BASKETBALL FROM A FANS PERSPECTIVE

I cannot make a judgement now
As many are aware the Lakers Lonzo Ball is like a two headed coin.  One side of the coin, “He can’t shoot and will never learn to at an acceptable level.”  The other side “The Lakers don’t need him to score they need him to do the other things.”  Before the latest injury his game appeared to improve slightly but certainly not at a level to say he’s arrived.  A few point guards arrived in the NBA without being great shooters.  The first name at the top of my list is Avery Johnson now the head coach at Alabama.  He became a decent shooter after a few years however his chief value was running the Spurs offense. 

We could make the same statement about Jason Kidd, he couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean when he first arrived in the NBA.  He too became a respectable shooter, again his ability at running the teams he played for eclipsed his poor to average shooting.  With the Lakers they don’t need Ball to score however at times he misses shot after shot.  I’m no shot doctor but often on television I can tell in the manner he releases the ball it ain’t going in the basket.  Is there hope for Ball, of course there is but he really needs a shot doctor to address that funky jump shot of his.  Where’s LaVar when you really need him since he claims infinite basketball knowledge?

He’s raw and young
His name is Kai Sotto, he stands 7 feet 2 inches tall but looks to weigh no more than 220 pounds.  The weight is not much of an issue since he’s only 16-years old surely, he’s likely to add additional weight over the next few years.  Sotto from The Philippines has made his presence known to college coaches and NBA scouts over the last year.  At this point the path ahead for him is unclear, not his ability but what he attempts to accomplish. 

If Sotto remains an international player, he could be eligible to play in the NBA in two years.  If it’s not the NBA he could chose to attend a university in the U.S.  There is YouTube video of the youngster however it’s difficult to assess the level of competition he often faces.  Kai Sotto is a name to remember, store it in your memory banks.  The names of Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic were surprises to many draft night, quite a few were familiar with the names although they couldn’t project their NBA capabilities.          

The Fat lady is not yet singing 
Bleacher Report is asking the question, “Is the Rookie of the Year race over?”  The reference of course was to the large lead compiled by Mavs rookie Luka Doncic.  The Slovenian teen has played at a higher pace than many expected, i.e. the product is as good as advertised at least through the middle of the season.  In a recent game against the Wolves Doncic led the way to the 119-115 victory with 29 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds.  As this is written he’s scoring at a 20-point 5 assist and 7 rebound clip for the season.

For this long-time NBA fan, it’s difficult to realize Doncic is still a teen, he doesn’t turn 20 until the end of February.  As for the future the Mavs have no first-round pick in the 2019 draft unless they manage to swing a trade, a second-round pick could possibly become a “Kyle Kuzma” however that remains a question mark.  As for the rookie of the year race the fat lady isn’t singing but she’s certainly tuning up, we need to send the trophy out to the engraver.  Just in case there might be a question, his first name is spelled L-U-K-A, his last name D-O-N-C-I-C. 

Basketball history 
There are occasions a portion of basketball history may have been covered in the past on this blog.  If that is the case here, if you remember reading this previously please feel free to skip it and move to another story.  One of the most successful NBA teams on record didn’t began life in the NBA, in fact it didn’t even begin in the city it now proudly represents.  San Antonio has been home for the Spurs since 1973 and the NBA beginning in 1976, in both instances the start was elsewhere.  The Spurs began in 1967 in Dallas under the team name Chaparrals and was an American Basketball Association team. 

The time period in Dallas proved unsatisfactory especially at the gate, the Chaparrals would become a regional team playing home games in Fort Worth and Lubbock, this move also fell flat.  This you might find interesting; the team was moved to San Antonio in 1973 under a lease agreement with a provision.  The team would return to Dallas if no purchase occurred by 1975.  At the time a merger occurred between the NBA-ABA four ABA teams were absorbed into the NBA.  The Spurs were added despite having the smallest metro population compared to New York City, Indianapolis and Denver.  The balance of the story includes hiring one of the best coaches in NBA history, Gregg Popovich plus drafting wisely and extensively scouting Euro teams adding a number to their roster.