Basketball from a fan’s perspective

“Where there's smoke there's fire”
I’m sure most of you might have heard the old saying, it simply indicates if there is suspension of a misstep there is evidence somewhere pointing it out.  We might conclude that’s true however there are exceptions.  Remember LSU coach Will Wade caught on tape talking to a person convicted of funneling payments to families of basketball players.  Wade was first suspended and later allowed to return coaching team; a cloud of suspicion remained over his head.  Sunday came news Wade met with LSU and the NCAA and has been cleared and reinstated. 

Did you note the outcome?
One game fails to make a playoff series, but it was interesting.  The opening round Saturday afternoon, early and late evening witnessed the Warriors being the only home team to win.  The Sixers, Raptors and Nuggets all lost the first game of their series despite having home court advantage.   

Speaking of playoffs
I checked the television schedule Sunday morning, there are playoff games scheduled this afternoon and evening.  Beginning today each of the platforms (ABC, TNT, NBA TV & ESPN) has multiple games scheduled every day through Friday.  The NBA is certainly is presenting your product before an audience, interesting.

“Fall back baby!”
The NBA does an excellent job of promotion regarding Naismith Hall of Fame honorees.  With few exceptions if a player began a career prior to 1980 we fail to take notice because the focus is the current crop.  Dick Barnett is one of the names who could have played in any era.  Barnett at age 82 remains one of the few still alive, he was drafted in 1959 by the Syracuse Nationals who moved to Philly and were renamed the Sixers.  Barnett was a valued team member of the Tennessee State teams that won three consecutive National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championships. 

One article claims Barnett might be best remembered for the nine years he spent with the Knicks, he was the backcourt mate of Walt “Clyde” Frazier on the 1970 and 1973 NBA champion teams. He retired after the 1973 season and went on to earn a Ph.D. at Fordham University.  Barnett taught a Sports Management course at St. John’s University until his 2007 retirement.  As for the headline, his jump shot was virtually unstoppable, after launching it he would often say to the opposition.  “Too late, fall back baby” indicating it was too late for that defender to try guarding him.  Barnett was inducted in the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007, in September 2019 he will be enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. 

This is different
2 players leave the KU program, 3 others may leave.  If we add LaGerald Vick and Silvio De Sousa the total is 7 players from the 2018-19 roster who might be missing in the fall.  Vick is a senior and wouldn’t return anyway despite leaving in the middle of the season, as for De Sousa he’s caught up in the Adidas scandal.  It’s almost certain De Sousa will probably never play again for KU. 

As for further details, K.J. Lawson and Charlie Moore are transferring out of the program Devon Dotson, Dedric Lawson and Quentin Grimes have declared for the NBA draft.  Those declaring for the NBA draft might return and that impacts the picture should one or more change their mind or discover they are not going to be drafted.  Yet to announce a decision is big man Udoka Azubuike whose status is uncertain after missing the season.  All we can do is speculate at this point, there is something going on with the KU program.