Basketball from a
fan’s perspective
The Game
Warriors win the game 106-105 over the Raptors extending the series. That's the good news for the Warriors, the bad KD re-injured his calf. KD left the game on crutches and no questions on when he returns he's finished for the championship series. The Raptors must now wait till Thursday to claim their first title. The disappointment for me was several Raptor fans cheering when KD was helped to the sidelines....no class I had a more positive view of Raptor fans.
Following in his father’s footsteps
Rowan Barrett played at St. John’s from 1992-96. Wikipedia says although he was under contract to NBA teams he never played for the Raptors or Sixers. Barrett would spend his professional career in Europe before retirement and home to Canada. Next week his son R.J. Barrett who played at Duke will likely be the third pick in the 2019 draft and continues two trends. The father-son professional basketball player and the increasing number of Canadians drafted in the NBA. Our northern neighbors have produced almost double the number of NBA players as the balance of the world.
Basketball will never ever replace hockey as the national
sport however the popularity of the game in Canada is really flourishing. Canadian youngsters see Andre Wiggins,
Tristan Thompson and Kelly Olynyk in action and have models to emulate. One more point of note, most of those
arriving either to play college ball or entry into the NBA generally come from
the same area. They are from Toronto or
Mississauga a city in the greater Toronto area.
The success of the NBA Raptors will only aid in the continued growth of
Canadian basketball.
Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin did it again, just at the time Mizzou Nation believed the roster was set, he adds Axel Okongo. This is the basis for the headline, Okongo is from a small town outside Paris France (that’s the international part). He’s transferring from Northwest College a junior college in Powell Wyoming, this is the mystery part, the 7-foot Okongo was a starter in 0 games for the Trapper basketball team. This move contradicts the coaching philosophy of Martin, he’s not usually looking to add a traditional type of big man to his team.
On the other hand, this could be a depth move, Mizzou has
only one senior on the roster. That
senior is 6-foot 10-inch Reed Nikko listed as a power forward but plays backup
center. One game last season starter
Jeremiah Tilmon was in foul trouble and Nikko relieved him and picked up two
quick fouls of his on. Mizzou managed to
weather the storm, but it will be rewarding for Mizzou to have five extra fouls
available. It would appear Okango’s
defense is ahead of his offensive game, this might also appear to gain favor
with the coach and his defensive schemes.
All over the map
Mock drafts are not considered to be exact, in fact that’s the reason they are referred to as mock. In other words, the site believes a player and order will constitute the draft. As for Laker Nation we are thoroughly confused not like prior years with the top pick. In 2015 it was believed the Wolves would select Karl-Anthony Towns and the Lakers with the second pick would choose either Jahlil Okafor or D’Angelo Russell. We know what occurred, the Lakers chose Russell who several years later was traded, and Okafor would become the Sixer pick.
Mock drafts are not considered to be exact, in fact that’s the reason they are referred to as mock. In other words, the site believes a player and order will constitute the draft. As for Laker Nation we are thoroughly confused not like prior years with the top pick. In 2015 it was believed the Wolves would select Karl-Anthony Towns and the Lakers with the second pick would choose either Jahlil Okafor or D’Angelo Russell. We know what occurred, the Lakers chose Russell who several years later was traded, and Okafor would become the Sixer pick.
The 2016 draft held the same promise, Brandon Ingram or Ben
Simmons. The Sixers with the top pick
chose Simmons and the Lakers settled for Ingram, good pick. After a relative slow start Ingram is on the
verge of stardom but how about 2017?
This was Magic Johnson’s first draft and the Lakers made it know in
advance they were choosing Lonzo Ball with the second pick. This is a hot-cold move, there are times Ball
appears to have turned the corner and other instances he appears a raw
rookie.
How about 2018, this time the Lakers had no low pick, the
choice would be number 25 in the draft.
It turned out to be Mo Wagner of Michigan. He played little in his rookie year due to
injury there is little to make an assessment.
We finally arrive at 2019 what do the sites say at this point? It depends on which one you believe, Darius
Garland point guard from Vanderbilt, DeAndre Hunter Virginia small forward and
Jarrett Culver shooting guard Texas Tech all have been mentioned. A week from Wednesday the Lakers will make
their choice known to all.
Bits n Pieces
Tony Parker announced his retirement from the NBA after 18 seasons and 4 NBA championships and 1 championship MVP. Parker’s retiring as a member of the Hornets however he spent the bulk of his career with the Spurs. In our minds eye we cannot see Parker in any jersey other than Silver and Black. He was one of the keys to those 4 championships, his teardrop shot in the lane was money. Sorry to see him leave the game but this time comes to all it comes to all eventually.
Tony Parker announced his retirement from the NBA after 18 seasons and 4 NBA championships and 1 championship MVP. Parker’s retiring as a member of the Hornets however he spent the bulk of his career with the Spurs. In our minds eye we cannot see Parker in any jersey other than Silver and Black. He was one of the keys to those 4 championships, his teardrop shot in the lane was money. Sorry to see him leave the game but this time comes to all it comes to all eventually.
Swim Cash has a new job, the former WNBA player and part-time
analyst for NBA TV has been hired by the Pelicans. Cash will now serve as senior vice president
of basketball operations for the Pelicans.
Her past includes college play at UConn plus 15 seasons in the WNBA, once
again NBA teams continue to break-down the formerly all-male bastion of
professional sports.
