Basketball from a fans perspective
Detention
Remember when you got in trouble and had to remain in school after dismissal? That‘s what occurred with former Knick Charles Oakley and “The Incident.” After being arrested and placed on a “permanent ban” from MSG it’s suddenly been lifted, I didn’t read the story just the headline. I believe the ban has been rescinded with Knicks playing but one (1) game. Oakley is still seeking an apology, I’m reporting this story and it to shall never see the light of day again.
Injuries
If we have followed the NBA for any length of time we know injuries occur. It’s always a teams hope the injury is not career ending or forcing an athlete to miss the season. The Bucks Jabari Parker sustained an ACL tear thus ending his 2016-17 NBA season. The Bucks contending for a playoff spot remain in the hunt however they might come up short now with this injur. As this is written the Cavs announced Kevin Love will require surgery on his left knee sidelining him for 6 weeks. Will the Cavs be able to adapt or maybe they swing a trade?
At the beginning of the season the Sixers believed Ben Simmons would lead him to the promised land. Simmons was sidelined and will likely appear on the court shortly after the All-Star break. Joy reigned supreme in Philly Joel Embiid was able to prove to fans why the wait was so important. Now injuries have struck the Sixers again just as it appears Simmons arrives Embiid departs again. The center has been sidelined for 12 games with an undetermined return date. Injuries, injuries and more injuries, they can seriously impact a team’s progress.
In my haste
Re-reading Words eye view after it’s published I come across errors. Those who know me have brought the mistakes to my attention and they are corrected. Most instances these are date and grammar miscues. My desire is for the publication to be as error free as possible and once its on-line I recheck and attempt to locate and correct miscues. Thank you for continuing to read Words and do me a favor pass the link to your friends.
Bits n Pieces
If you’ve read Words eye view any length of time you know me and free-throws. I remind once again of the Rick Barry declaration ‘FREE THROW nobody is guarding you as you take the shot. Many of the players of today are average to poor shooters and I wonder why? Do coaching staffs no longer take time for this vital portion of the game? In this instance I’m speaking of the prep and college game, for the most part NBA shooters are better as they should be. It takes a BIG MAN a longer period of time to adjust to the NBA than shorter players. That’s the word we’ve been led to believe. Based on that hypothesis there are at least two who get a pass on the season Thon Maker and Ivica Zubac. The 7 foot Maker took one giant step from prep basketball right onto the Bucks roster. He appears to have skill but is extremely raw. As for Zubac, the Croatian youngster is also age 19 however he did play against men in the Adriatic League; despite this fact Zubac is raw as well.
Two members of the Rivals Class of 2018 make it a family affair, both are 5-star prospects and the sons’ of former NBA players. They could move up or down in the rating however they are the 14th and 16th rated prospects as this is written. Bol Bol number 14 is a 7-1 prospect and the son of the late Manute Bol. The elder Bol played in the NBA from 1985-1996. The son was attending high school in the metro area but is now at Mater Dei in Santa Ana (CA). Number 16 is Shareef O’Neal a 6-9 forward and the son of Shaquille O’Neal. Shareef’s dad requires no update everybody knows Shaq. Bol and Shareef have a number of scholarship offers on the table however no decision is yet made.
To clear up one of my earlier statements my boycott is not a complete one. It continues with local sports talk radio. I listen to discussions on basketball from those in the media who report the story rather than becoming the STORY. Here are just a few, the rotating panel on NBA TV, Ernie, Charles, Kenny and Shaq on TNT. Andy Katz and Jay Bilas of ESPN along with Inside College Basketball on the CBS Sports Network. The Dan Patrick Show is also a good source of information although at times it appears his program leans toward football.
Black history moment
As progress occurred in hiring it was believed African Americans would become head coaches. The first hire in basketball wasn’t Bill Russell although many believe that to be the case. Most thought it was 1966 when Red Auerbach moved into the front office and was replaced by number 6. The Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League hired the late John McClendon in 1962. McClendon had several coaching stops in his college career dating back to 1941.
NOTE: The Pipers were owned by George Steinbrenner who would later become owner of the baseball Yankees. McClendon would later be hired by Cleveland State in 1967 which is now an NCAA Division I school. In 1970 the late Will Robinson was hired as head coach by Illinois State thus becoming the first black coach at a Division I school. Back to the NBA the Pistons hired former standout Ray Scott in 1972 and he would remain head coach until 1976. The groundbreakers that provided proof they could coach the game at any level given an opportunity.
