Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Aircraft Carrier
ESPN analyst Dick Vitale has been known to refer to 7-foot players as “aircraft carriers.”  Many are aware aircraft carriers are the largest ships in the world’s navies.  That’s likely the basis for the Vitale comment regarding Big Men.  Mizzou received a commitment from an aircraft carrier on Saturday.  Jordan Wilmore becomes the first 2020 commitment for coach Cuonzo Martin and Mizzou. 

Wilmore a 7-foot 3-inch 250-pound center is likely on his way to COMO next fall.  His home is Baltimore and he'd attended Mt Zion Prep in Lanham Maryland.  Wilmore is now enrolled at the Skill Factory, a prep school in the Atlanta Georgia metro.  The question is always raised can he play, we have no idea however we trust the coach and the staff at Mizzou.  

Generally Big Men have a more difficult adjustment to college ball.  There is video of Wilmore in action on YouTube, in addition 247Sports.com rates Wilmore a 3-star prospect.  The Wednesday edition will contain news regarding 5-star point guard Caleb Love.  He must decide between North Carolina and Mizzou, it will be a surprise to me if he signs with Mizzou.

Whoa
Could it be, no surly not but maybe.  TMZ is reporting Nike is reported to be looking toward signing LaMelo Ball to a contract.  LaVar Ball must give his permission, the youngest son is 18-years old unable to sign a contract on his own.  Similar to his older brother he might desire to break free from his father's shadow however legally that's not possible for now.  Another Ball in the Family drama to follow in the future.  

Our first look  
This upcoming Wednesday (or Thursday depending on your world location) we’ll see the revamped Houston Rockets in action.  The Rockets will be matched against the Shanghai Sharks in China.  It’s the first game however many of us are anxious to see the constructed back court of Harden-Westbrook.  As for me you know my saying, “I’m from Missouri you’ve got to show me.” One game especially an exhibition fails to make a season for this combo, a portion of this observation will be reserved for the season. 

James Harden asked how he and Russell Westbrook would team up, “We’ll figure it out” was the response.  The Rockets back court teammates have the season to work on the issue, it should prove interesting.  Two ball dominant players who must have the ball in their hands.  Don’t misunderstand the intent, both have been among the league leaders in assists with the Rockets and Thunder.  There is no disputing the fact they both want to win, the question can they “figure it out.”

International prospects
I’ll repeat the position often taken by most of us.  Unless we scout extensively in Europe or the Middle East it’s difficult for us to see let alone judge if international prospects are legitimate.  How about a couple of examples, Kristaps Porzingis flew beneath the radar for most of us in the U.S.?  A few years later it was quite different for Luka Doncic, it seems most of us who follow mock draft sites were familiar with his name although we might have been unsure if he possessed quality NBA talent. 

Below is an introduction of names you might hear announced in the 2020 NBA draft.  The first name is Deni Avdija, he’s a 6-foot 8-inch 210-pound small forward.  Avdija is an 18-year old Israeli who plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv.  The question if he can play at the NBA level will not be decided by us, it will be up to scouts, general managers and others with that decision.  Once again, the disclaimer, mock draft sites offer no proof of an NBA team’s intent or the legitimacy of a prospect.  We can look at nbadraft.net and nbadraftroom.com as our source, both project Advija as a lottery pick. 

Left the building seeing no action
Nothing unusual about an athlete football or basketball leaving a program.  What is unusual is the athlete leaving without ever seeing any action.  That is the case for freshman point guard Issac McBride, he’s decided the basketball program at Kansas is not a good fit for him.  This 4-star prospect indicates he’s going to pursue basketball at another school. 

In all honesty we have no clue regarding his ability, because its Kansas basketball we must believe the coaching staff must have believed McBride had a modicum of talent.  UPDATE:  After this account was completed Kansas basketball received notice of NCAA violations.  It’s all speculation at this point, might McBride be concerned about his future?  Kansas prospects could be seriously impacted by future penalties, just a thought. 

