Basketball from a fans perspective

Summer League

The NBA announced Summer League play will no longer operate in Orlando.  The NBA indicated all 30 teams will continue to participate in Summer League however it will be either in Las Vegas or Utah.   

Figure this one out if you dare 

Pacer guard Victor Oladipo stands 6 feet 4 inches and weighs 210 pounds, Hornets center Dwight Howard is 6 feet 11 inches and 265 pounds.  If Howard has the ball preparing to dunk and Oladipo is the last line of defense who wins?  I know you believe it would be Howard but not this one time.  Either Oladipo has amazing lift or Howard doesn’t jump as high as he once did, Oladipo met Howard at the basket from the left side and blocked his shot.  You’ve seen numerous instances an opposing player leaves his man and slides over to block a shot from the side, that was not the case in this instance. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKwup7wwe1g

“Coming to America”

Was the title of a 1981 pop tune by Neil Diamond sometimes titled “They’re Coming to America,” it was also the title of a 1988 movie with Eddie Murphy in the starring role.  In this instance we could be referring to the increasing numbers of Euro players arriving here.  Not only are they being drafted into the NBA many are arriving here to play at American colleges, an example might be Lauri Markkanen. 

He arrived from Finland and played one year at Arizona prior to the NBA draft, he’s now a member of the NBA Bulls.  Luka Doncic from Serbia is the top pick on several 2018 NBA mock draft sites, Doncic is playing for Real Madrid (Spain).  Kristaps Porzingis from Latvia arrived on our shores three years ago and has become a solid fixture on the Knicks roster.  Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece is included in the count.  These are but a few of the foreign born Euro players with NBA teams.   

They made the list twice

New Arena.com compiled a list of the Top 15 worst sports teams in history.  Despite the fact they ventured as far back as the later portion of the 19^th Century three NBA teams managed to make the list.  Fact is the Sixers made the list twice, the 2015-16 Sixers finished the regular season with 10 wins and 72 losses, in 1972-73 they won 9 games and lost 73.  The 2009-10 New Jersey Nets won 12 games and lost 70, the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats won 7 games and lost 59.     

Sunflower Showdown, true…..really? 

Off and on the two sports talk show radio stations discussed the Kansas State-Kansas game all day long.  They focused on the close win by Kansas (73-72) in Lawrence, the locals viewed the game in Manhattan as a possible Kansas State victory.  Guess who wasn't buying the hype, yours truly.  I cannot provide you details of the game because I didn't bother watching what I perceived to be a Kansas victory.  Final score Kansas 70 Kansas State 56....see I told you.  Somebody said it best after the game and I concur.  "The Big 12 has several good teams but none with enough talent to beat Kansas."   

 

   

Basketball from a fans perspective

Breaking News

Power forward Blake Griffin is a Clipper no more, he’s been traded to the Pistons along with Brice Johnson and Willie Reed for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a protected first-round pick and a 2019 second-round selection, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.  This certainly qualifies as a blockbuster trade, have the Clippers decided they can go no further with the talented but often injured Griffin?  Secondly is this trade the first of several future moves to be made by the Clippers? 

The specter of Tiny 

Shades of Nate “Tiny” Archibald, in 1972-73 as a member of the Kansas City Kings he would lead the NBA in scoring and assists.  34 points and 11.4 assists per game were his numbers a feat which has never been repeated in the NBA.  While it’s not occurred in the NBA it just might occur in Division I basketball.  As this is written Oklahoma point guard Trae Young is leading the nation in scoring (29.6 points per game) along with 9.6 assists.  Archibald was the first and last to accomplish this feat in the NBA, Young might be the first and last to accomplish this feat at the D-I level.   

A brave soul 

I’ve got to applaud Russell Westbrook, standing in the lane attempting to draw a charge on 7-foot 2-inch 250-pound Joel Embiid.  Westbrook was the winner however his Thunder team managed to beat the Sixers and Embiid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S-QdhrCMqs

Please fans stop making excuses
I certainly hope I’m not in the number, that number crying about their team losing a game.  You can make excuse after excuse until the cows come home it ain’t gonna change anything.  After a tough loss against Arkansas a Mizzou fan wrote: “We should have never lost this game plus Utah, Illinois and Florida.”  We could include Mississippi State in the number too, see the direction of this rant. 

