Basketball from a
fan’s perspective
Published Monday, Wednesday, Friday &
Saturday
Kansas City Kings?
There is an explanation for the question mark behind Kansas City Kings, this is revisionist history the Kings never left for Sacramento. The ABA dispersal draft proved to be the winning formula for success and would lay the groundwork for a successful franchise. In 1976 the overhauled ABA merged with the NBA leaving more talent than teams, several ABA teams were dissolved. The Kings with their poor won-loss record would have the 3rd pick in the first round, they choose 6-foot 10-inch Moses Malone rather than guard Ron Boone.
The actual events would see the Blazers
select Moses Malone with the 5th pick, although he didn’t remain
with them his budding talent would eventually lead to a Naismith Hall of Fame
selection. Why did the Kings select
Boone rather than 6-foot 10-inch Malone?
In the opinion of many by this time the top ABA talent was near the same
level at or in some instances exceeded that of the NBA. In his rookie year with the Utah Stars
Malone scored nearly 19 points and snatched down 15 rebounds a game.
The Stars folded and Malone’s contract
was sold to the Spirits of St. Louis, his numbers in St. Louis, 14.3 points and
9.6 rebounds a game. Malone’s numbers
were clearly superior to those of Boone, it’s my belief it came down to
$$$. It’s likely Malone would command a
larger salary than Boone who was a good player but certainly had no career numbers
approaching those of Malone. So, there
you have it, the Kings add complimentary players around Malone and presto-change-o
the successful Kings never shuffle off to Sacramento. It might have occurred if only management had been so tight-fisted with money.
All we’ve heard
If the Sixers, no longer want Ben Simmons I hope the Lakers can somehow acquire him. Relax Sixer Nation there is no indication he’s headed anywhere for now, the caw-caw we hear is over whelming. All we’ve heard since the end of the NBA season, “He’s got no jump shot” or “He can’t shoot free-throws.” NBA TV conducted a poll to select an all-time Sixer team, several questioned why Simmons name was included on the list.
If the Sixers, no longer want Ben Simmons I hope the Lakers can somehow acquire him. Relax Sixer Nation there is no indication he’s headed anywhere for now, the caw-caw we hear is over whelming. All we’ve heard since the end of the NBA season, “He’s got no jump shot” or “He can’t shoot free-throws.” NBA TV conducted a poll to select an all-time Sixer team, several questioned why Simmons name was included on the list.
ESPN’s Bomani Jones decided to weigh in
on the subject saying, “He’s not impressed with Simmons new jumper.” Hey Bomani I’d like to see your jumper, “Wah
Wa Wa Wah Wa Wa” (the adult talk in the Peanuts cartoons). Oh, I thought so, I’m willing to wait until
you get in player shape Bomani. Over the
course of Simmons two-year career, the numbers are 16.4 points nearly 8 assists
and almost 9 rebounds a game. This while
shooting 55% from the floor, as I said I will take it.
Looking toward the
future
This re-build of the Lakers is intended for the team to win right now not in three years not even two but now. Adding Anthony Davis, Boogie Cousins (before the injury) and the attempt to sign Kawhi Leonard indicates how serious management was intent on championship basketball. Adding the above names and others to a roster which includes LeBron James gives us the impression the effort is now, but what about the future? For NBA teams re-tooling has become signing that free agent, teams no longer look toward the draft to build a team.
This re-build of the Lakers is intended for the team to win right now not in three years not even two but now. Adding Anthony Davis, Boogie Cousins (before the injury) and the attempt to sign Kawhi Leonard indicates how serious management was intent on championship basketball. Adding the above names and others to a roster which includes LeBron James gives us the impression the effort is now, but what about the future? For NBA teams re-tooling has become signing that free agent, teams no longer look toward the draft to build a team.
Despite this fact adding rookie talent in
spots can prove significant for a team while awaiting that free agent. Despite the heavy emphasis on veteran talent
as this is written there are four rookies hoping to make an impact on this
Laker team. It’s likely they will
receive little play during the season except for the South Bay Lakers of the
G-League. It’s noteworthy to introduce them and provide a description of their
background. Perhaps one or more lays the
foundation for future success, or maybe it’s some rookie yet unseen.
Devontae Cacok 6-foot 7 240-pound forward
UNC-Wilmington
Zach Norvell Jr, 6-foot 5 206-pound
shooting guard Gonzaga
Talen Horton-Tucker, 6-foot 4 235-pound
shooting guard Iowa State
Aric Holman, 6-foot 10 225-pound forward (Waived
after D Howard signed)
“You knew the job was
dangerous when you took it, Fred”
In the middle ‘60’s a Saturday morning cartoon program aired titled Super Chicken. As with all hero’s Super Chicken had a sidekick named Fred. Anytime Fred was injured performing a daring rescue Super Chicken would remind him, “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Fred.” We could make the same statement for those college coaches who might not be replacing the legend but hired into a rich heritage program. You know their names, Mick Cronin at UCLA and the John Wooden legacy. How about anyone at Indiana overwhelmed by the presence of Bobby Knight which likely might not be evident in all cases. Georgetown’s had John Thompson III as head coach, John Thompson the father looms over the program having built the program and won an NCAA championship.
In the middle ‘60’s a Saturday morning cartoon program aired titled Super Chicken. As with all hero’s Super Chicken had a sidekick named Fred. Anytime Fred was injured performing a daring rescue Super Chicken would remind him, “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Fred.” We could make the same statement for those college coaches who might not be replacing the legend but hired into a rich heritage program. You know their names, Mick Cronin at UCLA and the John Wooden legacy. How about anyone at Indiana overwhelmed by the presence of Bobby Knight which likely might not be evident in all cases. Georgetown’s had John Thompson III as head coach, John Thompson the father looms over the program having built the program and won an NCAA championship.
At St. John’s legendary coach Lou Carnesecca
looms over the program no matter who is seated in the first chair. UConn competed on the basketball court before
and after Jim Calhoun however his name is forever associated with the
program. At Arizona it’s the name of Lute
Olsen who sat the standard at the school.
Roy Williams might be the only coach who eclipses the shadow that was
Dean Smith. Others remain coaching but
Bill Self’s eventual replacement at Kansas and Jim Boeheim at Syracuse will
face the same pressures. We must include
the John Calipari replacement at Kentucky in the discussion too. There are others, these are but the first few
that come to mind. You might compile a
list of those omitted here.