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

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Anthony Davis, assist man  
The Lakers Anthony Davis averaged 3.9 assists per game last season, only three other non-guards had more assists than Davis last season.  You might wonder how did the 6-foot 10-inch Davis become such a prolific passer?  Davis grew into his body; in high school he was a 6-foot-high school freshman guard.  He finished his sophomore year at 6-4, playing point guard he learned to distribute the basketball.  6 feet 3 and inches.  Then the growth spurt and by the time he left Kentucky for the NBA Davis stood 6-10.  Recently LeBron James indicated the Lakers should be playing through Davis, quite a compliment from him.         

This is interesting
Its early, college basketball practice has just begun.  This proposal is not set in stone although that’s the word we hear.  The word, Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin intends to utilize a 4-guard lineup.  The first thought, they might come up short at times versus the opposition when rebounding the basketball.  As for handling the ball and shooting that should be better, Mizzou struggled as a team last season at times. 

Mark Smith and Dru Smith are likely the first two names, Mark the shooter and Dru at the point.  Both are veterans entering their junior year, added to the mix is     freshman combo guard Mario McKinney Jr.  In addition, there is sophomore guards Xavier Pinson, Javon Pickett and Torrence Watson.  I didn’t lose count that’s six roster members so if the coach follows through with the reported plan only the Smiths are likely starters. 

This account excludes two guards who saw little floor action last season but return.  Also, of note the coach is attempting to gain an additional season of play for newcomer Axel Okongo.  Okongo is the 7-foot forward who arrived from France over the summer from junior college.  All this might change by the first game November 6, but it is an interesting notion, nonetheless.    

When’s that happened?
Like the Mizzou story above, practice has just begun for Memphis basketball too.  The lineups utilized by college teams across the nation will likely change by November and that might be Memphis too.  In a report on Memphis basketball cbssports.com indicates Penny Hardaway might start five freshmen.  Wow, this is something we haven’t heard since……well the Fab Five of Michigan back in 1991. 

Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson were the names coach Steve Fisher led into that season.  Question, will the assembled talent recruited by Penny rise to the level of the Fab Five?  On paper it appears the prospects at Memphis University might just be that good.  As indicated, this is early but note the freshmen on campus currently. 

James Wisman Rivals 5-star 7-foot 240-pound center

Precious Achiuwa Rivals 5-star 6-9 215-pound power forward

Boogie Ellis Rivals Rivals 4-star 6-2 165-pound point guard

Lester Quinones Rivals 4-star 6-5 220-pound shooting guard

DJ Jefferies Rivals 4-star 6-7 225-pound small forward

Stop, please stop
Much later you will read an assessment of rookie potential compared to players we are familiar with.  We love to compare players but sometimes it’s plain not possible.  I just finished reading an article Russell Westbrook versus Oscar Robertson.  I truly hoped we’d stop that type of comparison, just saying it doesn’t outlaw it.  There is no effective manner of comparing Robertson who retired in 1974 to Westbrook whose career is still evolving. 

How about Shaquille O’Neal defending Joel Embiid or Kevin Durant against Dr. J.?  Nikola Jokic matched against Bill Russell or Donovan Mitchell versus Jerry West.  In the instance of the Westbrook-Robertson matchup the writer noted there were far fewer teams in Robertson’s era.  Westbrook faces far more opposing point guards than the Big O ever had to face.  This rant will not stop anything, we’ll continue to compare players from different eras. 

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

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The second shoe dropped
Lack of institutional control was the charge laid at the feet of NC State basketball in July.  The same accusation was been levied against the University of Kansas this week.  This charge might be forthcoming for several other schools across the nation.  We’ve heard the term for years, exactly what are the details?  These are not my words but those of the NCAA, “A lack of institutional control is found when the Committee on Infractions determines that major violations occurred and the institution failed to display:

Adequate compliance measure

Appropriate education on those compliance measures. 