On the surface sounds legitimate except down the stretch for a variety of reasons Mizzou did not execute the game properly.  It might have been a crucial turnover, missed shot or unforced error we don’t know.  Losses are difficult for most fans to endure (me included) however it’s not the end of the world.  In conclusion I hope this is not me…. harping over a game Mizzou or the Lakers lost.  Naw, its not me, don't like it but I manage to move on.   

Will this Moses lead them to the promised land? 

He’s a 7-foot 2-inch 235-pound big man, a Rivals 5-star and McDonalds All American.  Moses Brown is from Queens New York and attends Archbishop Molloy High School. He might be the best big man to emerge from New York City since Andre Drummond from Mount Vernon (NY), Drummond played at UConn and was drafted by the NBA Pistons.  Beyond that we must travel back in time to Lew Alcindor and Power Memorial. 

In case you wondered the boroughs and metro have produced a considerable number of players however few have stood 7-feet.  Although he’s a Class of 2018 prospect he’s yet to make his college commitment known.  Several heavyweight programs have offered scholarships to Brown, among them Duke, Kentucky, UCLA, Kansas and Florida to name a few.  Which ever of the 18 schools he chooses the hope is he will lead the school to the promised land....an NCAA Championship.  NOTE: On January 22^nd Brown announced he is headed to the west coast and UCLA.    

Basketball from a fans perspective

Did they stop to consider?

Some of you might remember the view, this local sports talk radio guy said: “You turn on a television game and the voices behind the mic are not always familiar.  This is a key reason 3 or 4 teams are no longer able to announce all the games.  It’s Sunday afternoon, there are 7 men’s and women’s games on currently.  How in the world could you assign Greg Gumbel, Jim Nantz, Ian Eagle or Brent Musberger to provide coverage for these 7 games? 

That fails to take into consideration the travel time required for the next day’s Big Monday schedule on ESPN.  I think anyone who longs for the days of 2 or 3 broadcast teams is certainly not living in the world of reality.  The explosion of sports networks covering college plus the NBA it’s no longer possible to have a small group of broadcasters.  

How not to recruit
Former Mizzou guard Blake Harris transferred to North Carolina State, he decided in favor of playing closer to home.  I ain't mad him, I believe he left for valid reasons, on the other hand there are players such as Rivals 5-star prospect and McDonalds All-American Mitchell Robinson.  The 7-foot 222-pound big man is from the New Orleans area and was a highly recruited 2017 prospect.  There were offers by North Carolina, Texas A&M, Alabama, Southern Cal, Wichita State along with Western Kentucky and a host of other colleges.

Robinson’s godfather was hired at Western Kentucky and that was the beginning of this strange odyssey.  He left school, returned to school and then left again for the final time.  He would begin training for the 2018 NBA draft.  He attempted to secure a spot with a G-League team and was informed this was not possible.  I’m quite sure he’s working out in preparation for the draft but other than pick-up games he can’t be playing a great deal of competitive basketball.  Stories like this cause you to wonder who is it advising this youngster? 

LeBron fans need not read

Naturally in most barber shops full of customers a varied number of conversations occur at any one time.  The patron sitting nearest me said loudly: “I’m not that impressed with LeBron James, I know he’s the most talented player in the NBA however he plays in the east.  All the tough teams are in the Western Conference.”  We know LeBron is a three-time NBA Champion and his army of fans proudly point to his consecutive finals appearances.  We realize basketball is still a team game but look closer at the history to determine if this fan is correct in his assessment. 

2012 NBA Champion Miami beat the Thunder 4 games to 1

2013 NBA Champion Miami beat the Spurs 4 games to 3

2014 NBA Champion Spurs beat the Heat 4 games to 1

2015 NBA Champion Warriors beat the Cavs 4 games to 2

2016 NBA Champion Cavs beat the Warriors 4 games to 3

2017 NBA Champion Warriors beat the Cavs 4 games to 1

I’m not sure if the evidence is overwhelming however this is the history you decide.  LeBron James has been a winner in half of his finals appearances. 

Self-appointed King of Speculation

That’s me of course, today’s subject Billy Preston.  Not the late R&B artist but the former Kansas Jayhawk.  Before I go any further allow me to correct an earlier statement.  Preston played in the Kansas-Mizzou exhibition game at Sprint Center, so I was incorrect he did play one game in a Kansas jersey.  Now back to the point of this discussion, how long does it take to search for an automobile title? 

