Basketball from a fans perspective

On the outside looking in
Might the Kansas Jayhawks still be on his list?  This reference is to the status of Bol Bol 7 foot power forward and Rivals number 3 in the Class of 2018.  The NCAA allows 5 official trips for each prospect.  A prospect is not prohibited from additional trips however the school is not obligated to pay.  Bol’s choice of schools is Arizona, Kentucky, Oregon, UCLA and USC. Nothing wrong with an unofficial visit to Kansas it probably indicates that school is not near the top of his list. ADDENDUM:  Bol's stature (that's funny) begin rising while enrolled at Bishop Miege HS in Roeland Park (KS) about 40 miles from Kansas University.  Bol would transfer to Mater Dei HS in Santa Ana (CA) his junior year.      

First Take
Debate especially sports is always enjoyable for many with one possible exception, if both parties agree on a particular subject it fails to accomplish its purpose i.e debate.  Example I tuned in for just a minute or two on my favorite ESPN program First Take.  The topic during the portion I viewed was the rating system for NBA players ESPN set up.    

Smith and Kellerman were both discussing their belief Carmelo Anthony should have been ranked higher than 64.  Someone or several parties at ESPN came up with this rating system however the question remains why are Smith and Kellerman discussing it with us?  The public has their view but no say so in the production.  Both Smith and Kellerman need to check with the folks at THEIR network we had nothing to do with this.    

Bits n Pieces
Did you hear this one, Stephon Marbury wants to retire in China and return to the NBA.  His NBA return would be March 2018, the question any NBA team want a 40-year old point guard? I didn’t say he couldn’t play however he left the NBA in 2010 under a cloud of issues with coaches and other players.

I thought Los Angeles guy Shabazz Muhammad might sign with the Lakers.  He was a free-agent after receiving a release from the Wolves.  His hometown team had an open roster spot and a role planned for him.  Muhammad decided in favor of returning to the Wolves with a 1-year contract.  

Russell Westbrook signed a 10-year contract however it wasn’t the one Thunder fans hoped. Westbrook signed with the Jordan Brand and not the extension the Thunder has waved at him. He will become a free-agent in 2018 and fans hope he’s not headed out of Oklahoma City.  

This is not surprising news, the Michigan State Spartans will wear a patch this upcoming season honoring the late Jud Heathcote.  The long-time coach died August 28 at the age of 90.  Heathcote had retired in 1995 after coaching the Spartans 19*years.