Sufficient monitoring to ensure the compliance measures or followed.

Swift action upon learning of a violation.” 

The last sentence, swift action can and does vary.  Self-reporting by the institution has not always resulted in less punishment for the school.  Store this in your mind for any future action by the NCAA. 

He’s the other guy

It might have appeared the interest in Australian basketball revolved around LaMelo Ball.  That was true to an extent however there’s another 18-year old American, his name is RJ Hampton.  The status of Hampton is different over Ball, Hampton would have little if any difficulty gaining eligibility to play in college.  The questionable amateur status of Ball would have led to a great number of uncertainties, Hampton chose this path when he could have just as easily attended college.  

Hampton is also a sizeable point guard standing 6 foot 5 inches tall, as a reminder he will play for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL.  Hampton’s game might not have been as spectacular as Ball however its certainly significant.  20 points, five rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocked shots as Hampton’s Breaker team was a loser.  We need to keep in mind NBA scouts were in attendance to scout Ball, but they were there for Hampton as well.  Just in case you had a question Ball is now listed as the number 4 prospect while Hampton is number 16 on the 2020 nbadraft.net mock site.     

Dinosaurs once roamed but they became extinct
Once upon a time in America we had super college basketball teams.  We can state with conviction the same teams battle for NCAA supremacy year after year but it’s different nowadays.  In this instance our focus centers on consecutive NCAA championships.  This was mentioned previously the game will never be dominated as the Wooden UCLA Bruins once achieved.  They won back to back in 1964 and 1965, from 1967 through 1973 they won every NCAA championship played.  There was one additional championship, that was 1975 Wooden’s last year coaching the team. 

Earlier Oklahoma A&M (Oklahoma State) won back to back in 1945 and 1946 then it was Kentucky in 1948 and 1949.  It was 1955 before a back to back champion was crowned again, Bill Russell’s San Francisco Dons won in 1955 and 1956.  1961 and 1962 witnessed the Cincinnati Bearcats winning back to back, it was the ‘90’s before another accomplished the feat.  The Duke Blue Devils won it all in ’91 and ’92, the drought lasted until 2006 when Florida won that year and the following.  Basketball dynasties once existed but no more, like dinosaurs they became extinct too.   

Top 10
Recently Bleacher Report scripted an account of the Top 10 centers in NBA history, this is my take on their list.  At number 8 they listed Moses Malone; it’s been my contention for several years the Kings would have never left Kansas City if they had been wise in the ABA dispersal draft.  The Kings with the opportunity chose guard Ron Boone rather than Malone. 

Boone was a good guard however who’s in the Hall of Fame Malone or Boone?  At number 5 they selected Wilt Chamberlain, at number 4 it was Bill Russell.  Two centers who set the standard for play at the position, the 4 and 5 best centers in NBA history.  I love me some Shaquille O’Neal but even I have trouble placing him at number 2.  They selected Kareem Abdul Jabbar number 1 and no argument from me with that choice.   

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

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One thing is not like the other
A criminal commits a felony but eludes capture, his buddy perpetrates a similar transgression and is captured and is sent to prison.  Criminal B. is upset because Criminal A. committed the same deed yet failed to be captured, he’s walking the streets free as a bird.  Where am I going with this rant, it’s intended for several in Jayhawk Nation.  The NCAA formally charged Kansas basketball with major violations, what occurs with fans of the program?  They began naming Duke, Kansas, North Carolina and other programs guilty of misdeeds. 

The key snag, the NCAA didn’t state Kansas was the only guilty party in fact they might be one of several.  This is certainly no effort to accuse one school or another of improprieties but keep this in mind.  The administration at Kansas University indicates it will appeal to the NCAA which it should do, at the same time it does no good for fans to just begin naming schools without offering any proof.  The announcement from the NCAA named Kansas University alone, live with it.  We know cheaters abound, unless charged it does not one bit of good to announce, “who you believe is cheating.”   

