‘What in the wide wide world of sports is going on?’
The line above was uttered by the villain Taggert in the 1974 Mel Brooks movie ‘Blazing Saddles.’ That was also the line uttered by yours truly after witnessing the first half of the UConn-UCF game. UCF played a terrible first half and it was difficult for me to figure out which team had the losing record. UCF has a 7 foot 6 inch center and his team is jacking up three point shots, you make ‘em good but UCF was missing most of them. The second half of the game wasn’t much better with 16:04 left in the game UConn held a 44-24 lead.
My intent was to provide a scouting report on Tacko Fall however I can’t do that if he barely touches the basketball. I’m pointing the finger of blame at Coach Johnny Dawkins I have no idea what he was trying to accomplish. Maybe UCF is not as good as their record indicates and maybe UConn is not as bad as their record. Tacko Fall is an unfinished product however between now and the next game Dawkins has got to figure a method to get the ball to him. UCF at the 3-point line jacking up shots ain’t gonna cut it if UCF expects to compete. Raw or not there is no reason for a player with Fall’s height to go scoreless in two consecutive games.
Trust the process
Joel Embiid continues his sparkling play despite limited minutes on the court. He’s not playing in back-to-back games and is limited to no more than 30 minutes a game. Despite the limits placed on him by the Sixers medical staff Embiid is averaging almost 20 points and 7 rebounds a game. 1952-53 was the first season the NBA began awarding Rookie of the Year honors. In all that time it was last year before Karl-Anthony Towns became the first unanimous choice in the awards history. It’s quite possible we’ll could witness successive unanimous ROY choices Joel Embiid is so far in front there is no real competition.
The rich getting richer
Hamidou Diallo is headed to Kentucky; the 6-5 guard from Putnam Science Academy is awarded 5-stars by Rivals and the #10 prospect in the Class of 2017. The young man from Queens (NY) graduated from Putnam last spring and plans on enrolling immediately at Kentucky. Whether Diallo plays the balance of the season has not been determined. Whether he plays or not he will practice with Kentucky players.
The trade
It was Kyle Kover for Mike Dunleavy Jr. although Mo Williams and a draft choice were included. By no means is this anywhere close to a blockbuster trade. A trade is made in the best interests of both teams; each wants to acquire a player(s) that will prove beneficial for their team. In this instance I believe the Cavs received far more than they lose. Dunleavy Jr., arrived in the NBA in 2002 from Duke with many believing he would be a star. The Hawks become Dunleavy Jr.‘s 6th NBA team he’s certainly made the rounds of the NBA. In this instance we have a clear winner and it’s the Cavs while I must believe the Hawks are losers.
