Basketball
from a fan’s perspective
Hidden gem?
Every season I check mock draft
sites and identify a generally unknown athlete, my hope this player is drafted
and can help my favorite NBA team you know which one. I’ll provide a couple of past examples, 7-foot
center Ivica Zubac was drafted by the Lakers in 2016. 7-foot Mitchell Robinson in 2018 the Lakers was
7-foot Mitchell Robinson from Western Kentucky was the man, he came in for a
workout and indications the Lakers intended to draft him.
After a couple of seasons mostly
playing a backup role Zubac was traded last February to the Clippers, as for
Robinson the Knicks were able to draft him in front of the Lakers. Robinson was drafted by the Knicks with the
36th pick while the Lakers had picks 39 and 47. Both are playing a reserve role, will they
ever fully develop their talent, that is yet to be answered.
How about 2020 you ask, nbadraft.net
places before us the name of Neemias Queta.
He’s a 7-foot 245-pound center who plays for Utah State, Queta is
currently sidelined with an injury but should return to action in the
future. Although this prospect is
enrolled in the U.S., he’s from Barreiro Portugal. His freshman numbers certainly indicate
future promise, nearly 12 points and 9 rebounds a game plus 61% shooting from the field.
Statement game
The Sixers blew the Bucks away on
Christmas day 121-109. We hear the term
statement game used all the time, was Wednesday a statement game? The Sixers were expected to be at the top in
the east this season however the Celtics and especially the Bucks “stole” their
thunder. The Sixers themselves were part
of the problem not playing at the level fans and maybe the team itself expected. Shaq and Charles Barkley noted Joel Embiid
was not at the stage they believed he was capable of. Embiid acknowledged he heard the comments and
to prove he’d paid attention Embiid had a monster game 31 points 11 rebounds
while shooting 52% from the floor with but a single TO, we hear you Big Fella.
Bill Self to the
NBA
Don’t worry you missed no sports
news update this is just pure speculation.
The other evening one of the local sports reporters looking at 2020
speculated about Kansas basketball and Bill Self. This reporter claims the NCAA will penalize
Kansas basketball severely. This will
either cause or force Bill Self to leave the program. He claims the next stop for Self will be the
NBA my response that’s not necessarily safe either. Over the years we’ve read and heard reports the
coach has entertained an NBA job.
What might appear to be an upward
bound move on Self’s part is strewn with landmines. To date Larry Brown remains the only coach to
win an NCAA and NBA championship, the road is littered with college coaches who
could not coach successfully at the NBA level.
Billy Donovan after tasting success at Florida left for the Thunder,
Donovan was a good college coach. As for
the NBA we can make that same statement however his Thunder teams have failed
to win a championship.
Is it all his fault, of course not but
he’s the head man? As for the Cavs, former
Michigan and first year coach John Beilein is reported to have problems with
many of the Cavs players, at 66 years of age we assume he’s financially solvent
or he wouldn’t have taken the job. Your
response several coaches have been fired with no NBA connections; that would be
the case as well. If you are looking at
differences as to why there is little if any success, I cannot provide you a
single answer.
You thought there
might be a different outcome
It’s been reported Big Man James
Wiseman’s signed with Excel Sports Management.
There were reports circulating the young man might return to school rather
than the NBA. Not uncommon, sometimes players declared for the draft and the workouts
have not been successful, in other instances the the
player was given word they would not be drafted they decided to return to school. We are unsure
where the story began but keep in mind Wiseman’s status is totally different, most
mock drafts have him projected as a lottery pick.