Okay…. if that’s the case?
You might remember I wrote of my belief the U.S. was due for a letdown in FIBA World Cup play.  My view was based on players who were cut or injured or decided to not play.  That was indeed the case, Team U.S.A. finished 7^th in World Cup competition.  On Sunday an Associated Press report despite the losses experienced the U.S. remains number one in the world.  Are you confused; I know I am why not join me in this puzzling story?

According to the story total wins from the most recent years are taken into considered in order to adjust the standings.  The recent 7^th place finish is lumped in with 2012 and 2016 Olympic Gold plus 2014 FIBA Gold.  Makes sense but remains somewhat confusing for most of us.  It’s already being reported several athletes who either passed on play or were injured intend to participate in the 2020 Olympics.  Coach Pop is correct NBA basketball is no longer secret in the world, expect the competition to improve.

Why not?
The words proved quite insightful and telling regarding the Lob City era.  JJ Redick is no longer a member of the Clippers; he’s spent the past few seasons with the Sixers.  Over the summer he joined the Pelicans and he reflected over his time with the Clippers.  Redick claims, “The Clippers should have won at least one championship in the three years I was a member.”  As far as we can determine Redick left the Clippers under favorable conditions, there is no report we’ve read indicating there were issues. 

So, according to Redick there were struggles with the Lob City crew of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce and others.  How to dissect the words of Redick would require far more space than a few sentences on a page, we can speculate, however.  Was it injuries, coaching or something else that caused this Clipper team to win but not the ultimate prize?  The last issue to consider that might have contributed to not playing at your peak was ownership.  We heard comments from former Clippers player Blake Griffin about Donald Sterling and his brashness toward the team. 

Don’t be so quick to assume
With the Lakers off season signing of DeMarcus Cousins and later Dwight Howard many believe it might have been a slap in the face to JaVale McGee.  McGee spent the most minutes at center last season.  As for McGee he will never cause Laker fans to think of Kareem, Shaq or other centers of the Laker past.  Most believed McGee was a journeyman athlete, after all the Lakers become team number six for him. 

McGee might be a journeyman however we witnessed sparkling play on many portions of his game last season.  At the time he signed with the Lakers many (including me) believed he was strictly a backup center.  If we check his  numbers last season given the opportunity to play full time, he posted career highs in most areas.  In closing a reminder don’t assume Dwight Howard will receive the bulk of play at center, it just might be journeyman JaVale McGee.   

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

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One more story
Friends there are several basketball stories in the NBA and college I intend to follow this upcoming season.  One of these involves Michael Porter Jr., I along with Mizzou Nation desire to see evidence of his basketball talent.  He arrived at Mizzou as one of the top high school prospects in the nation and then the injury.  Porter Jr. played all of three games before declaring for the NBA draft in 2018. 

The Nuggets selected him number 14 in the first round, the injury issue prevented him from being selected higher.  The Nuggets realizing, he still required rehab were okay with him sitting out the 2018-19 NBA season.  The dawn of the 2019-20 season is almost here, is the 6-foot 10-inch Porter Jr. prepared to play?  All indications point out he’s ready, despite the relative short period at Mizzou I’ve got to believe most of Mizzou Nation wants him to succeed.  Michael Porter Jr., a story for the 2019-20 NBA season.  

It was the NFL not the NBA  
Ahmad Rashād has worked at his broadcast career for such a long time a number might not believe he’s a former professional athlete.  Others might believe the sport that led him into the broadcast field was the NBA however that’s not the case.  Born Robert Moore he was an NFL wide receiver at the University of Oregon.  Entering the NFL in 1972 he would play for the Cardinals, Bills and Vikings before retiring from the game in 1982. 

