catholic Unversity's men's basketball team.   

Such a distinction is not officially acknowledged by the NCAA, nor does the NCAA use the terms "major" and "mid-major" to differentiate between Division I athletic conferences. It is considered offensive and derogatory by some fans and schools.”  A couple of take-aways regarding Stephen F. Austin and it’s one-point loss to Mizzou.  The Lumberjacks can ball, they can match up against any power conference team anytime anywhere.  By the way Stephen F. Austin is a member of the Southland Conference.

Wikipedia

He did what 

Mizzou Coach Cuonzo Martin ask Stephen F. Austin Coach Kyle Keller if he could address the Lumberjack team.  It was reported this was the first time Martin had done this, he complimented the Lumberjack team on their outstanding play.  Someone else might view this different than me but I thought it a real classy move on Martin’s part.            

Father Time  

They say, “Father time remains undefeated” but don’t tell that to Jamal Crawford.  Crawford must be 57-years old by now, it appears the native of Seattle has played forever in the NBA.  In addition, don’t you imagine it might be confusing sometimes, “which locker room do I go in?”  The Wolves become his 7th NBA career in a brilliant career, Crawford turns 38-years old in March as for the teams:    

Bulls

Knicks

Warriors

Hawks

Blazers

Clippers

Wolves

The Wolves become team number seven and Crawford continues to remain “Mr. Instant Offense” off the bench.  Crawford can hit a jump shot without much effort in fact I believe he could accomplish this feat blindfolded.  Over the course of his 17-year NBA career Crawford’s been in double digits all but his first two years in the NBA.  Entering the 2017-18 season Crawford is only 1,677 shy of becoming a member of the exclusive 20,000-point club.  Even more surprising there are three Hall of Fame members who failed to join the club, John Stockton, Bernard King and Bob Lanier.  

Basketball from a fans perspective

Stephen F. Who

The Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches Texas that’s who.  Question.......exactly where is Nacogdoches located, I'm glad you ask.  It's actually closer to Shreveport Louisiana than Dallas Texas, 100 road miles to Shreveport and 162 miles to Dallas.  As for the Lumberjacks they can play, they were not the least bit intimidated playing in Mizzou Arena.  

Final score Tigers 82 Lumberjacks 81 as Kassius Robertson with 23 and Jordan Barnett scoring 22 led the way to victory.  The Lumberjacks came into the game with a 10-1 and feature a pressing defense like that employed by West Virginia and Arkansas, their defense forced the Tigers into 21 turnovers.  The Tigers missed two free-throws with seconds remaining and the Lumberjacks with the ball, they turned it over with Mizzou recovering and calling a TO and that was the game.    

Mamba out

I witnessed the half-time ceremony and the Lakers retiring Kobe’s jersey numbers.  The formality caused the game to run longer than normal between the Warriors and Lakers.  To compound that it went into OT, for me in the Midwest time zone it was after midnight.  Work the next day prohibited me remaining up any longer, you might have a better idea than me of the highlights. 

Warriors 116 Lakers 114 in OT, reserve Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers in scoring with 25 points while Kevin Durant had 36 points but only shot .345 from the floor.  Lonzo Ball continued his slowly improving play scoring 16 points along with 6 assists and 6 rebounds shooting .500 from the floor.  Lonzo managed to block two shots in the process although he probably was not pleased since his team lost the game. 

Finally, I hope I’m not preaching to myself.  This morning on one of the local sports talk radio shows discussing the jersey ceremony we get into this who’s better conversation is Tim Duncan better than Kobe Bryant? I believe I make comparisons along the lines “He reminds me of _______ or his game is close to _____.”  I try to not compare a player is “better” than another there are far too many variables to make an accurate comparison. 

I’m not angry at him

The father of freshman point guard C.J. Roberts announced his son was leaving Mizzou at the semester, this was reported earlier in Words eye view.  The news while surprising is certainly not a lightning bolt.  Roberts was being red-shirted this season and as I indicated likely believed he should be playing can’t blame him for that view.  I cannot speak for Cuonzo Martins stops at Mo State, Tennessee and Cal however programs lose players and sometimes its not always due to injury. 

The simple response why I’m not mad recruiting.  Roberts was recruited by Kim Anderson he could have picked up his marbles at the time Mizzou changed coaches.  Just not uncommon for a player to be drawn to a coach rather than the school.  It’s been documented Coach Martin flew to Dallas the week after he took the job met with Roberts parents and we guess convinced him to remain at Mizzou.  So, there you have it the athlete and coaches side of the issue.    

He might be correct

Every blue moon Charles Barkley says something I agree with and this time I believe his observation might be correct.  Barkley claims the Sixers were accused of tanking but it’s not totally valid in his view.  He pointed out what could have occurred if first Embiid and then Simmons had not gotten injured along with Nerlens Noel now with the Mavs.  Check this out, Noel drafted in 2013 missed the season due to injury, Embiid drafted in 2014 played limited games last year however 2017 has been the break-out year. 

Simmons is the leading candidate for rookie of the year but should be in year two, he missed last season with an ……. INJURY.  The Sixers remain a young team and will continue to exhibit the tendency to make mistakes until they age.  Barkley may have been correct, we piled heaps of criticism on the Sixers for tanking (a term I first heard regarding the Sixers) when they could be a mature team by now minus the numerous injuries suffered over several seasons.