Basketball from a fan’s perspective

The Rifleman
Former Auburn and NBA player Chuck Person was nicknamed The Rifleman for his prolific shooting.  Person was given the nickname by those who watched an old television series.  If you are a certain age or have MeTV on your cable or satellite system you are familiar with The Rifleman.  From 1958-1963 Chuck Connors   portrayed rancher Lucas McCain in a television series set in the Old American West.  The program took the title of the Winchester rifle the McCain character used to help dispense justice at times. Although his acting career lasted a total of 40 years he was actually an athlete who turned to acting.  

Connors played minor league baseball prior to World War II, in 1946 following his discharge from the service the 6 foot 6 inch Connors joined the Boston Celtics.  He would play several games for the Celtics prior to leaving basketball for baseball.  There is no documentation but Connors was reported to be the first to break a backboard on a dunk.  It was not Wilt Chamberlain or Darryl Dawkins.  From 1948-1952 he played in the minors and for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.  His bio indicates he believed he’d never make it as a baseball player, thus began an acting career that eclipsed his athletic years.  Connors passed away in 1992 at the age of 71. 

Raptor fans
Toronto deserves a shout out, I’m unsure if I congratulated them for winning the 2019 NBA championship.  The championship was well deserved for the team and its fans.  If you are part of, We the North you can stop at this point, the next portion will not be pleasant for your reading or hearing if you are relaying this to someone.  IF Kawhi Leonard should choose a destination other than Toronto the Raptors are in big time trouble with an upper-case T. 

I didn’t say terrible; they will earn a playoff berth, I could foresee them even playing for the championship next season but they ain’t gonna win it.   They do win again if Masai Ujiri pulls another rabbit out of his hat which he is very capable of accomplishing.  Last season it was two rabbits, firing coach Dwayne Casey and trading for Kawhi Leonard.  Maybe it was three rabbits hiring Nick Nurse to coach this team, the pieces are in place for a long run whatever direction Leonard chooses.  

All Star Trio
As this is written the Lakers are attempting to secure an All Star to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.  Is it a requirement to have three premier players to gain an NBA championship?  A brief look back at several successful NBA teams containing a trio of outstanding players.  In several instances, the trio’s been inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.  A return in history might describe a trio of Celtics at various times, in most instances Bill Russell stood out as the catalyst for those teams. 

The NBA champion Knicks (yes Knick fans under the age of 40) consisted of Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Dave DeBusschere and the anchor Willis Reed.  It was 1973 when the Knicks last won an NBA championship.  Several years later the Rockets would taste championship success anchored by Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Robert Horry.  My Lakers had Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, the 1983 Sixer championship team had Moses Malone, Dr. J. and Maurice Cheeks all later inducted into the Hall of Fame.  This is certainly not complete there are teams and players omitted but you get the idea.  The question remains unanswered, is a trio required for success?  Probably not but it certainly can’t hurt.  

Is change in the air?     
We covered R.J. Hampton and his decision to turn pro, is there a trend occurring?  Kenyon Martin Jr. was headed to Vanderbilt, he changed his mind and he is headed for the National Basketball League in Australia.  On ESPN’s The Jump LeMelo Ball announced he was headed for Australia too.  Today Terry Armstrong a 6-foot 6-inch wing announced he was headed somewhere other than Arizona his committed school.  Is there a trend here, high school seniors who could have attended college but chose to begin professional careers?  Earlier it was reported Ball might have issues gaining eligibility by the NCAA however the other three could have chosen to attend college. 

I listened to a discussion on the subject and the points were valid, the chief point being paid large sums of money has got to be at the top of the list.  Instead of English 101 study will consist of the team playbook.  As this is written Armstrong’s made no indication where he’s headed as for the others it’s the NBL in Australia.  A key point there is no language issue in Australia, English is the spoken language although the dialect its somewhat strange to American ears.  This group of American high school players are not the first to bypass college for foreign shores, I reject the notion four players is a tidal wave choosing a pro career over college.