Basketball from a fans perspective

Bits n Pieces

I’m watching UMBC versus Arizona, wanted to check DeAnde Ayton’s game.  Interesting he’s listed as 7-1 and 260 pounds but is playing at the four.  In any event the highly touted freshman looks good.  Sidebar: For a time, I would see box scores UMBC and had no idea what the initials stood for.  I discovered the school is the University of Maryland at Baltimore County.  From this point going forward the school here will be referred to as UMKC anytime a story is written.  No longer will it be the University of Missouri at Kansas City.   

In connection with the above story I’m watching the UMBC-Arizona game on the Pac-12 Network.  In addition to the ESPN family of channels plus ABC and CBS broadcast networks we have other options. College basketball games are available on the CBS Sports Network, Big 10 Network, Spectrum Sports 1, Spectrum Sports 2, and Fox Sports 1.  I didn’t include the SEC Network because it’s part of the ESPN family and believe its telecast footprint is principally in the Southeast portion of the nation.  Think I got enough college basketball to check out?

We are certainly unsure what’s going on in the mind of LeBron James.  The Knicks will be improved but not compete for the NBA or Eastern Conference Championship.  Why LeBron decided to verbally attack rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina is a mystery.  LeBron said; ‘The Knicks drafted the wrong point guard it should have been Dennis Smith Jr.” who landed with the Mavs. 

Utah Valley played Kentucky on Friday night and Duke Saturday afternoon, t.  That’s got to be the toughest 24-hours of basketball ever.  Kentucky rated number 5 in the nation and Duke number 1.  According to ESPN Kentucky paid Utah Valley $90,000 while they earned $85,000 for the Duke game.  

CORRECTION:  UMKC has changed their home jerseys too, yesterday I wrote of the new road jerseys.  I didn't realize until a day later the home jerseys have changed as well.  They look the same as those I wrote of yesterday only the home jerseys are white.  

Not his fault

Jahlil Okafor wants out of Philly in whatever manner possible, can we really blame we him?  He indicates a trade or buyout would be okay as well, he might sound like a disgruntled athlete if we didn’t realize the story behind the story.  It’s not Okafor’s fault Nerlens Noel has been traded and Joel Embiid has taken over at center.  If there is any blame for this scenario we can point our finger at departed GM and president of basketball operations Sam Hinkie. 

Do you realize the Sixers brain trust led by Hinkie drafted three centers in successive years?  2013 it was Nerlens Noel (traded to the Mavs in Feb 2017) drafted by the Pelicans as the sixth pick in the first round, his draft rights were traded to the Sixers.  In 2014 the Sixers with the third pick in the first round chose Embiid, in 2015 Okafor would be made the third pick in the first round.  Despite laying the ground work for what appears to be an improved 2017-18 version of the Sixers they missed the boat drafting all those centers.    

He was a portion of the glue

I believe it was three or four years ago I met Scott Wedman, unless you are an ol skool Celtics fan or remember the Kings in Kansas City his name might be unknown.  He would emerge from Colorado not a highly regarded talent, as a member of the Kings he would be key to their improvement in the standings.  1981 might be an example the Kings finished 40-42 that year but managed a playoff berth thanks in part to the steady shooting and defense of Wedman.  I’ve detailed much of what I believe was the mismanagement of the Kings front office.    

Wedman would eventually become a casualty not due to slippage of his game money would be the chief reason he didn’t finish his career with the Kings,   

I came across this in Wikipedia.  1.“At the 1981 NBA draft, seeing that the Kings could not afford to keep both Wedman and fellow All-Star Otis Birdsong, Kansas City traded Birdsong to another team and allowed Wedman to sign a free-agent contract with Cleveland.”  Did you follow that, the Kings had two All-Stars and allowed both to leave at nearly the same time?  As for the former Kansas City Kings' player my company invited him and several other former NBA players living in the Kansas City metro.  We discussed the old days with the Kings and I found him to be very personable.   

1.  Wikipedia