Basketball from a fans perspective

He’s ROY!

Fans of the Jazz and Donovan Mitchell this is no slap at your team or Mitchell.  Recently ESPN.com’s NBA page wrote a story indicating the Jazz guard was gaining ground on Ben Simmons for Rookie of the Year.  There is no argument Mitchell is experiencing an outstanding rookie season.  As for Simmons he recorded his ninth triple-double on Monday as he raises the bar for triple-doubles in a player’s rookie year.  In the 108-94 win by the Sixers Simmons only scored 11 points but snatched 12 rebounds off the boards along with 15 assists, the second time he tied his high game total.   

Can he make the transition?

We know Penny Hardaway could play the game, he demonstrated it first in high school and then the University of Memphis.  Later he would become an NBA All-Star, injuries shortened his career, but the 6-foot 7-inch Hardaway might have been one of the first combo guards in the NBA.  Hardaway would become a high school coach encouraged by a childhood friend, on Tuesday he was named head coach at Memphis replacing Tubby Smith. 

Now the work begins, can Hardaway like other NBA players manage a new career?  Patrick Ewing is also coaching his alma mater, Avery Johnson is at Alabama and Dan Majerle is coaching Grand Canyon.  Those are but a few of the current former NBA players now coaching at the collegiate level.  The success or lack of success varies, with any coaching change time is required to build your program.  Hardaway will be given time, likely the next two season to turn the program around.   

And the next name to announce……

I believe DeAndre Ayton and Allozo Trier of Arizona might have been the first to announce NBA intentions.  Mizzou’s Michael Porter Jr. says he is weighing his decision, we believe it will occur it’s just a matter of when.  Trae Young at Oklahoma has made his intentions known, he too is headed to the association.  Sidebar, have you ever wondered why it’s the National Basketball Association rather than National Basketball League?  The Basketball Association of American and the National Basketball League two competing leagues came together in a 1949 merger to become an “association.”  Back to the subject matter Young becomes the latest college player to leave college after his freshman year.  As this account was being finished Mohamed Bamba at Texas declared his intention to leave school for the NBA. 

The new jerseys   

I made this statement previously, I must send a shout out once again to the NBA for the new jerseys, the change has been quite refreshing.  The venerable franchises, the Knicks, Celtics and Lakers maintain their classic jerseys while adding a little different styling to their alternate jerseys.  In addition, I was really concerned at the time I first heard NBA jerseys would be utilized for commercial purposes.  I envisioned those of the WNBA and some Euro teams, the logo practically over shadows the team name and number in several instances.  The NBA jerseys look good, the logos are not intrusive, and you can read the advertised name on close-in television shots.

High school, then the NBA

I’ve gone back and forth on the issue of allowing high school players in the NBA draft, hopefully this is my last switch.  If you provided me 49 reasons why high school players shouldn’t be allowed in the NBA I can give you 50 reasons that say why not.  As this is written the FBI investigation which has been hanging over college basketball since the start is yet to be completed.  What are we hearing about the investigation, to this point unlike previous college basketball scandals it appears this one didn’t involve point shaving, but it did include money. 

Money reported to have been paid to coaches or players, so the base is finance.  Over the last few years we’ve heard talk regarding pay for college athletes, people that ain’t happening.  Football and basketball are revenue producing sports, do we pay those athletes more money than swimmers or soccer players?  There have been several draft mistakes, high school players drafted who couldn’t play for a variety of reasons at the NBA level.  I can provide you the names of five or six high draft picks who spent four years in college and failed to produce in the NBA.