That was the story the public was fed as to why Preston was not on the court.  I believe the NCAA must have uncovered something in its investigation the Kansas Athletic Department might have been unaware.  We know the end of the story, Preston left school to play professionally in Bosnia.  As for the reason why, we’ll probably never know unless Preston or his mom inform us.  In any event he wasn’t going to play and its likely this was the best move for him. 

Basketball from a fans perspective   

Big 12/SEC Challenge

I’m unsure if this challenge provides the slam-dunk many in the Big 12 wanted.  The SEC was the clear winner on Saturday 6 to 4,  although we cannot claim overwhelmingly. 

Big 12 Kansas over SEC Texas A&M

SEC Alabama won over Big 12 Oklahoma

Big 12 Texas Tech over SEC South Carolina

SEC Florida over Big 12 Baylor

Big 12 Texas over SEC Ole Miss

SEC Tennessee over Big 12 Iowa State 

Big 12 Kansas State over Georgia

SEC Arkansas over Big 12 Oklahoma State

SEC Vanderbilt over Big 12 TCU

SEC Kentucky over Big 12 West Virginia     

Northwestern State

No, the headline is not a typo, you are probably thinking I meant Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois, that is not the case.  Northwestern State University is in Natchitoches Louisiana and is a Division 1 school in the Southland Conference.  Northwestern State had a talented basketball player who entered the school the same year as the Pelicans Anthony Davis.  Before you begin counting on your fingers and toes allow me to state guard Jalen West played into his seventh (7) year at the school, how did this series of events occur you ask? 

His freshman season he was red-shirted, he played three years and then the injury.  An ACL injury caused him to miss the balance of the 2015-16 season, a second injury and he was forced to the sidelines for the 2016-17 season.  Injury waivers allowed him to play the three plus extra years.  Although he could have played the balance of this season the school reported he left for personal reasons and did not enroll for the spring semester.  From all reports the 5-foot 11-inch point guard was quite talented before injuries robbed him of a potential NBA career.     

He can return

Once upon a time to sustain an Achilles injury meant the end of a career.  Medicine has advanced to a point surgery can repair the injury and the player is able to resume their career.  Friday night it was Pelicans center DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins who sustained the injury, he is lost for the balance of the season.  The big man was having an outstanding season, this is one fan hoping he returns next season as feisty as ever.  

Borough

Many of us outside the city say New York City and we are referring to Manhattan.  There are other areas of the city designated as boroughs. They are Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx, the Manhattan and finally Brooklyn.  Brooklyn is held in a different light, consider this, both NBA teams in Southern Cal are Los Angeles.  Back east it’s the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. 

The baseball Giants once called New York home however they had New York in front of their name.  Every team in every sport has New York in front of their name except the Nets.  The Nets are not very good however they have one clear advantage over the Manhattan Knicks, they have Brooklyn in front of their name.  With the departure of the baseball Dodgers in 1957 Brooklyn is major league again.   

Basketball from a fans perspective

This is a sad state of affairs

Figures in the U.S. indicate the number of youth playing tackle football has shrunk considerably.  This is in part due to parental concern regarding head injuries.  The number of youth referees might also witness a decrease in number unless we clean up our act.  We’ve witnessed a couple of recent examples in Kansas and Missouri games, there might be examples in your portion of the nation.

A Wichita Kansas police captain shoved a 17-year old girl officiating a boys basketball game, video is available of him walking on the court to take his son out of the game.  The referee appears to warn him off the floor and at that point he pushes her, he is facing a disorderly conduct charge. in Raytown Missouri a relative of a middle school player was upset with an official call.  He decided to resolve the perceived bad call by coming out of the stands and assaulting the referee.  Fortunately, a Raytown police officer working security arrested the man. 

I have stated over and over my belief that basketball might be the most difficult game to officiate.  Officials have made suspect and sometimes bad calls since James Naismith might have tossed up the first basketball.  Physical violence is not going to change any aspect of the game.  At the same time there are likely young people who might be motivated to become an official.  They just might change their mind after reading or hearing of these violent incidents.    

“Where in the world is Carmen SanDiego?”

The PBS Network ran a children’s quiz program from 1991-1995.  Its purpose was to help American children who were lacking in world geography know how.  The contestants were required to locate Carmen SanDiego someplace in the world.  I’m an adult who required a geography lesson as well, I had no idea where Gillette College was located, the school is a 2-year community college in Gillette Wyoming. 