After retirement Rashad went into the sports broadcast field.  Although Rashard has served as sideline reporter for the NFL the NBA is the professional sport he’s most closely associated with.  In the recent past Rashard served as co-host of Inside the NBA among other NBA programs.  Annually he serves as the emcee for the Naismith Hall of Fame ceremony.  Ahmad Rashad played in the NFL however it’s the NBA he’s most closely associated with by those in the sports community. 

This is interesting 

A story last week reported the Warriors intend to sport 6 new jerseys this season.  One of the jerseys is an updated version of an earlier design.  The late Franklin Mieuli who once owned the Warriors designed the iconic jersey.  It might have been the first jersey with no indication of what city or area it represented.  Team owners have several roles in ownership, this might be the only instance of a jersey being designed by an owner.  I talked to a former resident for the remainder of the story. 

Gary informed me “Back in the mid to late 60’s, all over northern California, San Francisco was referred to as: The City. People would say: I am going into the city-and if they lived-in Marin or Sonoma County or even further away, this meant that they were going to San Francisco.”  All these years I believed the Golden Gate Bridge emblazon on the front was enough to identify the city and portion of the nation the team represented. 

The Commish

It seems NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is always on the hot seat for one decision or another.  Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred Jr. would appear to not reach the visibility of football or basketball as his counterparts.  It’s funny ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser co-host of Pardon the Interruption has made it known he doesn’t particularly agree with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. 

I’m unsure if I ever heard him express an opinion about David Stern negative or positive.  Kornheiser and others might not always agree with the decisions rendered by the commissioners however they forget a key point.  Commissioners of all sports work at the behest of team owners, too many unfavorable decisions the commissioner might be looking for a job despite our views.     

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

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Major violations
Last spring the NCAA announced several Division I teams would be penalized.  According to the Kansas City Star the governing body will name Kansas as one of the schools to suffer punishment.  As this story develops additional detail will be published.

The O’Neal brothers
The college debut of 6-foot 9-inch Shareef O’Neal was delayed, if you remember the story a heart issue was discovered, and surgery was required.  He’s been given a clean bill of health and should resume his basketball in November at UCLA.  There is another brother the youngest is 6-foot 5-inch Shaqir O’Neal, he’s a sophomore at Crossroads High School in Santa Monica.  The brothers might never grow their bodies or game to the level of the father but is it really that important? 

Good beginning
LaMelo Ball of the Illawarra Hawks filled up the box score in a 122-119 OT win early Friday morning over the Perth Wildcats.  Ball scored 19 pts along with 13 rebounds and 7 assists. No, it's not the NBA rather the National Basketball League (Australia), next question. Competition is on the same level as Euro basketball, which is still no indicator of future NBA success for Ball, but his effort thus far after three exhibition games is quite interesting.

Ball has gained 10-15 pounds of muscle and now stands 6 foot 7 inches in height.  According to reports 27 NBA scouts journeyed to Australia to check out Ball.  From early indications it appears he would be a first-round pick in 2020.  In closing allow me to lay this bit of knowledge on you, I have no problem with the brothers my issues been with their father.  I wish for basketball success for all three brothers, whether it occurs is a different matter.  🤔

Thumbs up or thumbs down
The NBA Board of Governors voted yesterday on an anti-tampering proposal.  If proven guilty as it was announced a team could be fined up to $10 million.  Allegations of tampering have existed for years, yet nothings been done up to this point to curtail it.  If the NBA believes this effort will work so be it, the difficulty will be in providing proof it occurred.  Will it be necessary for teams to report suspensions?  At one time I was informed the NCAA had few investigators, often any time would suffer a penalty an opposition team would often be responsible for blowing the whistle.  It should be interesting if this is thumbs up or thumbs down vote. 

Bits n Pieces
Coach Cal and those Kentucky Wildcats did it again.  Terrence Clarke 5-star prospect in the Class of 2020 is headed to Lexington, he’s a 6-foot 6-inch shooting guard.  We can also add the name of Lance Ware to the list.  Ware is a 4-star prospect in the Class of 2020 and a 6-foot 9-inch power forward, that old saying, “the rich keep getting richer” certainly applies here. 

