Basketball from a fan’s perspective

The Last time

I pledge to cease discussing college basketball upsets this season.  As was pointed out last week the lack of good teams is the basis for the seemingly increased number of upsets.  North Carolina was not number one, but they were a Top 25 team losing to an unranked team.  Since the pre-season rankings five different teams have been placed in the top slot. Just in case you might have forgotten they are Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke, Louisville and now Kansas all been ranked number one. 

Oh well here’s the brief report anyway, Wofford beat North Carolina 68-64.  Kansas moved into the number one slot, are they next to face defeat? The Jayhawks are about to begin Big 12 play.  Texas, Baylor and Texas Tech and perhaps others I might overlook are laying in the weeds.  Kansas rarely losses in Allen Fieldhouse, they should be safe at home, on the road facing any of the above or Oklahoma, Oklahoma State they better play their best basketball.

The Good and The Bad 

The Good, providing evidence of their improved team defense, they lead the NBA in blocked shots per game (7.1).  The Bad, the Lakers surrendered a game high 22 turnovers Sunday evening versus the Hawks.  Despite the sometimes-erratic play it did not prevent them from winning game number 24 and the teams 7^th in a row.  The final score read Lakers 101 Hawks 96. 

They are 5^th in the NBA in surrendering 104.2 points per game against the opposition, the Nuggets lead the league giving up 101.6 points.  Coach Vogel indicated he wasn’t pleased with the turnovers or the 3-point shooting.  “It doesn’t matter whether we win or lose, we want to have a growth mindset.” They face the Pacers on Tuesday and the Bucks on Thursday two very tough teams; they need to get their act together.  

OG (Old Guy)
‘The ship be sinking’, although certainly not grammatically correct those were the words of Michael “Sugar” Ray Richardson.  A reporter asked him a question regarding the 1981-82 Knicks team and ‘The ship be sinking’ was his response.  Depending on your age you may have come across several players who appeared to play on a different level, they were just that much better than the competition and their teammates, Michael Ray was one.  He left Denver for the University of Montana where he received enough notoriety the Knicks made him the 4^th pick in the first round of the 1978 NBA draft. 

In the 6th spot the Celtics chose Larry Bird but that’s a different story. 

The Knicks announced the second coming of Walt “Clyde” Frazier with the pick and for a while that indeed appeared to be the case.  The 6-foot 5-inch Michael Ray was just as comfortable distributing the ball as scoring.  His second year in the NBA witnessed him averaging 10 assists and 3 steals a game along with a 15 points per game scoring average.  The Knicks would trade Michael Ray to the Warriors in 1982 but he wasn’t destined to remain in California.  The Warriors traded him to the New Jersey Nets where he remained until his NBA career ended in 1986. 

Drug dependency was his downfall, February 25, 1986 he was banned from the NBA for life as a three-time violator.  The late Mavs forward Roy Tarpley and the Warriors Chris Washburn represent a number of players to receive life-time banishment.  As for Michael Ray he regained the right to play in 1988 but chose to remain in Europe playing basketball.  He’s 64-years old now and the last account indicated he lives in Lawton Oklahoma 90 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.  Michael “Sugar” Ray one of several talented athletes who failed to reach his peak due to chemical dependency.