Basketball from a fans perspective
They want him gone
We’re in the middle of baseball and NFL training camps have opened this week. I walked into the barber shop wanting to discuss the Royals and Chiefs. The shop wasn’t crowded however those gathered sung the same tune they wanted to discuss Kyrie Irvin and the Cavs. I wasn't sure what to expect but found the two barbers and the five patrons were clearly on LeBron's side in this story.
I never heard one person state the Cavs should seek to retain Irvin, everyone seem to believe the Cavs would be a better team without Irvin which I found a little surprising. Just a couple of points raised by shop patrons, “LeBron was worn out forced to play point forward.” Another said; “Irving’s not that good a defensive player anyway.” The “possibility of a trade with the Suns and the Cavs picking up (Josh) Jackson and (Eric) Bledsoe would greatly benefit them.”
This confirms earlier reports
Marvin Bagley III is a 6-10 (or 11) power forward, he’s really good so good he’s rated the number one prospect in the Class of 2018. That’s all changed now, Bagley has reclassified in order to become eligible for 2017. Submitting paperwork is no guarantee of automatic NCAA approval. We must wait to see how this plays out and if approved where is he headed for one year, no doubt in my mind he is a one and done prospect.
He placed the school on the college basketball map
Georgetown played basketball prior to the 1972-73 season the first year John Thompson served as the school’s basketball coach. Georgetown actually first began play in the 1906-1907 however this academic institution had little success on the court before hiring the Hall of Fame coach. The 6-10 Thompson played his college basketball at Providence was drafted by the Celtics in 1964. The Celtics had a guy playing center back then and Thompson would only serve as a reserve. The guy in front of him------Bill Russell. Big John would play for two seasons before taking the head coaching job at a high school.
Keep in mind this was the middle ’60’s and front line players salaries were below $100,000 a year. Thompson might have earned more coaching high school that first year than he did with the Celtics. Thompson would coach St. Anthony’s for six years prior to his hire at Georgetown. Imagine in 2017 a major university hiring a head coach with only high school experience. The rest of Thompson’s story has been documented but the early years are not well known by many. Hopefully this fills in the gap for those wanting to know more of the history of “Big” John Thompson who retired from coaching in 1999.
They MUST succeed!
Lonzo Ball and Michael Porter Jr. are under intense pressure to succeed. Ball is expected to lead the Lakers back to playoff basketball after distinguishing himself in Summer League play. As I indicated earlier Magic Johnson might be the main culprit in the “Lonzo Ball is will return the Lakers to past glory. “ Porter Jr. is viewed in much the same manner, Mizzou basketball has been trending downward under former Coach Kim Anderson.
MJPJr. Is projected to be top choice in the 2018 NBA Draft and is yet to set foot on the Mizzou floor to determine if he can play at a high skill level. We might include Sixer Ben Simmons in this discussion because much is expected of his play for the Sixers. How about Markelle Fultz, Jayson Tatum or Josh Jackson you ask? They too might face intense pressure to succeed, the three profiled appear to have a larger burden to make it big than others.
