Basketball from a fans perspective
Lakers win, Lakers win
This game offered little defense on either side of the court, the Lakers scored 132 points while they manage to “hold” the Suns to 130. This game was certainly much better than his first. Ball came close to a triple-double scoring 29 points along with 11 rebounds and 9 assists shooting .444 from the floor. It’s likely his game to game rebound total will dip however it’s interesting his first two games have been double-digit in rebounds.
ESPN news indicated the 29 points are the second highest total scored in a rookies first road game, Ron Brewer once scored 30 points for the Blazers in his first 1978 game. Please ESPN and others quit placing a microphone in front of LaVar Ball. I checked out the ESPN.com NBA page and right below the account of the game was the daddy video included. I didn’t watch it because I didn’t want to hear him running off at the mouth again. On the other hand, Lonzo’s post-game interview was so calm and non-self-serving, I believe the father could take a lesson or two from the son.
David Who?
That’s the question asked by college basketball fans across the nation. In truth Louisville fans might be asking the same question, who is this guy replacing Rick Pitino? At 6 feet 11 inches tall David Padgett might be the tallest active college coach. He played his college basketball first at Kansas and finished at Louisville. Un-drafted after college he played professionally in the Canary Islands and Spain before becoming an assistant at IUPUI. He would become Director of Operations and later an assistant coach at Louisville. Padgett was named interim head coach in September at the time Pitino was relieved of his head coaching responsibilities.
His shot needs fixing
Sixers rookie Markelle Fultz needs help, help in an unexpected area. We are accustomed to poor shooting big men Wilt, Shaq and others I’ve likely omitted. The significant difference Fultz is a 6-4 point guards, the players mentioned are 7-foot giants. As for Fultz it’s highly unusual for a guard to shoot poorly from the line. I had an occasion to witness him at the line in the first game of the season.
It’s difficult for me to describe but it appears his shoot is almost a side arm toss at the basket. I said toss because both free-throws were bricks, we guess there must be an assistant coach working with Fultz. Doesn’t matter about the height I adopt the Rick Barry statement on free throw shooting “It’s a free-throw.” Barry shot 86% from the line his rookie year, that would be the small number over a 14-year ABA-NBA career.
Once upon a time
Watching Sixer Robert Covington in action against the Wizards Cavs I was reminded of college basketball history. Covington played his college ball at Tennessee State in Nashville, he comes from a line of NBA players who played at this historically black university. Over the years Tennessee State like other HBCU’s across the south has witnessed smaller and smaller numbers of its athletes on NBA rosters. In the 1950’s prior to much of the nation being integrated Tennessee State in the NAIA was a powerhouse.
From 1957 through 1959 Tennessee State won three consecutive NAIA Championship quite an accomplishment. The names of many of the players might be unfamiliar today however look them up, Dick Barnett, John Barnhill and others were key to consecutive NAIA Championships, Barnett and Barnhill would go on to have successful NBA careers. Truck Robinson and Anthony Mason would later arrive in the NBA from Tennessee State. The two are the highest profile players produced by the school before Covington arrived in the NBA.