Gillette College has an outstanding point guard, 6-3 Trent Williams from Bellaire Texas.  According to Rock M Nation Mizzou’s fan website Cuonzo Martin is looking at him for next season.  His numbers are good however they do represent competition against junior college players.  Could Williams transfer these skills to the D-1 level?  That question cannot be answered as this is written, in addition Williams might be one of several potential point guards Mizzou might check out for next season.  

Surprising

I missed the 2017 NBA All-Star game last season on purpose.  Sure, I watched the other events, the celebrity game, 3-point shoot-out, the slam-dunk contest however I skipped the game.  I’m tired of watching a game with little if any defense in which players sprint up and down the court attempting to score baskets.  This year there will be no change especially with the new format instituted.  This “choose your sides team” certainly offers no more incentive for me to watch than prior seasons.  Are the participants going to play defense, or is something else there-there I am unable to see?   

History lessons

A few folks on the Kansas side tend to believe Mizzou basketball is that of the last 3 years.  The basketball program has been quite successful although no NCAA Championship banner hangs from the rafters.  Is winning a national championship the mark of a great program…. that’s up for debate.  The 2012 Mizzou team finished the season winning 30 games while the 2009 team won 31.  Despite what you might tend to believe Mizzou basketball has been good.    

8X Big 8 & Big 12 Conference Tournament Champion

15X Big 6, Big 7 and Big 8 Regular Season Champion

26 NCAA Tournament appearances

13 NCAA Field of 32 appearances

7X NCAA Sweet sixteen appearances

5 NCAA Elite 8 appearances

Mizzou has a winning record against EVERY Big 8 school apart from Kansas.  Against SEC rivals Mizzou holds an advantage against 6 of them.  Mizzou might not have the national and international prestige of a Kansas but don’t allow the past three years to cloud your vision.

Basketball from a fans perspective

Congratulations

LeBron James passed the 30,000-point scoring mark in the NBA recently, this is quite an accomplishment and is certainly noteworthy.  Call me a hater if necessary but this talk about him passing Kareem is unimportant to me.  You ask why, consider this, Kareem (and many others of that era) spent 3 or 4 years in college prior to the NBA.  LeBron arrived in the NBA after his senior year of high school, he had a 3 or 4-year head start in scoring.  There I said it, it is worth discussing in my view.    

Sorry Mizzou fans

This will be short and to the point.  I cannot offer an excuse; a team cannot commit 21 turnovers and expect to win.  Auburn took Mizzou to the woodshed and smacked their behind.  91.73 was the final score however the wrong Tigers were winners.   

“We’re better than Warriors”

Those are the words of Rockets center Clint Capela, I will concede he might be correct except for one issue.  Long ago I adopted the motto of the state; “I’m from Missouri you’ve got to Show Me”.  The playoffs loom ahead for the Rockets and other teams, let’s just wait for the outcome.  It’s easy to declare victory in January, how about May or June?  I wasn’t the only one, Kevin Durant made a comment on Capela’s statement as well.   

Bits n Pieces

I read a story in an unnamed publication titled: “10 NBA draft busts living successful post basketball lives.”  The article did not exaggerate, the players profiled had ordinary NBA careers.  The portion I took issue with was the injury factor, at least four of the athletes profiled sustained injuries which cut short or seriously impacted their career.  If I wrote this article I doubt I would include any of the names who suffered shortened careers due to injury.  

I have seen more college games than NBA which is certainly unusual.  After the All-Star break that’s likely to change.  The Lakers have been on the networks numerous more times than prior seasons, I’ve watched several Warrior games and certainly the new and improved Sixers and Knicks.  On the college side its been an improved Mizzou team along with Kentucky, Oklahoma and a host of other teams.     

Ben Simmons: “I know I’m the Best Rookie in the League.”  Can we find anyone to argue someone else other than the Sixer point guard should be the choice?  There’s no doubt a couple of others have exhibited good rookie seasons.  Donovan Mitchell of the Jazz and Kyle Kuzma of the Lakers are worthy of mention. 

Sagaba Konate is a name likely only familiar to West Virginia fans.  I’ve only seen him play once but was extremely impressed although his team lost the game.  Konate is a 6-foot 8-inch 260-pound sophomore forward, he’s from Bamako, Mali on the African continent.  His numbers are average nearly 10 points and 8 rebounds a game, what is most noteworthy for me is his shot-blocking ability.  He might never be an offensive force, but his defense is outstanding.  

