7-3 220-pound Bol Bol has made his decision, he announced he will
become an Oregon Duck next fall. Bol one
of the in the top 5 prospects in the Class of 2018 had reduced his choices to
Oregon, Kentucky and Kansas. Past success always aids recruiting plus a coach guys want to play for.
That guy is Dana Altman who can coach and recruit but doesn’t receive near the amount of recognition of a Coach K., Calipari or Self. Headed into his 8th year at Oregon he’s never had a losing record. Prior to that Altman turned around a losing program at Creighton and placed the school on a winning path. He won at Kansas State although it seemed he always played second fiddle in the state to that other school.
That guy is Dana Altman who can coach and recruit but doesn’t receive near the amount of recognition of a Coach K., Calipari or Self. Headed into his 8th year at Oregon he’s never had a losing record. Prior to that Altman turned around a losing program at Creighton and placed the school on a winning path. He won at Kansas State although it seemed he always played second fiddle in the state to that other school.
He’s
also a candidate
The ink’s not dry on the paperwork however it
appears Ben Simmons is the favorite to be named 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year. In second place might be an athlete few
would have figured prior to the start of the season. The Bulls Lauri Markkanen is clearly in
second place with the Lakers Kyle Kuzma in third. The Bulls have been so bad (3-11) Markkanen’s
game has been somewhat hidden.
Markkanen from Arizona by way of Finland is a 7-foot
power forward who is leading the Bulls in scoring and rebounding with 15.6
points and 8 rebounds a game. Markkanen
became the 7th pick in the first round of the 2017 draft by the
Wolves, they traded his draft rights to the Bulls. Markkanen becomes only the third player in NBA
history from Finland.
He’s
recovering
Good news for the Sixers, number one pick Markelle
Fultz is healing. According to USA Today “He will be re-evaluated in
two to three weeks, Fultz was diagnosed with soreness and scapular muscle
imbalance in his right shoulder.” If you
witnessed Fultz shooting the basketball it resembled the effort of Laker Lonzo
Ball. The difference of course Fultz was
a better shooter in college than with the Sixers thus far. His numbers as a Washington Huskie indicate
he shot .476 from the floor however his free-throw shooting could have stood
improvement at .649.
The
shot
Despite the deficiency we witness in shooting the
basketball we should remain patient with Lonzo Ball for now. Despite the poor shooting, the other aspects
of his game are NBA ready. His size (6-6)
allows him to crash the boards successfully, he did that tonight with 16 rebounds. He can effectively distribute the ball his 11 assists provide proof of that. Shooting .385 from the floor left him with but 11 points
however Ball managed his second triple-double of the season in a 127-109 win
over the Nuggets.
Never
happen in the NBA
By the time this is read it
might be concluded and perhaps it’s no story.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is threatening to sue the NFL over Roger
Goodell’s contract extension. I am not
going to attempt to dissect the reasoning behind the Jones stance I’m simply
pointing out the differences between NFL operations and those of the NBA. Although the NBA has owners with deep pockets
the net worth of all the NFL teams far exceeds that of any NBA franchise.
Over the years there have been
several issues regarding former commissioner David Stern that placed him in a
bad light with many fans. The Seattle Sonics issue might be the first that
comes to my mind. Many fans were upset
with Stern however I never read of any owner stating their intent to sue the NBA. New Commissioner Adam Silver probably faced a
historic issue firing former Clipper owner Donald Sterling after Silver was only at the helm a short time. The owners (to my knowledge) lined up behind
the decision made by the new commissioner.
