Isn’t this different
There are times you say to
yourself; “What in the world is going on here?”
Friday morning, I read the Los Angeles Times sports page on-line
edition. Bol Bol a top five prospect in
the Class of 2018 is leaving town. The
7-2 forward is not headed to college yet rather he’s transferring to another
high school.
Bol began his strange and unusual journey to the NBA (let’s not kid anyone) at Bishop Miege High School in suburban Kansas City. Bol transfer to Mater Dei in Santa Ana (CA) at the time this move occurred his coach at Miege when first contacted claimed to unaware Bol had left the team, now the youngster is headed to Findley Prep in Las Vegas. To compound our puzzlement this move occurs in what is nearly the middle of Bol’s senior year.
Nothing like a road trip
The late Al McGuire former
basketball at Marquette was full of quotes this one stands out for me based on
the outcome of the game. McGuire once
said; “One of the best things about freshmen is they become sophomores.” His quote implied freshman oftentimes will
play like freshman reverting to their days playing high school basketball. Many of the Mizzou faithful believed the team
might go through the season undefeated.
That’s a joke however after
beating Iowa State and Wagner College the Tigers looked invisible, the hope of
an undefeated team disappeared in Salt Lake City on Thursday evening. Michael Porter Jr. remained in Columbia and
did not accompany his team west. As good
as the Tigers appeared in their first two games they looked terrible in game
three. Poor shot selection, turnovers,
lack of rebounds and little if any defense, I wonder if I missed anything? At the end of the evening the score read Utah
77 Mizzou 59. On Monday Mizzou plays
Division II Emporia State and hopefully will get on the right track.
One and Done
I don’t know how soon but it
will occur. The NBA will begin allowing high school players to be included in
the draft. Commissioner Adam Silver,
Michele Roberts NBPA met with the Commission on College Basketball on
Thursday. The commission was formed
after the FBI begin investigating college basketball. The agency is chaired by Condoleezza Rice
Former Secretary State in the Bush Administration, stay tuned for further
details.
This is all speculation on my
part however what I’ve read it appears a resolution might be somewhat like
baseball. Baseball players can be
drafted out of high school. If the player
decides in favor of college he must attend a minimum of three years. At the time the NBA began the D-League (now G-League)
the belief was prospects would simply choose to play for pay while honing skill
at a level slightly below the NBA. For a
variety of reasons, the minor league never took off as David Stern and others
hoped.
Bits n Pieces
“No not for now” was the word
from Laker Coach Luke Walton. He was addressing the question as to whether Lonzo
Ball is benched, the rookie point guard has been seated on the bench for two
consecutive games in the 4th quarter. For the most part his game has been adequate
for a rookie apart from his poor shooting.
I pose the question earlier but to refresh your memory is it time for a
shot doctor?
If the media or fans begin
referring to you by a nickname or refer to you by your initials that proves
you’ve officially arrived. You are
officially welcomed into the upper ranks of established NBA players. Rebecca Harlow MSG reporter interviewing
Kristaps Porzingis after a close Knicks win.
She begins the post-game questioning by addressing the 7-3 big man as
“KP”.
Shooter versus a scorer is a term we often hear expressed
by an analyst in the studio or during a game.
What exactly is the difference between the two versions of a
player? In my view it would seem a
shooter is taking numerous shots sinking some while missing others. A scorer is a basket-maker, his high volume
of shots almost always finds the bottom of the basket. My opinion of the shooter versus scorer explanation.