Basketball from a fans perspective

“Six one way; half a dozen the other”

There is symbolism in the above headline, road mileage from the Columbia campus of Mizzou to Kansas City is 126 miles.  St. Louis is much closer only 125 miles separate the two.  This account is prompted by an article I read in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “How important it is for Mizzou to recruit in St. Louis.”  It got me to thinking, is high school basketball talent on the east side of the state superior to that on the west side?  Because I live on the west side of the state it’s difficult for me to admit it.  Talent on the St. Louis side of the state must be superior although I was reluctant to admit it at one time.    

For several reasons some known, and some unknown Mizzou’s had a lukewarm relationship with St. Louis metro basketball talent.  At the time Vashon’s Jimmy McKinney arrived in 2002 he became the first St. Louis talent to play for Mizzou in ages.  The talent being produced always seem to be more interested in playing somewhere other than Mizzou.  Bradley Beal comes to mind although many successful college basketball players were enrolled at St. Louis metro schools.  The article went on to point out with Cuonzo Martin at Mizzou now the issue of playing at Mizzou is changing.  

This is noteworthy

Thankaton.com’s latest mock draft is interesting, what’s so interesting you say?  The site has Mizzou’s Michael Porter Jr. as the third pick in their 2018 mock draft and Mizzou’s Jontay Porter as the number 21 pick.  This is certainly no predictor of the future; two brothers possibly being drafted in the same year.        

Don’t you just love it?

The Jayhawks made a liar out of me yesterday, a day ago I wrote they were streaking toward another Big 12 championship beating up the other guys.  Well those other guys dressed as Oklahoma Sooners rose up and smacked those Kansas Jayhawks in the mouth.  I wonder what the local sports talk guy will have to say on Wednesday. 

He talked a great deal of smack about Trae Young saying he was taking bad shots and turning the ball over in the previous two games.  Tuesday evening was a completely different story, Young shot .778 from the floor scoring 26 points but also dishing out 9 assists.  He led the way to an 85-80 win.  Trae Young is vying to be the first ever Division I athlete to lead in scoring and assists in the same year. 

A short take

In connection with the above, fans are totally amazing at times with their views of the game, I’m listening to comments the morning after.  A tweet read: “I’ve lost all respect for Lon Kruger” (Oklahoma coach).  The reference was Kruger employing Hack a Shaq on Kansas big man Udoka Azubuike.  Azubuike a poor free-throw shooter might have lost the game at the line with his missed shots. 

On the other side of the court Kansas Coach Bill Self was criticized for not taking Azubuike out of the game once he realized the strategy.  Self said after the game an NBA person once told him and I paraphrase his comment: “You take a player out of a game in a critical situation you are conceding to the other team your player is a poor free-throw shooter.”  I don’t know perhaps close games always cause fans to second guess the coach…. what do you think?

You can stop reading this if you choose

This is written Wednesday after the Chiefs lost their playoff game on Sunday.  The two sports talk radio stations here remained dominated with talk of the game.  The hosts are planning the composition of next season’s Chiefs team.  They have accomplished this task despite the fact the NFL draft is yet to be held, the Chiefs have signed not one free-agent or made a trade.  You ask the question what is the purpose of this account, once upon a time an NFL fan asked me “why don’t you write about something other than basketball once the season is over?” 

The point they attempted to make was true however in this part of the country 80% to 90% of sports talk radio is Chiefs and Royals there are other sports to cover.  Several college and NBA fans have expressed appreciation for Words eye view being published 12 months of the year.  They are not complimenting my prose or opinion just one fact, they can read about basketball at any point and time during a calendar year.  In conclusion if you enjoy reading about basketball please continue to do just that, if you choose some other sport to follow in the off-season that's okay as well.   

Basketball from a fans perspective

Missed him

There was no intention on my part, the other day when discussing Duke’s incoming freshman class, I failed to mention Tre Jones.  Trae or Tre seems to be a popular name for 6-2-point guards these days.  In any event Tre spelled T R E is the Rivals number 8 prospect in the nation, he’s from Apple Valley Minnesota about 20 some road miles from Minneapolis.  

I thought so

The question was raised at the beginning of the season, would a Big 12 team seriously challenge Kansas for the conference crown?  Would there be legitimate contenders rather than pretenders was the question.  The first few weeks it seemed the conference had a record number of teams in the Top 25.  TCU, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Baylor and of course Kansas, I’m sure I may have left a team off this list that was in the Top 25 at one point in time. 

