Basketball from a
fan’s perspective
Published Monday through Friday weekly
Gale Sayers
What does Hall of Fame Bears running back Gale Sayers have to do with basketball? Years ago, I read his autobiography after an outstanding rookie season he suffered a leg injury which sidelined him for the season. The book indicates he eventually returned to action but lacked explosiveness. One teammate said “He’s going up to the line tippy toes, of course, that’s an exaggeration but Sayers appeared to be running however he was running scared. It’s been awhile since I read the book however a coach or teammate gave him some advice.
What does Hall of Fame Bears running back Gale Sayers have to do with basketball? Years ago, I read his autobiography after an outstanding rookie season he suffered a leg injury which sidelined him for the season. The book indicates he eventually returned to action but lacked explosiveness. One teammate said “He’s going up to the line tippy toes, of course, that’s an exaggeration but Sayers appeared to be running however he was running scared. It’s been awhile since I read the book however a coach or teammate gave him some advice.
“You appear to favor your leg because you are afraid to place
pressure on it and yourself.” It was
said once he took this advice to heart Sayers returned to near his previous
form.” We could say the Celtics Gordon
Hayward might have suffered the same feat in basketball. You remember Hayward suffered a devastating
injury in October 2017 which caused him to miss the entire season. Hayward returned to action in 2018-19 however
his numbers were certainly not Hayward like (11.5 ppg). This season thus far we’ve witnessed a return
to form with his average hovering in the 20.0 ppg range, he might not be all
the way back however he’s on his way.
Load Management
“Kawhi Leonard will sit out his second game this season due to load management and miss a marquee match up against reigning MVP” the story reads. What exactly is “load management” might be your question and mine too at a point. It turns out this is the new term the NBA mandates anytime a player is sitting out a game for rest. We all realize the NBA season is lengthy, if we exclude summer an NBA player could play from October through June if his team plays deep into the playoffs.
“Kawhi Leonard will sit out his second game this season due to load management and miss a marquee match up against reigning MVP” the story reads. What exactly is “load management” might be your question and mine too at a point. It turns out this is the new term the NBA mandates anytime a player is sitting out a game for rest. We all realize the NBA season is lengthy, if we exclude summer an NBA player could play from October through June if his team plays deep into the playoffs.
Lose his way or something
else?
What happened to Hassan Whiteside, in July the Heat traded the 7-foot center to the Blazers? A little over two years ago I believed he was on the road to become one of the premier Big Men in the NBA. After spending time with the Kings, in China and the G-League he burst out with the Heat. Whiteside became a consistent double-double man but the outstanding part for me was his defense.
What happened to Hassan Whiteside, in July the Heat traded the 7-foot center to the Blazers? A little over two years ago I believed he was on the road to become one of the premier Big Men in the NBA. After spending time with the Kings, in China and the G-League he burst out with the Heat. Whiteside became a consistent double-double man but the outstanding part for me was his defense.
Whiteside once recorded 11 blocked shots
while recording a triple double. I must
admit over the last year I followed his career from afar and it appeared the
coaching staff became concerned about his play.
Perhaps in Portland we’ll see the “old” Whiteside, the guy who worked
and worked his way back to the NBA after being drafted originally by the Kings. Hopefully this change will be beneficial to
him and the Blazers.
Can you say double-talk?
We cannot avoid politics; often issues creep into the sports world and that’s the case here. We briefly covered the fact the NCAA changed its mindset and would allow athletes to profit from endorsements. I certainly claim no expertise in the tax laws, this is the confusing part for me. It doesn’t matter whether you are an athlete or an educator if income reaches that certain number wouldn’t they be required to pay taxes anyway?
We cannot avoid politics; often issues creep into the sports world and that’s the case here. We briefly covered the fact the NCAA changed its mindset and would allow athletes to profit from endorsements. I certainly claim no expertise in the tax laws, this is the confusing part for me. It doesn’t matter whether you are an athlete or an educator if income reaches that certain number wouldn’t they be required to pay taxes anyway?
I’m certainly confused by the
response of North Carolina Senator Richard Burr, his
tweet: “If college
athletes are going to make money off their likenesses while in school, their
scholarships should be treated like income. I’ll be introducing legislation
that subjects scholarships given to athletes who choose to “cash in” to income
taxes.” Without further comment by
Senator Burr we are unsure what he’s attempting to achieve.
I stopped counting at six
An SI.com story on the 2020 NBA draft had me scratching my head. LaMelo Ball was listed on six mock draft sites anywhere from 3 up to 6. I must admit part of me is skeptical, do these guys check other .com sites and adjust their picks based on what they read? Surely there’s got to be more to the case other than copying from someone else’s research. At this point the only negative if we just check the numbers are his field goal percentage and stuff you can’t measure.
An SI.com story on the 2020 NBA draft had me scratching my head. LaMelo Ball was listed on six mock draft sites anywhere from 3 up to 6. I must admit part of me is skeptical, do these guys check other .com sites and adjust their picks based on what they read? Surely there’s got to be more to the case other than copying from someone else’s research. At this point the only negative if we just check the numbers are his field goal percentage and stuff you can’t measure.
He lacks strength and explosiveness, but
part of that negative that impacts his explosiveness is certainly his age. As the 18-year old Ball continues to grow his
strength should improve, as for the explosiveness there are drills that will permit
him to improve. As for other areas
requiring his shooting from the floor, 34% reflects learning the game at the
professional level. As for other stats
(ppg, assists, rebounds) are reflective of a grizzled veteran.
One other issue he’s only indirectly
involved is the win-loss record. The
Illawarra Hawks are coming off a poor season and it appears thus far the
2019-20 season will be continuation. Will
LaMelo take heat for not improving the fortunes of his team? Finally, Mike Schmitz ESPN draft analyst
states, “I’ve seen every game he’s played in Australia and he’s the most
talented prospect in the 2020 draft.”
