Basketball from a fans perspective
The name
On January 21st I wrote of Steve Kerr’s desire for the Warriors to remain Golden State when the team moves to San Francisco into the Chase Center. I cited a number of NBA and NFL franchises that have the state rather than metro has part of their franchise name. I asked what you thought about Kerr’s statement, did you think it was valid? Well here I go with my take; the Warriors should have San Francisco in front of their name and I offer you the reason I believe this should be so.
Every team I mentioned had a state name attached; Minnesota Wolves, Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, Texas Rangers. None of the teams named contains any sort of nickname. Golden State is a nickname for California however it’s not a real name Minnesota, Texas and Carolina are real places. I suppose Florida could consider itself the Golden State if it wanted to since golden refers to the sun. The franchises I listed or validated based on an attachment to the state. I don’t live in Northern California so my view doesn’t amount to diddly it’s just an opinion folks.
Improved--maybe
Despite the Sunday Massacre by the Mavs the Lakers are by my measurement at least 3 inches better than last season. The Lakers similar to most teams generally have no problem scoring it’s the other things. Those other things are defensive lapses exhibited all traits of a young and inexperienced team. On the other hand there are young teams I believed would play better this season and so far that have not been the case. Other than the Lakers there are two teams in my view under performing the Eastern Conference Bucks and the Western Conference Wolves. The Bucks are 20-23 as this is written; they are on the path but also experience those defensive lapses too.
We can add the Wolves to the list too, last year at this time of the season they stood 14-31 versus 16-28. I believed hiring Tom Thibodeau was a good thing. He’s a defensive minded coach; so far it’s not worked in the Wolves favor. There are other NBA teams experiencing poor seasons and maybe some I overlooked. I decline to place the Sixers in this report I believe (thanks largely to Embiid) they have exceeded most expectations. I focused on the Lakers, Bucks and Wolves because these teams have rosters of young players. The Suns have underperformed too however they are a slightly older as are the Blazers.
50 points?
There are no big-time scorers in college anymore, we might have believed that to be the case but it’s untrue. I submit again for your observation the name Marcus Keene Central Michigan, his line read 50 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Keene indicated he believed he was “in a zone.” I can agree with the statement anytime a guy shoots 65% from the floor. An old adage might apply to Keene who stands a towering 5 foot 9 inches tall, “Dynamite comes in small packages.” Keene is a junior so in all likelihood he returns to Central Michigan in the fall. As for the 2018 draft we shall see if he makes the cut.
NBA talent from the African continent
It was reported the NBA would be opening a basketball academy in Senegal. The hope is talent from the continent will journey to Senegal to learn the skill required to play basketball at a high skill level. Luol Deng from South Sudan (Lakers), Serge Ibaka Republic of the Congo (Magic), Bismack Biyombo Democratic Republic of the Congo (Magic) and Fetus Ezeli Nigeria (Blazers) are just a few talents from the continent.
Paving the way for them were Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria), Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and the late Manute Bol (South Sudan). The aforementioned players and a number of others were trailblazers in the NBA. Joel Embiid (Cameroon) Emanuel Mudiay (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Chiek Diallo (Mali) and others are part of the continuing pipeline from Africa. The future might see Tacko Fall (Senegal) added to the NBA mix should he continue to develop at Central Florida.
McDonald’s All American
The 2017 McDonald’s All American team has been announced. This is year 40 for the signature high school All-Star game. There are other All-Star high school games but this one likely receives the most notoriety. Being selected is no guarantee of future success however some of the names read like a who’s who. Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson are just a few of the names who made their mark as a McDonald’s All American. DeAndre Ayton Hillcrest Academy Phoenix (AZ), Michael Porter Jr. Nathan Hale HS Seattle (WA) and Wendall Carter Pace Academy Atlanta (GA) are a few of the 2017 honorees.