Once Big 12 conference play began one by one they begin knocking each other off.  In addition to that scenario at work they managed to lose once they faced Kansas despite the fact they were the lower rated team at the time they met.  The Jayhawks registered victories against West Virginia, TCU, Baylor and Kansas State.  We still have some ways to go but it appears Kansas will win the conference championship for the 14^th or 20^th time…. Oh, shoot I’ve lost count. 

They are playoff bound

The Cavs are headed for the playoffs, the NBA finals might be a different story.  At the beginning of the season we saw the Cavs as contenders.  Kyrie Irving was gone however there was veteran Derrick Rose, Isaiah Thomas and a roster of capable athletes in addition to LeBron James.  We are in January and the Cavs are split. According to media reports the locker room is divided between factions on the team.  Is there time to change the culture as we head down the stretch?  Of course, however there is a concern can the division be healed in time.

He’s available

Hey NBA GM’s Mark Jackson is out there; next time a job opens don’t you think it might be a good thing to at least give him an interview?  I’m unsure what occurred fully with the Warriors however its my belief and several others that first championship belonged to Jackson and not Steve Kerr.  Before you begin throwing rocks at me this Warriors team clearly belongs to Kerr however Jackson “built” the team. 

Monster game

Boogie Cousins had one of those record book games, he led the way in a double-overtime victory over the Bulls 132-128.  The Pelicans center scored 44 points along with 24 rebounds and 10 assists in the win.  The last time a player recorded a 40-20-10 game was 1972 by Kareem Abdul Jabbar.  According to facts provided on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Boogie becomes only the 4^th player in NBA history to accomplish this achievement.  Wilt Chamberlain on several occasions, Oscar Robertson and Kareem.   

Basketball from a fans perspective

CORRECTION

Those of you who read the lead story headline yesterday it was incorrect.  It read: “They are trying him”, it should have read: “They are trading him”.  The guy who checks my grammar, continuity and spelling will be dealt with severely for this oversight.     

An interesting business approach

This is quite different; Fanatics sports apparel is offering a different method of exchange for jersey purchases.  The company concerned fans might be hesitant to purchase apparel believing the player might be traded now have an option.  If a player is traded within three months you have two weeks to exchange it for the new jersey or another of your choice.  That is an interesting a novel business approach. 

Unfulfilled promise        

There are athletes who never reached their potential for a variety of reasons.  At or near the top of the list are those players that were just not as talented as we believed.  Others such as Ron Harper became a valued member of the Bulls and Lakers after injuries robbed him of portions of his game.  We might make the same statement about Larry Johnson during the period he was a member of the Hornets. 

As for others their self-destructive lifestyle derailed their potential.  A considerable number of NBA players might fit here but this is a focus on Lloyd Daniels.  Daniels has played in the NBA, ABA, CBA, IBL in the states, he’s played in France, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Greece.  Daniels has played all over the nation and world always discovering another method to derail his career.  He came out of NYC in 1986-87 and many claimed the 6-7 190-pound Daniels was the best high school player to emerge from the city since a fella named Kareem Abdul Jabbar. 

He never should have seen the inside of a college, 5 high schools and reading at a third-grade level he managed to secure a commitment from UNLV under the late Jerry Tarkanian.  Enrolled in a junior college to raise his GPA he was arrested buying crack cocaine, UNLV immediately dropped him at that point.  From that period on Sweet Pea as he was nicknamed moved from team to team and league to league.

Trouble continued throughout his basketball career, he was once shot three times but survived, Sweet Pea’s been in rehab several times.  It was said he could pass like Magic and shoot like Bird he just couldn’t remain sober enough to sustain a career anywhere.  This is a condensed version of his life, you can locate additional detail on the web.  As for Sweet Pea he’s now 50-years old his basketball career long since over, oh my what he might have been if not so self-destructive.

Behind the mic now                          

Klay Thompson’s dad is part of the radio broadcast team for the Lakers.  Many of you outside the range of Laker radio probably didn’t realize his background prior to reading this.  Mychal was a valued reserve (along with Michael Cooper) during the Showtime era of the Lakers.  He served as a back-up at the power forward position and provided relief for the ageing Kareem Abdul Jabbar.  Drafted by the Blazers as the first pick in the 1978 draft he remained with them through 1986.  Mychal would spend a year with the Spurs and was traded to the Lakers and assume the role most Laker fans are familiar with, a valued reserve.         

