Basketball from a fans perspective
They might be loser
It's me I it is the fact that Bol Bol is headed somewhere other than Kansas University. There is a reason I find this interesting Bol grew up in the Kansas City metro. He's the son of Manute Bol who played in the NBA. The younger Bol came to prominence at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park (KS). For many of you Roeland Park is 42 minutes and 40 miles from the Lawrence campus of Kansas University. Once Bol transferred to Mater Dei in Santa Ana (CA) the basketball world stood up and took notice of his rising talent.
At the same time it was practice, practice and more practice that allowed Bol to raise his basketball skill level. Once his list of schools were compiled Kansas was among several on his list. The 7-3 power forward now in his senior year has reduced his number of schools to a handful. Although I pointed out earlier no choice has been announced however most in the media believe the destination to be Arizona. Of course all that could change if Arizona is caught up in the Adidas scandal.
The Mild, mild East
Recently I attempted to access the Eastern Conference race. The playoffs are the beginning of a championship but begin with regular season play. In the Atlantic Division we check the top finishers from last season. In the Central Division it was the Cavs in the Atlanta Division it was the Celtics. No Isaiah Thomas until January or later however he won't be the factor at least this season, the division winner is likely the Eastern Conference Champ. Kyrie versus Rose, Hayward versus LeBron are the matches we look forward to.
On that precarious limp of the tree I believe the Cavs will win the Eastern Conference division with the Celtics finishing second. In the Central the Bulls finished 41-41 .500 but might be worst this season than last. In the Atlanta Division its difficult to see the Nets beyond a last place finish. Who makes the playoffs in the Atlanta and Central besides the teams mentioned. The Raptors will be the Raptors a playoff contender but that's about all. The Hawks will look good as usual make the playoffs and be eliminated by an unidentified team. Teams making a leap this season the Heat, Hornets, Sixers and Pistons. Improved play by the teams mentioned and maybe one I've missed. Among the last few teams there is not an NBA champion among them.
True leader
At the time the Fab 5 arrived on the scene at Michigan most believed point guard Jaylen Rose was the leader. Rose was a valued member of that team however the true leader of that team was Chris Webber. Webber would become famous for calling a time out in the NCAA Championship when Michigan had no TO's remaining. Michigan would go on to lose the 1993 game to North Carolina however other more serious events would over shadow that game years later. Webber would play for 5 NBA teams twice for the Warriors who drafted him.
His best years on the court would be spent as a valuable member to several playoff championship runs by the Kings. At that time the Lakers cast a gigantic shadow over the Western Conference during that time period. The 6-10 Webber was one of a number of skillful big men with passing skills. Years later Webber would be implicated along with others receiving money from a Michigan booster while enrolled in school. 2008 would be Webber's last year as an active player and he would move into another role. Once he retired he would become an NBA analyst for Turner Sports and NBA TV.
Bits n Pieces
I cannot prove this I'm only reporting what ESPN's Jeff Goodman is reporting. Goodman claims LaVar Ball "wanted four players on the Chino Hills team which the coach didn't want." Because the players were removed from the team Ball decided he would remove Melo from the team. Take it for what its worth, is it the truth as to why Melo is being home schooled?
There might be a change in the future for Shareef O'Neal if you remember earlier Shaq's son of verbally committed to Arizona. That destination might change in light of the recent Justice Department-FBI probe. One of the names was an Arizona assistant coach who has since lost his job. The 6-9 O'Neal is only a verbal commitment at this point so he could easily change his min
Ben McCollum is a name to be remembered, he's been head coach at Division II Northwest Missouri State since the 2009-10 season. His Bearcats are defending NCAA Division II champions this past season when they registered a 35-1 record. The school located in Maryville is about 100 miles due north of Kansas City (MO). when the season begins. Did I mention McCollum is only 36-years old, this will not be his last stop coaching basketball somewhere.
