Basketball
from a fan’s perspective
This should be pointed out
Those of us in Missouri and Illinois are likely aware of this
information you are about to receive. Mizzou’s
victory last weekend over Illinois probably meant more to Mizzou than meets the
eye. It was pointed out and I’m passing
the information, there were 5 players with Mizzou on the front of their jersey. Once the spring semester concludes all likely
return home for the summer…where? How
about Illinois, the state is home for them.
It’s been mentioned previously coach Cuonzo Martin was born and grew up
in East St. Louis Illinois. The state of
Illinois has been fertile recruiting ground for the coach and the Mizzou
program.
It’s conference (or winning) time
The next two weeks will find most teams kicking off their conference
season; teams are prepping themselves in anticipation. Who wins the Big 10, Big 12 or SEC just to
name a few conferences? One writer
believes the SEC overall is not as strong as in the past, that just might
provide defensive minded and offensive lacking Mizzou to sneak past one or two
teams. As for the Big 12 will Kansas
basketball return to its usual place at the top of the conference? Will West Virginia, Baylor, Texas or even
Oklahoma mount a charge? Michigan State,
Ohio State and Maryland appear to be primed and ready to contend in the Big 10.
In the ACC Louisville is on top as conference play begins
however the usual suspects Duke and North Carolina will be in the fight. In the west Gonzaga, Colorado, Stanford and
Oregon would appear to be power players in their respective conferences. Returning to the Central Time Zone just how good
is Memphis, Northern Iowa, DePaul or Butler?
This short account is certainly not intended to be complete; headed into
conference play we have no clear picture of who wins. Injuries can always impact a team’s
performance and often become the X-factor.
Despite the unknowns this should be a good college season with no clear
winners.
Lakers blow 15-point lead
The new Lakers played the first half of the basketball
game, in the second half there were a bunch of players on the floor who somewhat
resembled the Lakers. The unfortunate part this collection of players
appeared to have no clue how to put away an adversary. The imposters
played nothing like the team on the floor in the first half. The final score read, Clippers 111 Lakers
106. This team must prove to me they want to win, Wednesday night they gave
us the opposite impression.
It’s apparent the Lakers need a 3rd scorer among the
reserves, the heir apparent is Kyle Kuzma however that’s been an issue. An assortment of injuries has placed Kuzma on
the sidelines for two extended portions of the season. There are reserves available, the question
are the Lakers willing to make a deal based on their present cap space
status? Andre Iguodala will not provide
the offense, but he could the defense at this point. Dennis Schroeder can add both, but the Thunder
guard is close to be an untouchable.
Coaching tree
The Spurs Gregg
Popovich’s coaching tree was mentioned during the Christmas Day game between
the Sixers and Bucks. The Sixers Brett
Brown and the Bucks Mike Budenholzer were on the coaching staff at a point for
Popovich. Most of us were unaware the
“tree” was as extensive as it is. Besides
the two mentioned there are several other current and former head coaches.
Alvin Gentry with
the Pelicans, James Borrego Hornets, Jim Boylen Bulls, Quin Snyder Jazz and Taylor
Jenkins with the Hawks. The parade
doesn’t end there, former head coaches Mike Brown, Jacque Vaughn and Earl
Watson also served as assistants before becoming head coaches. I’m unsure if we should count Mike D’Antoni in
the number, he was a scout at one time for the Spurs in between head coaching
assignments.