Money apparently is not lost on Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.  It’s been announced Ballmer pledged $100 million to the City of Inglewood for community development.  A portion of the news release read, “Up to $75 million in low-interest loans for the acquisition, preservation, or development of affordable and mixed-income housing in Inglewood.” This has nothing to do with his proposed Inglewood arena although it certainly can’t hurt from an image standpoint. 

I’m just a fan who loves basketball, I have opinions and views I share.  Notice I said share which indicates you might have a totally different opinion and that’s okay.  Often in the past friends and acquaintances have caused me to shift positions on a subject. 

Jason “The Jet” Terry has a new job; the veteran NBA guard has been hired as assistant GM for the Texas Legends.  The Legends based in Frisco are the G-League affiliate for the Mavs.  I had an opportunity to meet Terry this past summer, a nice guy.

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

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They work for the same company
Former NFL quarterback and current Fox commentator Troy Aikman indicates he’s heard from his bosses.  This is news because it focuses on a former basketball player who also turned broadcaster.  During a Fox Sports broadcast host Doug Gottlieb offered his opinion of NFL quarterback Andrew Lucks swift retirement.  Many thought the comment by Gottlieb was not well intentioned.  Despite the fact both work for Fox Sports Aikman felt compelled to call out Gottlieb in a tweet. 

Aikman indicated his tweet was intended to be an honest assessment of the Luck story.  Many including this writer pointed out it’s a slippery slope for someone like Gottlieb when you have skeleton’s in your closet.  That was the case for Gottlieb who committed an indiscretion which caused him to leave Notre Dame under a cloud of suspension.  Gottlieb would finish his collegiate basketball career at Oklahoma State.  Gottlieb never played in the NBA but played professionally at several stops before retiring and becoming a broadcaster.    

Merchandising     
We know the story is all about merchandising. For those who might not be aware the NBA Warriors have moved across the bay.  Oracle Arena in Oakland (at least for the NBA is no more) it’s been replaced by the brand-new Chase Center in San Francisco. Naturally a new building calls for new jerseys (wink, wink) 6 in all. 1-2-3-4-5-6, I'm old enough to remember a time NBA teams had two jerseys, one for home games and the other for the road, that was it. 🤔🤣

Speaking of
Do you remember the old Mars Blackmon line from the Air Jordan commercials, “Could it be the shoes?”  Spike Lee a.k.a. Blackmon was referring to the shoes and the question did they allow Michael Jordan to fly.  A clip from the commercial is listed at the close of this article.  It might have been a similar issue with the Big Baller Brand not the ability to fly rather the injury issue.  To our knowledge Lonzo Ball was/is the only NBA player sporting the brand.  Consider this fact, Ball is yet to play a full season in his two years, could it be the shoes? 

Nike’s been in business close to 50 years and they had problems.  Many of us witnessed the “exploding” Nike shoe worn by Zion Williamson this past basketball season.  We don’t know this to be a fact we guess Nike manufacturing has been in business and must have tested their brand, yet they had an international embarrassment.  BBB on the market less than 3 years we question whether the shoe has been tested significantly.  We need look no further than Lonzo Ball regarding the question.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjFK3L4cvQs

Breakout star
Every college basketball season there is a breakout star, usually prospects choosing North Carolina, Duke and Kentucky are supposed to be the best.  We are familiar with their names prior to arrival on campus.  There are others who wind up surprising us, we often know their names but once they begin play in college they often kick in an extra gear. 

Two years ago, Oklahoma had Trae Young who carried his exploits to the NBA Hawks.  After a slow start many believed he should have been Rookie of the Year.  Ja Morant had a good freshman season at Murray State but really blow up in his sophomore year.  Who is prepared to establish themselves for the 2019-20 college season?  I have no idea however you might have several thoughts.

