Basketball from a fans perspective
Change
The 2017-18 season began on a positive note for the Pistons. The team moved from the Palace at Auburn Hills to the downtown Little Caesars Arena. Excitement was in the air; Piston basketball was good until December 2. From that point through the balance of the season the team hovered between -.500 and +.500, they finished the season 39-43. May 2018 coach Van Gundy was either fired or released by the Pistons. The Pistons finished the season on a sour note with their play and the head coach leaving.
In June they made the first
positive move hiring Dwaine Casey who’d been fired as Raptors coach. The Pistons had no first-round choice but
picked Khyrl Thomas shooting guard from Creighton in the second round. Blake Griffin arrived in a mid-season trade
from the Clippers, with a full training camp in front of him expect better
play. At the center position is Andrew
Drummond a double-double man in scoring and rebounds. The balance of starters and reserves are good
not great, the coach has a job in front of him.
He dropped in out of the sky
Mizzou received a commitment from a prospect that literally dropped in out of the sky. A few schools were attempting to secure the services of Christian Guess, but none might have been as committed as Mizzou. An academic issue (since cleared) might have been the reason the schools mentioned were not hotly on his trail. In the middle of the week Mizzou announced an injury forced reserve Cullen Van Leer to retire.
He dropped in out of the sky
Mizzou received a commitment from a prospect that literally dropped in out of the sky. A few schools were attempting to secure the services of Christian Guess, but none might have been as committed as Mizzou. An academic issue (since cleared) might have been the reason the schools mentioned were not hotly on his trail. In the middle of the week Mizzou announced an injury forced reserve Cullen Van Leer to retire.
No other information was
offered by the school other than a scholarship would be available for
2018-19. Early Saturday morning coach
announced 3-star prospect Christian Guess tweeted he’d committed to
Mizzou. This 6-foot 6-inch wing will be
eligible immediately and will take the roster spot made vacant by the loss of Van
Leer. Your next question might be can he
play, I have no idea I’m depending on the coaching staff to prove he can.
“The Incredible
Shrinking Man”
In 1957 Hollywood released a sci-fi movie titled, ‘The Incredible Shrinking Man”. This is the condensed version of the movie. The main character in the movie was sailing on his boat one afternoon, a mysterious cloud enveloped the boat while he was on deck. His girlfriend below deck suffered no ill effect due to her location, the man within days began to shrink daily. We could refer to Mavs rookie Luka Doncic as “The Incredible Shrinking Man too. His weight has remained the same, but he’s “shrunk”. Last season he was listed as 6 feet 8 inches tall, the ESPN.com NBA page list him as 6 feet 6 inches tall. Maybe this is the old trick of inflating an athlete’s height which is often used by coaches, agents and others to boost that person’s worth.
In 1957 Hollywood released a sci-fi movie titled, ‘The Incredible Shrinking Man”. This is the condensed version of the movie. The main character in the movie was sailing on his boat one afternoon, a mysterious cloud enveloped the boat while he was on deck. His girlfriend below deck suffered no ill effect due to her location, the man within days began to shrink daily. We could refer to Mavs rookie Luka Doncic as “The Incredible Shrinking Man too. His weight has remained the same, but he’s “shrunk”. Last season he was listed as 6 feet 8 inches tall, the ESPN.com NBA page list him as 6 feet 6 inches tall. Maybe this is the old trick of inflating an athlete’s height which is often used by coaches, agents and others to boost that person’s worth.
Missing in action
Ivica Zubac was missing in action last season for the Lakers. Usually it’s the rookie year a player struggles and in their sophomore year its improvement. Zubac was just the opposite, after showing so much promise in his rookie year he regressed. There was a combination of factors for this occurrence and he admits some of the problem was him. I’ve stated this previously this could be a break-out year for him at center. Veteran Brook Lopez ahead of him on the depth chart has departed in free-agency. He will battle veteran JaVale McGee, rookie Mo Wagner and LeBron James for minutes. This youngster grew up in Bosnia and Herzegovina although it’s said he identifies as Croatian. Is this the break-out year for Zubac, only he and the coaching staff can be sure?
Ivica Zubac was missing in action last season for the Lakers. Usually it’s the rookie year a player struggles and in their sophomore year its improvement. Zubac was just the opposite, after showing so much promise in his rookie year he regressed. There was a combination of factors for this occurrence and he admits some of the problem was him. I’ve stated this previously this could be a break-out year for him at center. Veteran Brook Lopez ahead of him on the depth chart has departed in free-agency. He will battle veteran JaVale McGee, rookie Mo Wagner and LeBron James for minutes. This youngster grew up in Bosnia and Herzegovina although it’s said he identifies as Croatian. Is this the break-out year for Zubac, only he and the coaching staff can be sure?
