Basketball from a fans perspective

Best of the best

I walked into the barber shop and was immediately met with: “Name your all-time top 5 NBA players!”  I began at the center position which caused an argument immediately.  I said Wilt Chamberlain, my barber countered with Bill Russell, we went back and forth attempting to prove our pick was better than the others.  We couldn’t agree so we went to the power forward, I said Karl Malone reluctantly, my barber countered with Tim Duncan.  I conceded, I could very easily see Duncan over Malone.  At the small forward he placed LeBron James, I said okay but could have chosen among the trio of Larry Bird, Dr. J. or James Worthy.  Finally, I agreed with his position LeBron James it is at the small forward. 

It’s funny, point guard was the only position we came to the same conclusion without any argument, we both said Magic Johnson.  We concluded with the shooting guard and he quickly said Michael Jordan although I’m sure you (meaning me) are going to try and sneak Kobe Bryant in that position, surprised him by saying no.  That was the A. portion of the conversation, this was the B. portion.  “UMKC made a mistake moving into the what is it…. Mountain West?  (It’s the Western Athletic Conference) my barber said.     New Mexico State is okay but what does UMKC have in common with Grand Canyon?”  I was in agreement with him I mentioned CSU-Bakersfield and Seattle University.  They should have gone into the Missouri Valley, I responded “I don’t think the Valley wanted them.  He then said: “They should have remained in the Summit League!” 

He was the first  
Maurice King was the first Kansas City area player in the NBA, we must remind you again in the 1950’s the NBA was “minor league” compared to the NFL and major league baseball.  King was selected in the 1957 NBA Draft by the Celtics however he first displayed his skills at R.T. Coles High School in Kansas City graduating in 1953.  King would play his college basketball at Kansas University and one of his teammates was a guy by the name of Wilt Chamberlain.  His NBA debut was delayed until 1959, King was drafted in the military and spent two years in the Army before joining the Celtics. 

The record is not clear King would only play one game for the Celtics prior to joining the Baltimore Bullets (Eastern League).  In 1961 he joined his hometown Kansas City Steers of the American Basketball League, King was one of the leaders of the team prior to the league folding in 1963.  He would close out his pro career joining the Chicago Zephyrs who later moved to Baltimore and then Washington D.C.  King died in 2007 at the age of 72, if you check his stats they don’t appear overwhelming however he was a ground breaker in several aspects.  There is little evidence available on this often-forgotten basketball pioneer even in Kansas City his hometown.  

He wants to coach again

Former Louisville Coach Rick Pitino wants to coach, he informed ESPN of this aspiration.  He said: “It doesn’t matter if it’s college or the NBA.”  At this time there have only been accusations aimed at the long-time coach.  I can say with certainty Pitino is highly unlikely to be hired by a Division I program anywhere, if a Division II or NAIA program offered him a job would he take it?  It’s my belief despite no proof of guilt the NBA might be a far better fit for Pitino. 

The Border War

Remember the name Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, he’s 6 feet 9-inch 220 pound forward at Bishop Miege in metro Kansas City.   Robinson-Earl is number 15 in the Class of 2019 prospect the son of former Kansas player Lester Earl.  Kansas along with a number of schools have made offers to Robinson-Earl.  A new player has arrived on the scene, Cuonzo Martin, Mizzou’s coach.  This is a different recruiting effort for a few reasons.  Bishop Miege is located on the Kansas side but is in metro Kansas City (MO).  Under Kim Anderson, and the prior two Mizzou coaches I don’t remember Kansas and Mizzou competing for the same athlete.     

“Star written on his forehead”       

Joel Embiid was a reserve player for the Kansas Jayhawks, Tarik Black now with the Rockets was the starter at the center position.  I don’t remember the set of circumstances however Embiid displaced Black as the starter.  Embiid soon began demonstrating talent I hadn’t seen by a big man in quite a while.  Then along the way the first injury, Embiid was forced to the sidelines before the end of his freshman season.      

I said at the time; “I hope he returns for his sophomore year, he’s plenty talented but needs work.”  We cannot be sure if there were dollar signs in the eyes of Embiid however he decided to declare for the NBA Draft and the Sixers made him the third pick in the first round of the 2014 draft.  The injury bug would plague Embiid over the next 2 and ½ seasons, finally in 2017 he managed to play 31 games and I could see the “star written on his forehead” once again.   

At the beginning of the 2017-18 season Embiid was brought along slowly not playing back to back games.  Despite being somewhat limited he excelled on the court once again, in January Embiid began playing back to back games.  Playing along side Ben Simmons they have become an exciting dynamic duo.  I’d mentioned earlier basketball historian Sonny Hill (who played and was a friend of the late Wilt Chamberlain) said “He is the closest I’ve seen to a young Wilt Chamberlain.