NBL 
I set up a favorites page on my Desktop for the NBL, the National Basketball League of Australia.  The intent is to follow the rookie season of LaMelo Ball who will begin play for the Illwarra Hawks and RJ Hampton with the New Zealand Breakers.  These young men will begin play for the 9 team NBL, in addition we can follow the progress of the two on www.nbl.com.au or NBL TV On Demand. 

Do we have a trend with U.S. prospects headed to Australia?  Makur Maker cousin of Piston forward Thon is undecided, Makur is the number five Rivals prospect in the Class of 2020.  The 6-foot 11-inch Maker intends to follow the progress of LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton this season.  It’s yet to be determined the planned route of Makur even he don’t know for sure.  rather than go the college route.  We shall see if this is a trend or just the route of a few prospects.    

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

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Remember him
Markelle Fultz was the top pick in the 2017 draft by the Sixers, Fultz has basically disappeared from our view.  Injuries have kept him sidelined for much of his NBA career and last February the Sixers appeared to have given up on Fultz.  He was traded to the Magic and there was hope for a new start.  Despite seeing little if any action since the trade the Magic decided to pick up his option and two others.

Nothing wrong with believing you’re the best, announcing the belief to the world can prove dangerous.  In 2017 there was a question as to who the first pick with two highly rated point guards in the draft might be.  Fultz declared himself “better” than Lonzo Ball, but we see the result.  Ball’s yet to play a full season but has more time of the court to date than Fultz. 

The disclaimer
In this instance the disclaimer is placed at the beginning of the story.  Have you seen the latest video of LeMelo Ball in action; he looks extremely comfortable?  I have no ownership rights therefore I cannot place the video on Words eye view.  Much earlier I wrote my belief the journey last season to play in Lithuania was somewhat suspect based on my reading.  One writer indicated league play was a notch below the highest level of competition in Lithuania. 

Returning stateside LeMelo returned to competition at the high school level, as we might figure the level of competition can and often varies.  The National Basketball League of Australia offered a higher level of competition.  As I indicated it’s still early, if he continues play at this pace there is no reason LeMelo won’t be drafted in the NBA in 2020.  The NBL is in their exhibition season as this is written, hopefully we have the opportunity here either on NBA TV or streaming to see LeMelo in action.   

Celebrity news……not really  
There are rare occasions we cover news that might be considered celebrity driven although this might be a play on words.  This news impacts the NBA although not in the manner you might believe.  Continue to read and you will discover the who, what, when, why and where.  We could say this is basketball royalty to a degree, recently Seth Curry younger brother of Steph was married in Malibu. 

His bride Callie and now wife is the daughter of Clippers coach Doc Rivers.  This could present quite a dilemma; does she root against daddy’s team on those occasions the Mavs are matched against the Clippers?  Inquiring minds want an answer to the question, just kidding folks.  Whichever team Callie decides to favor is strictly her business, could we blame her if loyalty is divided?

“And the Man in the Middle….”
Those are the words of the PA announcer for the Bulls, introducing the team’s   starting lineup he would announce position by position until it was time for the center.  A website posed the question is small ball beginning to fade in popularity?  Well that depends, Steph Curry and several others remain in place but there has been a shift just this summer.  The Sixers signed Al Horford in free agency, the 6 foot 10 Horford has played center all his NBA career.  They didn’t acquire him to replace Joel Embiid, Horford slides over to play the power forward position. 

In Laker land the same scenario is likely to play out for Anthony Davis.  During his NBA career the 6 foot 10 Davis has played center.  He’s let management know, “I’ll play center but prefer to play forward.”  Waiting anxiously perhaps to hear those words is Boogie Cousins all 6-foot 11 inch 270 pounds of him.  Don’t forget Cousins played the center position with the Pelicans while Anthony Davis was the power forward.  (This was written prior to the season ending Cousins injury). 