Basketball from a fans perspective

They are trading him?

Basketball especially at the NBA level is more than scoring points, don’t tell that to ex-Mizzou combo guard Jordan Clarkson.  Reports have circulated the Lakers are attempting to trade him, Clarkson’s scored 62 points aiding the team to two consecutive victories.  Friday evening it was 33 points against the Pacers and Sunday afternoon it was the Knicks who became his latest victim.  Clarkson emerging off the bench once again scored 29 points along with 10 assists and 6 rebounds leading to a 127-107 victory.   

The season is over in January

Tacko Fall is done for the season, it’s been reported the 7-foot 6-inch Central Florida center faces shoulder surgery.  Fall hurt the shoulder last summer and has played through the injury.  This might answer several questions regarding his strength issues, earlier I mentioned what I perceived an inability to secure rebounds.  Hopefully the surgery will be successful, and he returns for his senior year at UCF. 

Bueller?, Bueller?, Bueller? 

The line above is from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off the 1986 movie classic.  Economics teacher Ben Stein’s character is calling out names of class members with the morning roll call.  This is done of course to determine who is in attendance, who is in attendance ready to defend Clippers Coach Doc Rivers coaching ability?  Certainly not me, I’ve long believed he receives more credit as a coach than is due him.  I’m not going to deal with his time as president of player operations a job he no longer holds, the X’s and O’s are the focus. 

In addition, the ability to motivate his team are key questions for us to address.  In 2000 Rivers was named NBA Coach of the Year, in 2008 as head coach he led the Celtics to the NBA Championship.  In 2013 he moved to the Clippers where he’s remained.  The Clippers have made the playoffs in his four years as head coach and have never played for the Western Conference Championship.  The Clippers have won 18 while losing 22 in the playoffs under Rivers despite one first place and three second place finishes in the Pacific Division. 

 Bits n Pieces

This might sound like an indictment against Cody Zeller, that is not the intention.  I was familiar with Indiana University basketball and Zeller but had not witness his play.  I checked the guide for the next game, Victor Oladipo who was an unknown to me at the time had an outstanding game.  Funny how you intend to do one thing and something else occurs. 

Mizzou has K.J. Santos arriving in the fall, the 6-foot 8-inch forward is playing at Tallahassee Community College.  I’m watching the Houston-Wichita State game and the graphic on a free-throw shooter indicated he attended a junior college prior to Houston.  I wrote of this in the recent past, junior colleges once fertile recruiting ground for D-I programs appear to no longer exist.  Athletes lacking grades for a D-I program or those requiring additional skill training were enrolled in junior colleges across the nation.   

We saw a different side of Matt Barnes in this Vice Sports profile, you know what to do. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_-f7-Q2l88

Basketball from a fans perspective

Surprised, not shocked

I can’t in truth say I’m never shocked by news, I can admit at times being surprised, this is one of those times.  Zion Williamson the 6-foot 6 inch 272-pound dunking phenom will attend Duke in the fall.  I had the youngster pegged to attend several other schools over Duke, no difficulty with his choice can I say again I’m surprised.  Coach K. is going to do some scrambling to play the number one, two and three players in the ESPN 100 list on the floor at the same time.  R.J. Barrett (1) and Cam Reddish (3) are both listed as small forwards.  No worry for Williamson at 272 pounds plug him in at the power forward position.   

Houston Cleveland, we’ve had a problem

The Apollo 13 astronauts made the above statement epic in April 1970, their spacecraft sustained considerable damage on its mission to the moon.  The events would be depicted in the 1995 movie Apollo 13.  The Cavs may have sustained acute damage (if nothing else to their ego) on January 20, 2017.  The visiting Thunder recorded 148 points against the Cavs on the way to a 148-124 victory.     

It’s over

Billy Preston a 6-foot 10-inch 240-pound player was a McDonalds All American and 5-star prospect.  Bill Self and Kansas landed this highly recruited and talented youngster set to debut at Allen Fieldhouse.  Preston is headed for Bosnia after signing a pro contract and making not one appearance in a Jayhawk jersey, correction he wore a practice jersey.  Prior to the beginning of the season November 8^th to be exact Preston had an automobile accident on campus, no personal injuries however the NCAA got involved. 

This is where the water got a little cloudy, for unexplained reasons the governing body began investigating the finances on Preston’s vehicle.  As this is written the NCAA never concluded its investigation and why the foot dragging on the organization is a mystery.  We are almost half-way through the college season and perhaps Preston believed he wasn’t going to be cleared to play.  This becomes another black-eye for the governing body responsible for regulating college athletics, the NCAA moving an investigation at a snail’s pace. 

