Basketball from a fans perspective

The Fast and the Furious

A considerable number of college players announce they are headed for the draft.  For fear of overlooking someone I’m going to cease reporting names with two exceptions.  The first is Duke’s Grayson Allen, he’s not leaving school early because he’s a senior.  He’s got a reputation that has nothing to do with ability….it’s his emotional meltdowns on occasion.  The guy can shoot at the college level and should, notice I said should be able to transfer that to the NBA provided he lands with the right team.  I think of J.J.Redick, he too played at Duke and many including this writer didn’t think much of his NBA chances at the start.  He’s managed a serviceable career to this point.   

Allen needs to address his anger management issues fully; NBA players will break his body in half if he arrives in the league with an attitude.  We hear from Lithuania and LiAngelo Ball, he’s the middle brother and former UCLA player.  His agent indicates they are submitting paperwork for his name to be included in the 2018 NBA draft.  Unlike Allen who may have a 60-75% chance of being drafted the percentage for Ball is much lower.  Scouts contend he is the least talented of the brothers, perhaps it’s the G-League or Europe for him it’s certainly not the Lakers despite statements attributed to his daddy.   

New player?

After missing 68 games Markelle Fultz came off the bench for the Sixers and onto the floor.  The number one pick by the Sixers in the 2017 NBA draft played the first four games of the season.    October 23, 2017 was the last time we witnessed Fultz in action on the basketball court.  He missed all those games with a shoulder injury, early it was discovered Fultz was shooting the ball in an unorthodox manner.  Eventually he was shut down and doctors performed surgery on the shoulder.  Brett Brown indicated it was a matter of Fultz deciding if he was ready to play, point guard Fultz scored 10 points along with 8 assists and 4 rebounds.  He only shot .385 from the floor but that could be "rust", I was unable to witness the game so I'm going to locate video and see how he looks on the court.   

New coach

Dan Hurley formerly head coach at University of Rhode Island is announced as the new head coach of UConn, Hurley replaces the fired Kevin Ollie.  Hurley has a job on his hands according to my reading, although Ollie won an NCAA championship that occurred early in his tenure.  The school moved from the Big East Conference to the American Conference in 2013.  Those closer to the program than this writer claimed recruiting or lack thereof was a contributing factor in the demise of Ollie.  Hopefully Hurley will have a greater success than the departed Ollie.   

“I love Walter”

Walter McCarty emerged from Kentucky to play for the Celtics and other NBA teams.  Anytime McCarty sank a 3-point basket former coach and television analyst Tom Heinsohn would proclaim over his mic “I Love Walter.”  After McCarty retired from the NBA the former Kentucky Wildcat held several assistant coaching positions the most recent with the team that drafted him the Celtics.  On Thursday it was announced Evansville native Walter McCarty was named head coach of the Evansville Purple Aces.  McCarty has now come full circle, born and raised in Evansville from there to the University of Kentucky and the NBA and back to Evansville to coach the Purple Aces.  Good luck to him, I can almost hear Heinsohn right now: “I love Walter.”