Jayhawk basketball
The Lawson twins are transferring from Memphis to Kansas, 6-9 Dedric and 6-7 K.J. will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. Due to NCAA transfer rules they will be able to practice but not eligible to play until 2018-19. Don’t despair Jayhawk fans center Udoka Azubuike he’s a stud at 7 foot and 280 pounds. Azubuike was expected to contribute but sustained an injury forcing him to the sidelines for the 2016-17 season. Headed to Lawrence Kansas in August is Rivals number 8 prospect 6-9 Billy Preston along with number 37 Marcus Grant a 6-5 guard.
Josh Jackson is yet to announce his intention but it’s likely he’s headed for the NBA which leaves a scholarship available. Frank Mason III will be sorely missed as for Carlton Bragg that might be another matter. Quietly the athletic department might have been helping Bragg pack his suitcase all along. This is an incomplete report, forget the NCAA Tournamet issues I'm still holding my breath waiting for some Big 12 team to beat Kansas for the conference regular season championship.
MVP too
I’m sure I omitted the Spurs Kawhi Leonard when discussing NBA 2017 MVP candidates. A clear reason “action speaks louder than words.” His game has remained steady without being flashy; the only change has been the growth of his game. It’s been clear Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan were on the downside of their careers. Kawhi Leonard begins assuming more and more of a leadership role for the Spurs. Unlike the other candidates mentioned with the exception of LeBron James there is a high probability Leonard could be a double winner MVP and Defensive Player of the year.
“Who are those guys?”
The line was uttered by Paul Newman and Robert Redford in the 1969 classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. If you remember throughout the second half the movie there was a scene showing a law enforcement posse after the two outlaws. The Sporting News Mike DeCourcy was also asking the same question “Who are those guys? “ If you remember I was critical of a portion of the DeCoursy interview as it related to top college basketball prospects.
I totally agree with another portion of the interview that caused me to laugh out loud. DeCourcy expressed displeasure with the “experts” who pop up every March proclaiming knowledge of the NCAA Tournament teams. DeCourcy clarified his position by stating he was not referring to those in the television media who normally cover the game. He said some of the people he witnessed “Never saw the inside of a gym.” You cannot show up on Thursday for a Friday game with supposed insight into a game or team.
Surprised me
The surprising headline read: “Lopez becomes Nets career scoring leader. “ Going back to its ABA founding and the number of talented players on the roster and Brook Lopez is the all-time scoring leader. Brook is the better offensive player of the twins however I just failed to take into account the length of time with the Nets plus his offensive game. Lopez was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 2008 from Stanford becoming the 10th pick in the first round that year and has remained with the Nets throughout his NBA career. I thought about some of the names who played for the Nets in the past and the fact Lopez has passed them all, below is an incomplete list of just a few. Several of the names might be unfamiliar to you feel free to research as I did.
- Dr. J.
- Kerry Kettles
- Stephon Marbury
- Darryl Dawkins
- Otis Birdsong
- Bernard King
- Deron Williams
- Derrick Coleman
- Buck Williams
- Rick Barry
