Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday

There is hope he becomes a clone of his big brother
The Lakers made a surprise move earlier which it’s hoped will pay dividends later.  Kostas Antetokounmpo and the last name should be familiar to NBA fans.  He’s next to the youngest brother of Bucks forward Giannis.  Kostas is 21 and played one year at Dayton University and then was drafted in 2018 by the Mavs.  He was claimed off waivers by the Lakers and has signed a two-way contract

Kostas is 6 foot 11 inches the same height as his older brother but weighs only 200 pounds, can we see a future in the weight room?  In any event it’s likely he will be sent to the Lakers G-League affiliate South Bay.  Kostas certainly is termed a project, unlike his older brother coming off an MVP year and certainly has proven his capability.  The Lakers long-range hope Kostas becomes a clone of his big brother Giannis.

Alaska
The largest state in the union has a small populace in relation to its land mass.  Despite the scarcity of people Alaska manages to produce basketball talent from time to time.  Many of us knew the name Trajan Landon prior to him becoming the Pelicans general manager.  He played at Duke and for a time with the Cavs, most of his pro career was spent in Europe.  Then we had Carlos Boozer who also played for Duke, Boozer had several NBA stops during his time in the NBA. 

We end this brief look back with Mario Chalmers, Chalmers will forever be remembered for hitting the crucial shot.  His basket near the end of regulation sent the NCAA championship in OT with Kansas winning.  Might Daishen Nix be the next top prospect to call Alaska home?  Nix is a 5-star point guard in the Class of 2020, this 6-foot 4-inch prospect currently plays at Trinity International in Las Vegas Nevada.  Nix has 21 offers on the table waiting for his decision, keep an eye on the Jayhawks.  Kansas is supposed to be in the lead although Nix has made no commitment as this is written.  

We don’t know yet
Charles Barkley arrived in the NBA in 1984, he was a 6-foot 6-inch 252-pound force.  Athletes weighing as much and more had long been part of the NBA.  The amazing part of the young Barkley was his speed and the fact he could guard a 6-11 Kevin McHale and others.  He had the skill to accomplish the task of playing competitive NBA basketball.  Fast forward 35 years and Zion Williamson draws similar comparisons to Barkley, Zion is taller by an inch and 30+ more pounds on his frame.      

Before we get too far along allow me to state we don’t know if Williamson can play, we believe he can however he must prove he’s got the skill.  The comparison ends before it begins, Williamson has several skills Barkley never possessed.  Other than adjusting to the NBA the chief concern for Williamson might be controlling his weight.  At 288 pounds it appears he gains weight easily, that fact could prove detrimental to his NBA career.  The wear and tear on the knees from all the running and jumping is a concern.  A BMI (Body Mass Index) website indicates at his height and weight Williamson is considered obese, if he weighed between 260-270 pounds, he’d still be considered overweight. 

There is an explanation
If you stand 6 feet tall as a high school freshman, it’s likely you concentrate on two skill areas.  Those would be shooting the basketball and passing it, there are other roles to improve one’s proficiency however those are key.  In fact, his bio contains this line, “He was the skinny kid who shot 3-pointers.”  Anthony Davis was that freshman, now you fully understand and appreciate his skillful passing or 3-point shooting. 

As for the growth spurt entering his junior year of high school, he stood 6 feet 8 inches.  The balance of the story is well known, recruited by John Calipari at Kentucky he would become a key member of their 2012 NCAA championship team.  He left after his freshman year and entered the NBA at 6 foot 10 and 222 pounds, Davis is now a rock solid 253.  Although he’s certainly got the height and the bulk, he prefers to play the power forward position. 

They probably don’t know   
Depending on the age of the person there are Indianapolis residents who only know pro basketball with the introduction of the Pacers.  Surprise, surprise Indianapolis had pro basketball prior to the Pacers who first arrived as an ABA team, bet you didn’t know that?  The team was founded in 1937 by grocer Frank Kautsky, the team played in the National Basketball League and Midwest Basketball Conference as the Kautskys.  The team would later move into the Basketball Association of America as the Jets. 

League rules at the time prohibited commercial sponsorship of a team but that was 1948 America, the 1948-49 season would be the first and last playing as the Jets.  The BAA and NBL merged and with two teams representing the city the Jets folded in favor of the Olympians, how the Olympians came into existence is unclear.  The Olympians would represent the city in the NBA from 1949 to 1953.  The only documentation uncovered indicated the Olympians were under financed even in 1953 dollars.