7-foot 1-inch DeAndre Ayton moved into the starting lineup at center and had an outstanding rookie season.  Although he’s been in the NBA for 4 seasons the Pacers Myles Turner is only 23 years of age, he’s also a rising star at the center position.  He’s certainly not starting, in fact he’s not officially on the team.  The Celtics added 7-foot 7-inch Tacko Fall to their roster, what about that move?  What’s old becomes new again, that might be the case with a team offense played through the center position.  Someday we might see James Wiseman incoming Memphis freshman in the mix too, the youngster is 7-foot 1 inch and 240 pounds. 

Basketball from a fan’s perspective

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NBA Global Games
Teams participating in the Global Games open training camp September 28.  They will journey overseas to play in the NBA Global Games.  This is a continuing effort on the part of the NBA to expand the game throughout the world.  The teams and dates are listed below.

Pacers vs Kings in Mumbai India Oct 4 and 5
Rockets vs Raptors in Saitama City Japan Oct 8 and 10    
Nets vs Lakers in China, Shanghai on Oct 10 and Shenzhen on Oct 12     

Cade Cunningham
Is a 6-foot 7-inch point guard, he attends Montverde Academy in Florida.  Cunningham is a Rivals 5-star prospect and number two in the Class of 2020.  All the Big Boy programs are recruiting him, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas and Michigan to name just a few.  In June Oklahoma State hired Cannen Cunningham as an assistant coach.  No, if you were thinking he’s Cade’s father your wrong…. he’s an older brother. 

There is no guarantee the brother is headed to Oklahoma too but once again reminds me of a story.  I’ve told it previously, at the time Mizzou hired Michael Porter Sr. All American Michael Porter Jr. arrived soon after.  A respondent pointed out the hire of the father was simply an attempt to lure the All-American son to Mizzou.  That might indeed have been the case however the hire of the Porters was not the first time a relative was a staff member.

He’s got a job
Joe Johnson was named Big3 MVP, the 38-year old Johnson last played in the NBA in the 2017-18 season.  If you are unfamiliar the league was started by entertainer Ice Cube.  It’s half-court basketball with 3-man teams on the court at any one time.  It’s clear someone must have been impressed, the Pistons signed Johnson so he will be in training camp next month.  So many might have believed his NBA career was over, evidently that is not the case.

Research
In the 1960’s television world broadcaster Curt Gowdy at some point would mention the name.  Behind the mic during UCLA’s glory days he’d mention Kenny Sailors name.  It left much of the viewing audience scratching their heads, who the heck was he talking about?  Sailors died in 2016 at the age of 95, he is generally credited with being the first to use the one-handed jump shot.  In the early 1940’s at Wyoming and throughout the nation and world the two-handed set shot was utilized by most players. 

Sailors stood a mere 5 foot 10 inches; it’s said he developed the shot playing against his older brother who was 6 feet 4 inches tall.  Sailors was an All-American at Wyoming; he would go on to a pro career in the Basketball Association of America and the NBA playing for several teams.  Sailors retired from the game in 1951 after playing for the Baltimore Bullets, in 2012 he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.  It must be clear the late Curt Gowdy also from Wyoming had witnessed the play of Sailors.    

Everyone else
The media experts are discussing everyone else in the SEC basketball race except Mizzou.  A number in Mizzou Nation might consider that a slap in the face, not me.  We expect accounts regarding John Calipari and Kentucky to prevail, we could include Auburn and Tennessee as well.  A good sign and we’ve yet to begin the season the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.  It was mentioned previously coming off a 20-win record we half expected Mizzou to be in the number last season and they were omitted. 

This year despite the fact they finished below .500 they are among the chosen.  What exactly does that involve, conference folks must believe Mizzou has the capability to step up?  Those in Mizzou Nation certainly expect this Cuonzo Martin team to play at a higher level than last season.  Key to a successful season is few injuries, if health becomes an issue all bets are off.  Will Mizzou win the SEC, probably not?  Will the Tigers compete, they certainly will, the holdovers plus new talent should aid growth?