48 points

Trae Young is not pleased, his Oklahoma team lost against state rival Oklahoma State 83-81 in OT.  Despite scoring 48 points Young didn’t shoot particularly well from the floor.  His Sooner teammates must hold up their end, he’s leading the nation in assists so its unfair to refer to him as a ball-hog as one writer stated. 

I’m puzzled

Kansas State did a number on Oklahoma recently, they forced Trae Young and the Sooners into poor shots and turnovers which led to a Kansas State win.  One of the local sports talk radio guys (a K-State graduate) used the game as a basis for attacking Oklahoma Coach Lon Kruger.  Kruger played at Kansas State and much later coached the team.  This host claimed, and I cannot confirm this to be fact   Kruger said it was too difficult to recruit at K-State.

This host went on to discuss the various coaching moves of Kruger over the course of his career.  Despite a great deal of movement, he’s had a winning record at every stop.  I’m no fan of Kruger yet I’m unable to see this radio host complaint to be valid.  He used the football success of Bill Snyder as proof quality athletes could be recruited to the school.  Hey radio guy, recruiting football and basketball are different sports, is this all the proof you offer indicating Kruger is not a good coach?         

Basketball from a fans perspective

He lets us know

Today Zion Williamson makes his college choice known, the 6-foot 7-inch 272-pound Williamson has a lengthy list of schools chasing after him with offers.  Truth is only two or three schools are really in serious competition for his services, in-state Clemson and South Carolina are in the running.  Other possible destinations could be Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina or Kansas.  

The best since…….

The best center ever to emerge from Kansas was the late Wilt Chamberlain, the second best is Joel Embiid.  You ask how I can make such a bold statement after Embiid has played but a brief 63 NBA games.  Sonny Hill who grew up with and witnessed a young Wilt claimed Sixer Embiid is a “Younger version of Wilt”.   Hill knows a thing or two about Philly basketball tracing his knowledge back to the ‘50’s.  All that’s necessary is to check Embiid’s numbers, thus far he’s scoring 24 points and 11 rebounds a game.  He also blocks two shots a game and likely intimidates another 3-4 players into taking difficult shots. 

Does Embiid have any competition as the best big man currently?  I’ve been a long-time fan of DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins and the numbers provide proof of his value to the Pelicans, 26 points and 13 rebounds a game along with 2 blocked shots.  Injuries have slowed Hassan Whiteside of the Heat although he returns from injury in time to begin competing for the title of best big.  The Wolves Karl-Anthony Towns remains a double-double man and he too is a nominee for the best.  The last player to consider must be named Andre Drummond of the Pistons who is scoring at 14.3 clip but has 15 rebounds a game.  There are others however those listed are clearly the leaders from my perspective.   

This just might be the reason     

There are NFL fans throughout the world, the league has farmed out games to Great Britain, Germany, Japan and Mexico.  Baseball is now played in the Olympics and its not unusual to see a major league player from Japan, Australia or some South American nation.  As for basketball its first appeared in the 1936 Olympics and that might have been its starting point worldwide.  The NBA has played its part in growing the game internationally establishing basketball academies throughout the world. 

“The NBA Academies are the NBA’s international elite development initiative that consists of a network of elite basketball training centers around the world to develop top international male and female prospects. NBA Academies include educational development for the prospects and mark the NBA’s signature elite player development initiative. The NBA Academies expose elite prospects to NBA-level coaching, facilities and competition and provide a global framework for elite prospects to maximize their success.

Each elite training center is staffed with NBA-trained coaches to foster the development of prospects on and off the court, both during and after their basketball careers. The NBA Academy coaches will implement a curriculum developed by leading player development coaches to teach the fundamentals of the game to improve individually and as a teammate. Each Academy will also be staffed by an experienced strength and conditioning coach to help NBA Academy athletes improve their athleticism and to stay healthy.

Depending on the location, student-athletes will either attend a local public school or receive a scholarship to a local private school. Student-athletes will receive academic support as needed. In addition to the academics, NBA Academy student-athletes will be exposed to life skills training to help with goal setting, relationship management, finances and other off-court related concepts."  The academies are located in:  

Australia

Latin America (Mexico City)

India

Senegal

China (3 locations)

NBA.com